Bad Bunny has broken the internet again it seems after he took fans behind the scenes of his self-care routine, and well, posted some snaps while he was in the bathtub.

Most of the slideshow is of Benito’s selfies as he chills in the tub. For the other one that’s gaining traction, he decided to turn the camera around, providing a near-NSFW shot of his thighs and leg tattoos — with some conveniently placed bubbles still making it social-media-friendly.

Following these pics, his followers have been anything but calm about Bad Bunny.

“im so fond of him . i love whoreish antics,” one user wrote.

“He knows what he’s doing and I might just give in,” another added.

Others drew comparisons to the recent movie Saltburn. Which, if you haven’t seen it, the film features a scene where Barry Keoghan’s character decides to lick the bathtub after Jacob Elordi’s character, to put it gently, uses it.

“Saltburn is starting to make so much sense to me now,” a Twitter user fan chimed in. A few others simply offered a reaction photo of Keoghan in the movie to serve as their response to seeing Bad Bunny’s post.

View Bad Bunny’s bathtub Instagram post above. Continue scrolling for some more internet reactions.

Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams dropped by Spotify’s pre-Grammys Best New Artist party to celebrate their nominations — and treated the crowd to a performance of their “Everywhere, Everything” collaboration while they were there. It originally was just Kahan on the stage, until Abrams popped up as a surprise guest.

The duo dropped the song in December, alongside Kahan’s Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) collaboration project.

“Gracie puts her whole heart into every song she writes and note she sings, and I found myself completely swept into her world the first time I heard her,” Kahan shared in a statement. “So incredibly excited for you all to hear her incredible take on ‘Everywhere, Everything.’”

“I’m so honored that Noah asked me to join him on ‘Everywhere, Everything,’” Abrams added. “I’m constantly in awe of the heart and sincerity behind each of his songs, and I feel crazy lucky for the opportunity to sing on one of my favorites. Noah really is the best, and I am simply a fan.”

Both Kahan and Abrams are up for the Best New Artist Grammy, alongside other nominees Ice Spice, Coco Jones, Jelly Roll, Victoria Monét, Fred Again.., and The War And Treaty. The winner will be revealed in the awards show, which airs this Sunday, February 4. More information about the 2024 Grammys can be found here.

Check out a clip from their performance here.

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

Ty Dolla Sign has had a prominent rap career, but he also is jumping into the television world again. Fans of STARZ’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan series might be surprised when he pops up on their screens during episode nine, which airs today, February 2.

Here’s what to know about Ty Dolla Sign’s appearance in the Power franchise.

Who Does Ty Dolla Sign Play In ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan?’

During the recent “Home To Roost” episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Ty Dolla Sign appeared as the character Clarence “Krystal Light” TK. He helps Ronnie (Grantham Coleman) as his “most trusted soldier” who is “always ready for a gunfight,” according to Complex.

In a clip that was exclusively shared with the publication earlier this week, Clarence watches Ronnie and Gabriel Ayala (Joseph Melendez) get into a fight, which was sparked by the death of the latter character’s cousin, Juliana Ayala (Rosal Colon).

Also, there could be future tension over Ty’s character of Clarence down the line, based on who he is aligned with. Earlier in the season, Ronnie killed his brother Unique, who was played by Joey Badass.

Before appearing on Raising Kanan, Ty Dolla Sign played himself on Insecure, according to his IMDb — so hopefully he gets to do more acting work on the series.

Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Justified: City Primeval ended in the most satisfying manner possible: with an appearance from Boyd Crowder. Yep, Walton Goggins had (deliciously) lied to my colleague, Jason Tabrys, by playing dumb about that escape-from-prison cameo. “[I]t was not the time” was how he described the prospect of Boyd appearing, but he also teased, “I’ll be watching it all the way to the bitter end. How about yourself? Will you be watching it to the end?”

That ornery Walton Goggins.

The finale also saw Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant, obv) finish what he started by killing Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook and his tighty whities), and then Raylan thought he was retiring. Actually, he did retire, except that he spent the final moments of the season staring at that ringing phone and presumably wondering if he should answer. Raylan knew, in his heart, that he would be pulled back into “one last job” if he did that deed, and then the season was over.

Is that the end of Justified? Maybe not.

Plot

Since that time, we have received teases from co-showrunner Michael Dinner, who admitted that “everybody [on the team] would like” more Justified, yet it wouldn’t be called City Primeval but would take place in a Raylan-and-Boyd centered space. That’s a major “if,” of course, but Dinner further declared, “It’s up to the network. Walton’s interested, and Tim’s interested, and we think there’s another chapter in Raylan’s life, but what are the needs of FX?”

Ideally, FX will decide that the people need to know what happens after Boyd Crowder was smooching a lady prison guard and having concocted a medical ruse to leave prison. That guard, by the way, was portrayed by Ahna O’Reilly, the wife of co-showrunner Dave Andron, who remarked upon how strange it was to “watch Walton kiss my wife.”

To further emphasize how exciting that another Boyd return would be, I’d like to refer to this emphatic plot prediction from my colleague, Brian Grubb:

We have a “one last job” situation on our hands, people.

