In typical Drake fashion, the Toronto rapper made a cryptic new post on Instagram — leaving fans to wonder if he’s throwing a dig at Future and Metro Boomin. The two rappers recently did on a collab track with “Like That” featuring Kendrick Lamar.

On it, Lamar took aim at Drake, alluding to his recent For All The Dogs album.

Drake’s latest post is a slideshow that includes several unique images, from an eerie owl with the phrase “We never sleep” and a cartoon of two young boys captioned with “A Story That Has No End.” While we’re not exactly sure what this means, he surely picked it for a reason.

“I could never sell ya’ll out to sell my latest work,” Drake wrote. “Never do you bad out the blue but I’m down to make it worse.”

There has since also been rumors that Lamar will be dropping a solo diss track that fully goes after Drake. According to HipHopDX, Adin Ross recently revealed that the song reportedly exists.

“Past couple nights I’ve been going out… and I bumped into somebody who’s very close on this Kendrick/Drake situation,” Ross shared. “There’s a bird on the street that Kendrick already has a full-on diss track ready to drop for Drake.”

Until then, check out Drake’s Instagram post above.

Lizzo is making waves online over a new post to her Instagram, where she revealed she would seemingly be quitting music. It serves as a sharp turn, since she seemed to tease new tunes were on the way in January.

“I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet,” Lizzo wrote. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it.”

“I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views… being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look… my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name,” she added. “I didn’t sign up for this sh*t — I QUIT.”

The majority of the replies to Lizzo’s post include fans expressing their love for her. Over the past few months, Lizzo has been dealing with a lawsuit from her former backup dancers, citing a hostile work environment and sexual harassment. The most recent update as of February found a judge denying her request to have the case dismissed.

Check out Lizzo’s Instagram post below.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Dolly Parton apparently knew two years ago that a collaboration with Beyoncé was in the card. Even more specifically, she appeared on The Daily Show to chat with Trevor Noah and dished about how she’d love to hear the icon’s spin of her song “Jolene.”

Noah had asked the question because he had heard it as a rumor. At the time, Parton seemed to think it was a long shot dream.

“I don’t know if she’s even got the message, but wouldn’t that be killer?” Parton shared, with the video reposted by The Daily Show here. “I think she’s fantastic and beautiful, and I love her music. I would just love to hear ‘Jolene’ done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney did my ‘I Will Always Love You,’ just someone who can take my little songs and make ’em like powerhouses. So that would be a marvelous day in my life, if she ever does do ‘Jolene.’”

So, Parton is having a fantastic day today — as Bey’s cover of “Jolene” is featured on her new Cowboy Carter record. “Wow, I just heard ‘Jolene,’” Parton also posted on Twitter following the album’s release. “Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!”

Check out Beyoncé’s reintrepretation of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” above.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Buddy, Doechii, IDK, and more.

An eventful March has come to a close. While I took a look back at the best albums of the month in a new column, there are still a few more releases to take a look at this week. While all eyes were on the release of Beyoncé’s new album Cowboy Carter, a surprising number of artists were undaunted by the prospect of being overshadowed by the queen.

While Beyoncé leaned into country, a couple of rappers kept riding the dance wave that she fostered with Renaissance. Rico Nasty talked with Uproxx about her joint album with with Boys Noize, HARDC0RE DR3AMZ, while Doechii teamed up with JT on “Alter Ego.”

Meanwhile, other rappers went more traditional, like IDK and Joey Badass on the nitty-gritty “Denim,” which they previewed in a fiery From The Block performance.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending March 29, 2024. (Sidebar: I have no clue if MGK and Trippie Redd’s Genre: Sadboy falls into this category and I don’t want that smoke either way, but I feel it deserves a mention.)

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Bfb Da Packman — Forget Me Not

Potential Drake feature scam aside, Forget Me Not is the perfect chance to get familiar with Packman’s hilarious punchlines and unhinged observations.

BlueBucksClan & Hit-Boy — Biggest Out The West

Speaking of outrageous punchlines, California duo BlueBucksClan has more than their fair share of their own, shot through with a healthy dose of timely sports references. Hit-Boy’s unstoppable run continues.

