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Before “Barbie World” became as inescapable as every other aspect of the Margot Robbie-starring film, music fans were wary of Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s newfound friendship. After all, Nicki and Megan Thee Stallion appeared to be fast friends during the “Hot Girl Summer” of 2019, and we all see how that ended up.

So, it comes as no surprise that Minaj’s most enthusiastic fans, the Barbz, have taken it upon themselves to call out Ice Spice for perceived disloyalty over allegedly recording a verse for Kanye West. Earlier this week, influencer YesJulz shared a screenshot of a text thread between herself and West — presumably from before she was “fired” from YZY for supposed breaches of contract — in which Julz claims she sent the beat for Kanye’s song “New Body” to both Doja Cat and Ice Spice to see “who sounds best.” Only a day later, Kanye reported via his Instagram Story that the “Munch” rapper had indeed sent verse, but lamented that “her team is saying we can’t use it.”

Members of Minaj’s fanbase — and even her entourage — sent shade at Ice Spice for even sending the verse in the first place, as Nicki had previously refused to clear her verse on the track for the first installment of Kanye’s Vultures project. The Song, which Nicki and Kanye originally recorded in 2019 for placement on his since-canceled project Yandhi, had seen multiple revisions, leaks, and other issues, which spurred Nicki to deem it “past its time” and refuse permission to use it — something West took very personally, calling her out in a listening party rant that seemingly put paid to any friendly feelings the two artists have shared. It’s also telling that he went to two ostensible Minaj proteges in Doja and Ice, perhaps hoping to get under her skin. Or, at least, that’s how many Barbz seem to perceive it, as seen in the representative examples below:

There’s a lot to be said here, but I think this sums it up best:

The use of AI in pop culture has been a pretty touchy subject, as many observe that it can take opportunities away from actual humans, but it’s already being implemented in some big projects.

Late Night With The Devil is the upcoming horror film starring David Dastmalchain as the host of a fictional variety show Night Owls with Jack Delroy. On Halloween night 1977, Delroy invites a formerly possessed girl to attend his live taping, and all hell literally breaks loose. It’s a highly anticipated horror movie that premiered at SXSW last year, though now the creators are getting pushback over the use of AI in the film.

Viewers pointed out that a handful of the still images in the film appear to be AI-generated. It includes title cards for the fictional show, which feature some eerie-looking skeletons.

After the discovery made the rounds on various social media platforms, Late Night with the Devil directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes released a statement to Variety defending the film’s use of AI. “In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the ’70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film,” it reads. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We can’t wait for everyone to see it for themselves this weekend.”

On the surface, using AI to create a number of unimportant images might not seem like a big deal. But when companies start adding fake celebrities into their projects or studios start using it to write scripts….then maybe we should be afraid. It’s what the devil has always wanted.

Late Night with the Devil comes to theaters on March 22 before streaming on Shudder on April 19.

(Via Variety)

Keeping up with Machine Gun Kelly’s announcements is a full-time job. Or is it only “mgk” now? He may or may not have changed his stage name earlier this month. In February, MGK revealed an all-black, nearly full-torso tattoo. And that’s without even mentioning his on-again, off-again relationship with Megan Fox. But in January, MGK wrote something on X (formerly Twitter) that unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) correlates with his latest announcement: “Ultimately, I’m sad at how people perceive me in general.”

On Wednesday, March 20, MGK and Trippie Redd announced Genre:Sadboy, “a project by us.” It will arrive next Friday, March 29.

The punk-rap artists (and fellow Ohioans) jointly introduced the project with a black-and-white Instagram video showing them vibing in the studio to one of their unreleased songs, and it’s particularly sad — even by Genre:Sadboy standards.

“I recorded two tonight,” MGK sings. “One is for all those I love, this one’s for the suicide / Everything is blue inside / Everyone ain’t you and I / People won’t say how they feel about you until you die.”

Genre:Sadboy also has its own Instagram page, which could mean that MGK and Trippie’s collaborative partnership will extend beyond what drops on March 29. This afternoon, March 21, MGK and Trippie Redd premiered a YouTube documentary about the project this afternoon, giving deeper insight into the process behind it and what can be expected from it.

As long as we’re drawing parallels between MGK’s recent online behavior and Genre:Sadboy, we may as well do the same for Trippie Redd. In late January, he went on Instagram Live to (yet again) shut down rumors that he worships the devil.