God, I’m so ready.

Give me Raylan chasing Boyd through Mexico and maybe even South America.

Send them to Brazil.

Please.

For me.

PLEASE.

BRAZIL.

THINK ABOUT IT.

YES.

You heard him. Do they have any Dairy Queens in Brazil?

However, we cannot emphasize enough that these are all dreams right now except for the part where both Olyphant and Goggins declared that they are definitely “interested” in getting the love-hate relationship back together. And this would be great, you know it. Do you remember the “I’m gonna bet my life on you being the only friend I have left in this world” scene? Not to mention the “we dug coal together”? Yup. We need more of that.

Besides, I believe that Goggins might feel obliged after this Michael Dinner revelation about hiding his cameo from the world:

[P]oor Walton had to lie through his teeth… he was doing all this press for Gemstones, and he called us after two days of press and was like, ‘I just spent two days lying to every journalist on the face of the planet that “‘it just wasn’t the time.’” So a lot of credit to him for sticking to his guns.

This situation can be remedied. 🙂

Cast

As long as we receive Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins staring each other down as Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder, nothing else matters. Would I like to see how Deputy U.S. Marshall Tim Gutterson (Jacob Pitts) is doing, too? Sure would.

Release Date

Given how well Goggins kept his City Primeval cameo a secret, I honestly would not be surprised if that squirrelly fellow and the rest of the cast and crew decided to get together without announcing as much (to surprise everyone). In other words, if we do see a second season, it could conceivably happen sooner than we think. 2024? 2025? Fingers crossed.

Trailer

We can only dream of that type of crystal ball. For now, let’s travel back to the time of Dairy Queen-dreaming Boyd declaring, “I am the outlaw, and this is my world, and my world has a high cost of living.”

Megan Thee Stallion has announced a unique deal with Warner Music Group. She will have control of the rights to her master recordings and publishing still, according to Rolling Stone. The label will provide the Houston rapper with “distribution and marketing resources” to help further her career, as part of the agreement made.

“This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter of my life and career,” Megan shared in a statement, according to the outlet. “I’m really focused on building an empire and growing as an entrepreneur, so I’m proud to take this next step in my journey and work with Max Lousada and the entire Warner Music Group team in this new capacity. I know we’re going to create history together.”

As some fans have noticed, Megan’s recent songs, “Hiss” and “Cobra,” have been released through her Hot Girl Productions business — where she will continue to put out new tracks. The outlet also points out that if she happened to sign any artists to her company, they would have access to Warner’s marketing as well.

Last year, she officially left her old label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, while keeping her distribution under the Warner-acquired 300 Entertainment company. “Following on her success with 300, we’re excited to continue our journey with Meg through this dynamic new partnership, with our global teams, infrastructure, and expertise supporting her every step of the way,” Lousada added as part of the statement.

Check out Megan Thee Stallion’s celebration post on Twitter about the deal below.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Eager to reward her fans with new music, Dominican reggaeton superstar Natti Natasha released her latest album — NASTY SINGLES — in late 2023. The drop was a surprise and a welcome one, at that. Containing 10 previously released songs and six new tracks, Nasty Singles is somewhat of a compilation that Natti compares to an “assembled puzzle” because of the way music is released in this streaming era of non-stop singles.

A new mother and entrepreneur, Natti’s Nasty Singles strongly reflects the empowerment that she felt through the combination of motherhood and maturity. The songs are “nasty” in a way that takes ownership of a term that’s been famously used as a pejorative toward empowered women. They celebrate independence, inner strength, courage, conviction, and all facets of emotion that motherhood imparts.

Not only is Natti in her nasty phase but she’s also reflecting on the cultural influences that have shaped her music and her life – growing up in the Dominican Republic and having that pride, recording most of the album in Puerto Rico, and also the Mexican DNA of the modern Latin sound. Her music is centralized around the pulsating rhythms of Reggaeton but also incorporates Cumbia, Bachata, R&B, Dembow, and Afrobeat — creating a dynamic musical melange.

In short, it’s nasty in the best ways — which could also be said about Natti Natasha’s snacking habits. The artist views herself as more of a snacker than a meal-eater. So we dove deep into her favorite foods, as well as the cultures celebrated on Nasty Singles, and — in the process — found out that Dorito’s and Oreo’s eaten together is apparently a thing.

Let’s get right down to it – what snacks are on your rider?

Cashews, peanuts, almonds for sure. I don’t like salt [on nuts], but they always put them with salt. Cheese, any type of cheese, or different cheeses. Strawberries, sometimes I eat them, sometimes I don’t. Grapes. And… I think that’s it.

And definitely some junk food, like some potato chips. You never know when it’s a good day to have junk food.

That’s right. You mentioned a lot of different snacks just now. Would you say that you are more into sweet or savory snacks?

I mix it actually. For example, I eat at the same time — I mix Doritos and Oreo.

Whoa.

Whoa, right?

Together? You eat them together?

Together

That is crazy.

The best. It’s the best. Trust me.

Wow — I’ll have to try it and circle back. Would you say that you have a time of day when you’re snacking, or does it just depend on what’s going on?