Buddy — Don’t Forget To Breathe

The Compton cool kid has gone through some things, but remains as chill as ever on his therapeutic third album. With less pressure to prove himself to a major label, Buddy sounds more confident than ever.

Flyana Boss — This Ain’t The Album

True to the title of this five-song EP, Flyana Boss gives fans a taste of life beyond “You Wish.” The future still looks bright.

Katori Walker — Mezzanine

Another LA County native drops this week, offering more sharp-tongued witticisms over an eclectic mix of production from G-funk to easygoing neo-soul.

Roc Marciano — Marciology

I’ve been hyping up Roc Marci’s latest in the column for the past few weeks and it lives up to it. Blaxploitation funk samples background sinewy street rhymes with typical New York braggadocio.

Sainté — Still Local

I wasn’t expecting to include this album in the roundup this week, but following an impulse to hit play on Tidal sent me down a welcome rabbit hole of strong, observational raps from the Leicester native. UK rap might be largely defined by grime and drill, but Sainté proves there is a place for the groovy stylings most associated with laid-back US MCs like Curren$y, Dom Kennedy, and Larry June.

Singles/Videos

Bossman Dlow — “Finesse (Remix)” Feat. GloRilla

You really have to admire Bossman Dlow. A lot of rappers in his position, holding onto a viral hit, would have turned to any number of potential suitors to up the ante for a remix. GloRilla not exactly who you’d expect a new rapper to go to, but she does just that.

Chris Patrick — “Take Time For Myself”

I’ve been following the East Orange, New Jersey native for a minute, and while he still flies firmly under the radar, he always makes his latest work worth the mining expedition.

DJ Premier — “Can U Dig That?” Feat. Snoop Dogg

Thirty years ago, such a collaboration would have been unimaginable. Premier’s production is the de facto sound of East Coast rap, and Snoop is the West’s vanguard. Thank goodness it ain’t thirty years ago because they’re actually a match made in hip-hop heaven.

Machinedrum — “ILIKEU” Feat. Duckwrth

Funnily enough, there were actually two opportunities to include Duckwrth in this week’s list. And while Nascent’s “Don’t Check 4 Me” with Saba included is a worthy option, I’m always going to go for Ducky in his element, rapping over dance music — especially if it’s groovy garage like what we’ve got here.

Moneybagg Yo — “Bussin” Feat. Rob49

Within 30 seconds of pressing play, I found myself gasping. The raunchy hook is unintentionally hilarious, but in the way that you know you’re going to be hearing this song everywhere this summer.

Mozzy — “Jaded ” Feat. Eric Bellinger

I am never going to understand how Eric Bellinger isn’t a bigger star. The LA singer’s soulful chorus elevates Mozzy’s latest reflective single.

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

Glen Taylor will continue to serve as the majority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx. On Thursday, Taylor announced that he would no longer sell his controlling stake in the two teams to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, claiming that “Under terms of the purchase agreement, the closing was required to occur within 90 days following the exercise notice issued by Lore and Rodriguez. That 90-day period expired on March 27, 2024.”

All of this was disputed by Lore and Rodriguez, who released their own statement indicating that they fulfilled all of their obligations and have the funding to make this deal happen. Now, Lore and Rodriguez are upping their rhetoric towards Taylor, as Lore indicated to Sportico that the two are ready, willing, and able to do whatever is necessary to take over the two teams.

Via Sportico:

“We’re going to be the owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves,” Lore said. “It’s just a matter of time, and how much pain Glen wants to put the fans, the players, the town and community through. It’s his choice. It didn’t have to be this way.”
…
“I’ve never sued anyone; I’ve never been sued,” Lore said, “but we’re dealing with someone that is very comfortable operating that way, and we have to take whatever actions are necessary to protect our childhood dream here.”

It’s probably not surprising to hear Lore float the possibility of lawyers getting involved, but it’s certainly crazy to see that the teams are in this position, particularly amid one of the best seasons in franchise history.

After South Korean production Squid Game took over Netflix, the streamer has doubled down on developing other series from that nation. This, of course, includes more of the same from that deadly faux-reality show but also other shows like the upcoming Parasyte: The Grey.