“I’m just a weirdo, bro,” Trippie said, in part. “I like to get tats on my face! I like to wear all black! I like to look goth! Feel me? Sh*t’s a lifestyle. Maybe I’m depressed. Maybe I like to be the gloomy one in the room. I’m from Ohio. It’s always gloomy there. Y’all don’t get it. I’m a real sadboi. I’m a real loner. Maybe I hide it with my personality and sh*t, but so what? I’m human.”

MGK last released Mainstream Sellout in 2022, while Trippie dropped Mansion Musik, A Love Letter To You 5, and Saint Michael throughout 2023.

Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood will be publishing a new book titled How To Disappear: A Portrait Of Radiohead. It will include photographs of the band’s journey, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at their tours, rehearsals, and more.

“For years now, I’ve been taking fugitive snaps of my band, Radiohead,” Greenwood shared in a statement. “I’ve tried to catch out my friends with my small black Yashica T4 Super. On stage and in the rehearsal studio, they are so lost in their own moment of performance that they don’t see me with the camera.”

Along with the photos, Greenwood will write stories and detail different memories, making it a special item to add to any Radiohead fan’s collection. He describes himself as being “taken with photographs as evidence, forensic records of how we worked and changed a space, from barn to country house to empty arena.”

His book will also primarily focus on Radiohead’s “middle years: all the joy and doubt and confidence and uncertainty we would oscillate between,” providing a better idea of the period that will be displayed in the images.

More details about Greenwood’s book will be announced closer to its release date.

How To Disappear: A Portrait Of Radiohead is out 10/15 via John Murray Press.

Donald Trump is continuing to freak out about how much money he owes. Last month, a New York judge ordered that the former president must pay $355 million in fines, plus interest, for lying about his wealth. Long story short: he’s struggling to come up with the money, to the point where he might have to sell his Mar-a-Lago property. Now where will Vanilla Ice play on New Year’s Eve?!?

While whining about the ruling in a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump compared the judge to an old-school SNL character and took a cheap shot at the current version of the comedy series.

“Even though I did nothing wrong, a Radical Left New York Judge, a true Trump Hater, Arthur Engoron (Are we allowed to speak about his Unconstitutional Gag Order?), picked a number out of THIN AIR, $355,000,000, plus interest (reminiscent of John Lovitz, ‘The Liar,’ on SNL when it was good), & wants me to bond it, which is not possible for bonding companies to do in such a high amount, before I can even Appeal. That is CRAZY!” Trump wrote. It goes on from there, but you get the idea.

What’s your favorite part? Mine is when he misspells Lovitz’s first name. It’s Jon, not John. If only there was another Lovitz character that could accurately describe Trump’s post…

Thank you, Jay Sherman.

(Via Raw Story)

A little over a year ago, Megan Fox sparked rumors that she and fiancé Machine Gun Kelly had broken up, first by deleting some Instagram photos, then by being spotted out and about without her engagement ring. So, what’s the deal?

Are Megan Fox And Machine Gun Kelly Still Engaged?

On the March 20, Fox-featuring episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, host Alex Cooper noted that Fox “got engaged, then I think it was called off,” as NME notes. Fox replied, “All those things you said were accurate things that have occurred.”

Fox then spoke vaguely about the current status of her and MGK’s relationship, saying, “I think that what I’ve learned from being in this relationship is that it’s not for public consumption. I think, as of now, I don’t have a comment on the status of the relationship, per se. What I can say is [he] is what I refer to as being my ‘twin soul’ and there will always be a tether to him, no matter what.”

So, what appears to be the case is that at one point, Fox and MGK broke off their engagement, and it’s not currently clear if it is still called off, or what they current relationship status is.

(WARNING: Spoilers for BMF episode will be found below.)

Unlike seasons one and two of BMF, the show’s third season doesn’t feature the Flenory brothers in their hometown of Detroit. At the conclusion of season two, Meech and Terry spit as the former decided to set out to Atlanta to launch a separate hub for their BMF collective. Season three tracks Meech and Terry’s progress as the respective leaders of the Atlanta and Detroit BMF headquarters. However, in episode four of season three, Meech comes home as a new business opportunity requires him to be in Detroit and get help from Terry.

When Will BMF Season 3, Episode 4 Come Out?

The fourth episode of BMF season three, titled “The Return Of The Prodigal Son,” will arrive on March 22. The episode will be available on Friday, 3/22 on the STARZ app starting at midnight EST/PST. The episode will later air on the STARZ TV channel at 8 pm ET/PT. A synopsis for “The Return Of The Prodigal Son” can be found below:

Meech returns to Detroit upon Colombian connect Loco’s request to pick up weight for BMF; the amount of weight is insurmountable for him to handle alone, thus he solicits help from Terry and the Detroit team.

New episodes of ‘BMF’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12 am ET/PT and on the STARZ TV channel at 8 pm ET/PT.

Contrary to popular belief, rappers – and hip-hop fans at large – have always been nerds. Look no further for proof than Wu-Tang Clan, ostensible stalwarts of hardcore, no-frills, gun-grime-and-crime street rap, who also chose a number of aliases from the world of Marvel Comics. Now, “nerds” isn’t here to demean anybody; after all, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo deliberately reclaimed the term for hip-hop heads with the name of both their experimental rock project, N.E.R.D., and their label, Star Trak (a direct reference to the OG geek obsession, Star Trek).

But just in case none of that was enough to convince you that hip-hop culture and geekdom are as inextricably tied together these days as politics and corruption, just look at the outpouring of admiration, grief, and respect from rappers and their fans for the late Japanese comics creator, Akira Toriyama, upon the news of his death last week — and for his unintended but undeniable contributions to the culture through his best-known work, Dragon Ball. Incidentally, I wrote just last month about the sprawling impact of anime on hip-hop, and much of that — I’m talking a good 80 percent or better — is very likely due to the popularity of Dragon Ball. Toriyama may well have created the most hip-hop anime of all time.

Oakland rapper Guapdad 4000 summed it up best in his extensive tribute to Toriyama on Twitter when he wrote, “NGL, Toriyama passing feel like I lost a real family member. This shit worse than when Micheal Jackson died.” Some version of this sentiment was shared across the rap landscape, from the expected, like Thundercat, who once paid tribute to the series with his tongue-in-cheek single “Dragonball Durag,” to the more subtle, like Big Sean recording a freestyle verse with the film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ on television in the background.

That foundational love for the franchise permeated each of the conversations I had with rappers ranging from Grammy favorite Cordae to Top Dawg Entertainment mainstay Isaiah Rashad to my fellow Comptonite Buddy. Although Dragon Ball isn’t ostensibly about hip-hop, nor most of the subjects with which rap music historically concerns itself, all of them considered the franchise a profound inspiration to their lives and art. Even beyond that, they each saw a reflection of themselves in characters like Goku and Vegeta, who they even likened to the fractious history of Blackness in America.

Just in case you have by some chance been stranded on a desert island with only a volleyball for company for the past thirty years, Dragon Ball is one of the most successful Japanese entertainment franchises of all time. It encompasses comics (manga), animated television shows and movies (anime), video games, which Cordae calls his introduction to the franchise, and mountains of merch from t-shirts (oft-derided in the early days) to action figures, accessories, and even cafes in its native Japan where fans could dine on themed cuisine inspired by the aesthetics dreamed up by Akira Toriyama over the franchise’s 31-year history.

Toriyama had previously worked on a book called Dr. Slump before creating Dragon Ball in 1984 out of a desire to write a kung-fu shonen (or boys’) manga. Shonen manga revolve around action and adventure tales about heroes who often hold goals of self-improvement and being “the best” at something or finding some MacGuffin. Dragon Ball, loosely based on the Chinese classical novel Journey To The West, has the best of both in the form of protagonist Son Goku, who searches for the seven titular balls that will grant the holder one wish from a mighty dragon.

The manga became so popular that it spawned five anime series, the second of which, Dragon Ball Z, was aired in the US twice. The first time, in syndication, it garnered a small but loyal fanbase despite numerous edits for content and a season order that cut off in the midpoint of the second season (a source of unending frustration for this writer). However, in 1998, the show began running on Cartoon Network’s afternoon Toonami programming block, increasing the show’s popularity stateside tremendously. It was many American children’s first experience with the concept of “anime” as Japanese cartoons.