This live-action manga adaptation also follows the success of One Piece, so Netflix is riding quite a wave. In this next series, however, the production differs starkly from its source material although it appears to remain loyal to the same universe. The sci-fi results include parasites who begin falling from the sky and send their hosts into homicidal frenzies. Not fantastic, obviously, but the potentially greater risk is in how humanity responds and potentially comes together or drives mankind further apart. Let’s talk about what to expect from this series.

Plot

Parasyte: The Grey exists in the same world and is based upon Parasyte, the manga from Hitoshi Iwaaki. The series, however, takes place in a new location and is an original story. Director Yeon Sang-ho told Tudum that the series pays tribute to the source material, which “was a staple for those of us who were passionate about manga and animation.” However, “the opportunity to build upon it and create something new is not only a great honor, but also a dream come true.”

In this show, a young woman named Su-in survives a car accident in the physical sense, but she seems different than usual. As it turns out, she’s only one of many humans who are infected by parasites. Most of these victims, however, lose control of their minds and end up becoming murderers after being controlled by the invading creatures. However, Su-in resides in a strange place where she remains half-mutant and can still retain her mind and humanity.

That non-homicidal status, however, does not free her from being a target of Team Grey, which has been directed by the government to eliminate every parasite (and in turn, every parasite-infested human) in existence. Together with her parasite, Su-in must manage to survive while also trying to figure out what makes her different from the other victims. As Yeon describes his view, he strove to make the series echo the theme of coexistence and whether humans could coexist with apparent enemies.

Cast

The cast includes Jeon So-nee as Jeong Su-in, the central parasite victim who manages to ward off the organism from taking over her brain. Thus, they co-exist. Koo Kyo-hwan appears as Seol Kang-woo, in search of his missing sister and tracker of parasites. Lee Jung-hyun also stars as Choi Jun-kyung, who heads up Team Grey.

Release Date

Parasyte: The Grey streams on April 5.

Trailer

Without further adieu, here’s a look at what’s coming in about a week.

A fresh and vibrant gin cocktail is all you need as the weather warms, an eclipse looms, and the trees burst with color. And Farmer’s Organic Gin makes a mean cocktail — especially a martini. Which, of course, means that you can use it to make a damn fine Collins too.

And trust us, the Tom Collins is the perfect drink to have in your hand this time of year. The Gin Collins is a mix of good gin, fresh lemon juice, and a touch of sugar topped with sparkling water. It’s technically a highball, but we’re not here to be pedantic. We’re here to make good drinks.

Below, we’re laying out how to make this incredible cocktail at home without any faux and overly sweet “Collins” mixers. This is a real-deal cocktail with fresh ingredients and it’s delicious. It’ll wake up your senses from the cold winter and let them bloom from the first sip onward. Let’s get shaking!

• The Bourbon Smash Is Our Official Labor Day Weekend Cocktail — Here’s The Recipe
• Learn To Make These Essential Bourbon Cocktails For Bourbon Heritage Month
• The Black Rose Is The Perfect Bourbon Cocktail For The Weekend — Here’s Our Recipe
• The Rusty Nail Is The Only Cocktail Recipe You Need This Thanksgiving
• Old Fashioned Vs. Manhattan: What’s The Difference Between These Two Iconic Cocktails?

Farmer’s Gin Collins

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Farmer’s Organic Gin
• 0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 0.75 oz. simple syrup
• 2 oz. sparkling mineral water
• Ice
• Lemon peel

All of these ingredients are easy to find. We do recommend using Farmer’s Organic Gin though. The key to Farmer’s is the addition of a touch of hemp in the botanical basket. This adds a twinge of umami to the flavor profile which helps balance the tartness of the lemon and the sweetness of the simple.

What You’ll Need:

• Highball glass
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Hand juicer
• Straw

Method:

• Fill the highball glass with ice.
• Add the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to the cocktail shaker. Add a handful of ice, affix the lid, and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.
• Strain the cocktail in the waiting glass and top with sparkling water. Express the oils of the lemon peel over the glass and drop the peel in with a straw. Serve.

Bottom Line:

First and foremost, this is a breeze to make. It takes all of 30 seconds once you have everything set up. That makes using a Collins mixer seem almost pointless.

Next, this is refreshing AF. It’s bright and full of almost creamy lemon citrus with a nice touch of botanical citrus, juniper, and savoriness. It’s balanced yet goes a little bit deeper than your average drink.

It’s also very easy to drink. These go down fast. If you’re hitting a backyard BBQ this season, you’re going to be shaking up a lot of these. They’re that good.

Nicki Minaj has long been a pioneer in the realm of hip-hop brand sponsorships and launching business endeavors outside of music. It looks like the latest market she wants to dominate is the shoe game. On Instagram, she announced the impending launch of her own sneaker line, which won’t just be one or two pairs but an entire range of designs — 11, to be exact — to be released on April 12.

“4/12 = 11 new pairs of my OWN sneaker,” she wrote. “11 completely different designs for you to choose from. An absolute dream come true. I can’t WAIT for you guys to see my 1st collection!!! … Thank you to my team for helping me make this dream come to fruition. This isn’t a sponsorship. I’m an owner & partner & we will be showing you the first complete collection on 4/12.”

Rappers launching their own shoe lines isn’t a new concept; after all, in the 2000s, both Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records and 50 Cent’s G-Unit had their own shoes. More recently, rappers have been mostly likely to collaborate with existing conglomerates — see: Drake, Doja Cat, Kanye West, Megan Thee Stallion, and Travis Scott.

However, more recently, it looks like hip-hop has been looking to carve out its own space in the sneaker game independent of big brands like Adidas and Nike. J. Cole recently previewed his new Dreamer Indie 5000 after previously releasing two pairs of sneakers with Puma. If this is going to be the new wave, there is definitely room in the market (for now, at least) and it will be fun to see how rappers use the space to express their creativity even further while retaining ownership and possibly innovating the next wave of footwear for the streets.

While Nicki’s sneaker does indeed look more like a collab with existing apparel company Løci, it’s still a fascinating possibility to consider.

Any parent knows that kids can be surprisingly astute little philosophers at the most unexpected times. One minute your child is throwing a tantrum because you sliced their sandwich wrong, and the next they are blowing you away with their deep preschool thoughts. It’s enough to give you whiplash, but it’s also one of the most fun things about being around kids. You never know what they’re going to say and sometimes what they say is just awesome.

Case in point: This 5-year-old who gave his mom some sage advice about handling her nerves.

Twitter user @Eprecipice (StressieBessie) shared the story in a tweet thread. She wrote:

“When talking about our agendas for the day, I told my 5yo I was a little nervous about a meeting I have today. He said, ‘Mama, I am nervous all the time. I know what to do.’ So friends, here is all the advice he could fit into the drive to school:”

1. “You gotta say your affirmations in your mouth and your heart. You say, ‘I am brave of this meeting!’ , ‘I am loved!’, ‘I smell good!’ And you can say five or three or ten until you know it.”

Okay, first of all, the fact that this kiddo knows what affirmations are is awesome. Some people have questioned whether this advice really came from a 5-year-old because of the vocabulary, but kids are sponges and affirmations aren’t rocket science. It’s become quite common for preschools and kindergartens to teach kids things like this, so it’s not actually surprising to hear him talk about affirmations. It’s just adorable to hear the ones he suggests.

When talking about our agendas for the day, I told my 5yo I was a little nervous about a meeting I have today. He said, u201cMama, I am nervous all the time. I know what to do.u201d So friends, here is all the advice he could fit into the drive to school:

— StressieBessie (@StressieBessie)
1643118594

2. “You gotta walk big. You gotta mean it. Like Dolly on a dinosaur. Because you got it.”

Okay, so this actually is sound advice. Researcher Amy Cuddy gave a whole TED Talk about how our minds respond to our own body language, and how using confident body language can actually release chemicals in our brains that make us feel more powerful and self-assured. So “walk big” like you mean it is legit.

2. u201cYou gotta walk big. You gotta mean it. Like Dolly on a dinosaur. Because you got it.u201d

— StressieBessie (@StressieBessie)
1643118788

3. “Never put a skunk on a bus.”

No idea what this means, but it’s definitely solid wisdom.

4. “Think about the donuts of your day! Even if you cry a little, you can think about potato chips!”