After a redubbed airing continued the story beyond that original loop of 53 episodes, anime became an obsession at an unheard-of scale. This is the one most of the rappers I interviewed were most familiar with, but Cordae admits to being a fan even of the widely derided sequel series Dragon Ball GT. “I know a lot of people shit on GT, but that sh*t was tight to me,” he maintains. “I remember I watched Bio-Broly. That was one of the first movies I got from Blockbuster!” Still, DBZ is such an important part of his life, he’s even wearing a T-shirt in his breakout video for “My Name Is.”

Meanwhile, Toriyama’s distinctive character designs – those square eyes, that spiky hair – graced the graphics of a handful of popular video game franchises throughout the rest of the ‘90s and early 2000s. Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger are popular in their own rights, with many gamers holding them among the best of their genre and generation. Still, Dragon Ball and its sequels and spinoffs remain Toriyama’s best-known and most beloved works – especially when it comes to hip-hop.

Buddy recalled catching the show at home (off of Harlan and Alondra, the two streets after which he named his 2018 debut album) on Toonami, “fresh from playing basketball outside, hoopin’, skatin’, climbing trees.” Describing his recipe for the ultimate syrup sandwich, he says he watched Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha, and Cowboy Bebop in the afternoons. “Goku was my favorite, ‘cause that n**** be kickin’ ass and makin’ friends,” he enthuses. “Everybody he beat up, he’s homies with!”

Today, multiple rappers litter their rhymes with phrases from the show such as “going Super Saiyan,” a reference to a power some of the franchise’s characters can tap into to reach an empowered state complete with a flaming aura and golden hair. Florida rapper Denzel Curry name-checks Senzu beans — a restorative food eaten by the Dragon Ball heroes — and Broly, a villain from the 11th film, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan on 2015’s “Ultimate,” his breakout hit. Chance The Rapper throws out a reference to both the Super Saiyan state and one of the franchise’s many sidekick characters, Krillin, in his 2016 song “Blessings.”

Big Sean once fanned out when he and his mother met Sean Schemmel, the American voice actor for Goku and several other characters on Dragon Ball Z. Thundercat, best known for his work with Kendrick Lamar, recruited Guapdad 4000 and rapper Smino to rap on the “Dragonball Durag” remix in 2020. The video for the song sees ‘Cat trying to woo the Haim sisters adorning with the eponymous hair accessory and the resulting repulsion of (most) of his targets — a reference to the confusion faced by the franchise’s earliest American adopters.

There’s still some of that old embarrassment lingering through some of my conversations with the rappers, even though we’re all here for the same thing. Isaiah Rashad apologizes for “nerding out,” but needs very little encouragement to continue doing so. Mostly, though, these are some of the most enthusiastic interviews I’ve had in seven years at Uproxx. Ask rappers questions about the music, you might get one-word answers; ask them about Akira Toriyama and the impact that Dragon Ball has had on them, it’s like they ate a Senzu bean.

Even as Rashad frets that his musing gone too far afield, he credits his exposure to the wider world through Dragon Ball and other anime. They gave him an outgoing curiosity for other cultures – even ones that weren’t strictly connected to the franchise. “When you grow up in a Black household,” he says, “What your parents like, you like. So when you see something else that you really respect as much as you respect people that look like you… that got me into all kinds of different music like funk, live renditions of the music… I got hella influences. I love Thai funk. Dragon Ball is how I got into a lot of that.”

The aspects of the show that draw such energetic admiration from these entertainers vary as widely as their approaches to rap. Buddy loves the bond between the green alien Piccolo and Goku’s son Gohan, who takes up the battle to save the earth from extraterrestrial threats after his father’s death (don’t worry, he gets better). “I loved watching Piccolo and Gohan bond,” he gushes. “Uncle Piccolo, raising Gohan in the wilderness, training him, making sure he was book smart.”

Meanwhile, Cordae found himself fascinated by the world-building in an arc involving intergalactic supervillain Frieza. “It was like a caste system of just how you got your lower level, just army guys with the guns,” he explains. “Then you got your Dodoria, Zarbon, then you got your Ginyu Force. I just love the clear pecking order of how strong everybody was.” He says that Dragon Ball Z “was the one anime that was socially acceptable in the hood. When people ask me, am I an anime head? I’m like, ‘Nah, I just like the n**** anime, bro, just like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z.’”

A common throughline is how much the world of Dragon Ball reflects social issues, despite being technically apolitical. Cordae compares the Saiyans to Black Americans, calling Frieza a racist for his treatment of the group, which he employs as enforcers to carry out his dirty work. Buddy makes the same comparison to the planet Namek, which Piccolo calls home. Rashad notes that the prolific variety of character types and species made them relatable because “you didn’t know what the f*ck they was, you just know they was cool-looking.”