I’m genuinely not sure if this is referencing real donuts or not, which is part of what makes it delightful advice. Metaphorically, “the donuts of your day” could be the positive things that happened, and focusing on those instead of the negative is basic positive thinking. Then again, if you cry and think about potato chips, perhaps he’s just referencing comfort with food. Either way, totally feeling it.

4. u201cThink about the donuts of your day! Even if you cry a little, you can think about potato chips!u201d

— StressieBessie (@StressieBessie)
1643118922

5. “You gotta take a deep breath and you gotta do it again.”

Pretty much every therapist from every psychological school of thought will tell you that breathing exercises are one of the quickest ways to calm your body and mind. Simple, but seriously sound advice.

6. “Even if it’s a yucky day, you can get a hug.”

Even though that sounds like a pretty typical thought for a kid, it’s also good well-being advice. According to The Conversation, the chemicals released when we hug can help us manage stress, reduce anxiety and manage our emotions.

Smart kid.

He added one more piece of advice for good measure as well for those of us who tend toward distraction.

6. u201cEven if itu2019s a yucky day, you can get a hug.u201d

— StressieBessie (@StressieBessie)
1643119356

Extra addition from this afternoon: u201cDonu2019t get distracted and your feet will stay on the sidewalk and not too full of snow.u201d

— StressieBessie (@StressieBessie)
1643147180

Like a little Confucius, this one.

Seriously, if you ever want to hear some of the most oddly profound things you’ll ever hear in your life, spend some time interviewing a 4- or 5-year-old. They really do say the darnedest things. And if you’re nervous about something, just keep telling yourself you’re “brave of” it. If nothing else, it’ll bring a smile to your face remembering this delightful thread.

This article originally appeared on 01.31.22

If you’re a mom, you know how difficult it is to plan a time to get together with another mom friend, especially if your kids are in different stages of life. It’s a common theme amongst moms that spills into mom groups where we joke about having to plan time to hang out months in advance, complete with fancy RSVPs. You wind up being consumed with your responsibilities of work, kids activities, appointments and overall managing a household.

By the time you finally find time to yourself, you wind up falling asleep on the couch with your streaming platform asking if you’re still watching. It certainly doesn’t take long to feel like you’ve lost yourself to motherhood, which can feel extremely isolating. So you really focus on making the effort to spend some kid-free time with a mom friend, only for someone’s kid to fall ill or a spouse to work late.

Recently, a good friend and I found ourselves in this endless loop after having coordinated one glorious child-free evening together eating pizza and watching television. Weeks after getting to experience our “moms night in,” we simply could not find time to hang out again but we also realized how beneficial the time was to our mental health. We were both stuck in the “busy working mom” hamster wheel desperately wanting to rest our feet.

During one of our back and forth scheduling marathons, I had an epiphany. Gen Z share their locations with their friends and don’t think twice about it. Sharing location lets them know when one of the friends they want to hang out with is working, at practice or hanging out with other people so they can move along to texting someone who is free.

The thought of teens sharing locations made me question why there wasn’t an app that could sync up mom friends’ calendars. It would allow you to see where the holes are in the calendar so you can more easily schedule times to hang out. As far as we knew, there was no app that did that but most calendars have features where you can share it with other people.

It took about five seconds to link our Skylight calendars. While you may not be interested in sharing your calendar with every friend you have, it can certainly help with closer friendships, and you don’t have to have a fancy calendar to do it. You can add anyone to your Google calendar and limit it to where they can only see times blocked off but not what you’ve got going on. Google calendar actually has a handy feature that does allow you to click a button that will scan the schedule of the people trying to schedule time to meet then propose times that work best for everyone’s schedules.

If you have an iPhone, you can share you iCalendar with other people that also have iPhones or other Apple products. Granted, this solution may not be for everyone but trying to meet up with mom friends is like trying to assemble the Avengers. It shouldn’t take this much effort to meet a friend for lunch but it can and let’s be honest, moms have enough pressure on them without having to worry about RSVPing three months in advance to have an 80s movie marathon with their bestie.

In today’s age of the overbooked, there’s not a lot of wiggle room for spontaneous pop ups. Calendar sharing seems to be the next best option for busy moms to find time for kid-free playdates.