But sometimes, the love for Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama was as simple as giving young Black kids something to do when it felt like America didn’t provide very many other options – let alone ones enforcing positive messages about getting stronger, turning enemies into friends, and never giving up no matter the odds. As Guapdad put it in his loving tribute to Toriyama, “Dragon Ball Z literally saved me from just going back outside and ending up a street n****. I know this sounds like a stretch but I’m not kidding bruh. Toonami played it right when the streetlights came on.”

I asked everybody I interviewed for this piece what they’d want to tell Toriyama given the chance. Rather than words, they all shared another similar sentiment. “I would give him a big ass hug,” says Cordae. “I’d try to draw him, embrace my inner eight-year-old,” Rashad echoes. “I wouldn’t say anything,” Buddy admits. “I’d give him a fist bump. Then a side hug. And then it’d be an obsessed grab with a head on the shoulder.” They all say they’d tell him “thank you.”

Thank you for creating a world we could escape to. Thank you for giving us characters we could relate to. Thank you for inspiring our creativity, for expanding our horizons, and for telling us there is no limit to the power inside of us if we only keep pushing. Thank you for one hell of an adventure.

With the House of the Dragon Season 2 dropping “dueling trailers” on fans, the Game of Thrones prequel series is tasking fans with choosing which side of a fiery conflict to pledge their allegiance.

Based on the George R.R. Martin book, Fire and Ice, the prequel series has moved into the Targaryens’ growing war, largely led by Aemond and Daemon, that will rage across Westeros. With Aemond on Team Green and Daemon heading up Team Black, here’s a breakdown on which characters are on which side as the dragon-fueled skirmish fires up.

Who’s on Team Green in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2?

• King Aegon II Targaryen
• Queen Helaena Targaryen
• Prince Aemond Targaryen
• Prince Daeron Targaryen
• Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen
• Princess Jaehaera Targaryen
• Prince Maelor Targaryen
• Alicent Hightower
• Otto Hightower
• Ser Cristan Cole
• Lord Larys Strong
• Ser Arryk Cargyll
• Ser Tyland Lannister
• Lord Jasper Wylde
• Grand Maester Orwyle

Who’s on Team Black in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2?

• Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Prince Daemon Targaryen
• Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
• Prince Aegon Targaryen
• Prince Viserys Targaryen
• Lady Baela Targaryen
• Lady Rhaena Targaryen
• Lord Corlys Velaryon
• Prince Jacaerys Velaryon
• Prince Lucerys Velaryon
• Prince Joffrey Velaryon
• Ser Erryk Cargyll
• Maester Gerardys

Here’s the official synopsis:

Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. As each side believes theirs to be the rightful seat on the Iron Throne, the Green and Black trailers reflect those two perspectives in separate yet complementary halves of the same story. For global audiences, “All Must Choose” their side of House Targaryen as the realm fractures in season two.

House of the Dragon Season 2 arrives in June on HBO.

Sydney Sweeney is the It Girl of the moment. Could she also be a Bond Girl? The Anyone But You and Euphoria actress is the odds-on favorite to get a ridiculous name like Kissy Suzuki, Pussy Galore, or Holly Goodhead in the next James Bond movie. Instant Casinos has Sydney Sweeney at 5/2, followed by Jenna Ortega (11/2), Lilly Collins (13/2), Millie Bobby Brown (13/2), and Zoey Deutch (8/1), who makes more sense than Eleven from Stranger Things.

I know you’re all wondering: but who will play Money Penny??? Claire Foy currently has the best odds (4/1), then Emilia Clarke (6/1), Lily James (13/2), and Jessica Henwick (9/1). No offense to all those wonderful actresses, but the role of Money Penny should go to one of Sweeney’s grandmas. Maybe all of them. Shake (and/or stir) things up a bit.

Bond 26 is still in the early stages of development. There isn’t even an officially announced replacement for Daniel Craig, who wore his last impeccably-tailored suit in 2021’s No Time to Die. It might be Aaron Taylor-Johnston, as was reported earlier this week, but only if he “wish[es] to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back.”

It’s a tempting role for any actor, as long as you don’t stick around long enough where you’d “rather slit my wrists” than play Bond one more time.