I think I’m a snacker, instead of a sit-down eater.

Oh, so you don’t eat a lot of whole meals, but you eat a lot of snacks throughout the day?

I’m a snacker. That’s it. This is why I’m so excited about this conversation.

Your latest project NASTY SINGLES was partially recorded in the Dominican Republic, some songs were recorded in Puerto Rico, some in Mexico. Being from the Dominican Republic, does each culture have the same types of snacks, or do they all have different specialties in each of those places?

Well, just like my album, NASTY SINGLES, each song and each place has a different flavor and different snacks. For example, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico have kind of the same cheese. Well, actually, in Mexico too, but the flavors are different.

Something that I would get in Mexico as a snack, and not in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico — I think I would just eat corn. I know it’s weird, but they make it really good sometimes, with some spicy stuff. And that will probably be a snack for me in Mexico, and not in the Dominican Republic.

Like elote or something like street corn?

Yeah, yeah, like street corn, that would be something that I wouldn’t do in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, I would have a coconut. You’re in the streets, you get a coconut, right?

Right. And what about in DR?

You just drink the water, or you eat the inside (of the coconut). In the Dominican Republic, you get an empanada, which is like a patty. That’s how you call it.

Cool. I’m sure you travel a lot between touring. Is there a snack when you check in somewhere, that you have to have in your hotel?

Cashews, and a little bit of chocolate.

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Is there something that you’d be excited about if you’re like, “Oh my gosh, they have this in the mini-bar!” — I mean, besides the cashews and chocolate, is there anything that you’d be excited about?

Yeah, wine. Does it count as snacks or not?

I don’t know if it counts, but it goes well with snacks. When you’re in the studio, is there a different type of snack that you like that gives you energy, creative juice, or anything like that?

Well, when I was making “Ya No Te Extrano”, which was actually in Puerto Rico, one of the snacks that I had there a lot was chips. I know it’s not healthy at all, but I was having chips. Like the plantain chips — that’s the Puerto Rican feeling right there.

With “Tu Perrota” I was having a lot of protein bars. Does that even count as a snack? I think so. “Perrota” is like… Well, the meaning that it has in the song is how good I feel. How fucking amazing I look and I feel inside out. So, when I want to look good, and I’m training, I always take care of what I eat. But when I go really, really in, then that’s a go-to snack [i.e. protein bars]. So, that’s when I really feel “Perrota.”

What’s your favorite protein bar?

Are they going to pay me? It’s Quest. The Quest Protein Bars.

I was going to ask you later, if you could be an ambassador for any snack brand, what would that be?

Listen, I love Quest Bar. I would love to be a Quest Bar ambassador. I would like to be a plantain chip ambassador, just because it represents the Caribbean so much, that I feel like it would be something interesting and funny in a way.

I’m Dominican, so it’s like, we have plantains everywhere in the Dominican Republic, so it will be kind of funny. And I feel like having that twist, being super clean eating, and then going to a plantain chip situation, really involves everything that the album represents. The different genres, the different feelings on each song. I feel like the variety.

Is there a food that everyone has to try when they visit the Dominican Republic that they wouldn’t get in the US, or maybe they wouldn’t be able to find that easily?

I would say it’s more the beer over there. But we could say Pastelon with the yellow plantain. But for the mashed plantain, is the green one. So you put that with some amazing onions. You cook them a little bit with vinegar and olive oil if you want. I’m vegetarian, but we put it with salami over there, and cheese. I don’t eat the salami, but I eat the cheese and the onion and the Mangu. It’s like Mofongo, but it’s boiled, and Mofongo is fried.

So you get the difference — Puerto Rico’s fried, and then Dominican Republic is the boiled one.

I know you mentioned earlier that you like chocolate and junk food, and Doritos and Oreos together. What are some other guilty pleasure snacks that you really like?

Well, I really, really, really, really like white chocolate. That’s my favorite, favorite, favorite. I think that that’s pretty much what I go to when I want to…

Splurge?

Yeah, that’s the main, the main.

And then what’s something that some people may find gross or nasty, using words from your album, that you like, but other people might say, “Oh, that’s nasty”?

I love that. Well, actually, when I make the Doritos and the Oreos, a lot of people don’t find the magic in that. So, to me, that’s weird. Do you know the lentils?

Yeah, of course.

I put banana into it. Some people love it, and some people are like, “Eww.” And I’m like, “No, yummy.” I say, that’s “Yummy Nasty.” Yeah. The gas works with it, so you can’t hang out around a lot of people when you eat it.

And then what’s a snack that most people like, that you think is really gross or nasty?

There’s some people that like to dip their potatoes, the french fries into ice cream. I see some people doing that, and I find it weird.

What’s a vegetarian snack that maybe people who don’t know about it should try? Is there anything that you are really into, that you’re like, “Oh, this is such a good vegetarian snack”?

I love edamame. Yeah. Edamame is a good snack. It’s a healthy snack. It’s healthy nasty.

How do you feel about the dried veggies and dried fruits they have everywhere now, as a snack?

Oh, I like that. I had dried strawberries. I loved it. I loved it. I hadn’t tasted it before, but it was crunchy. I like crunchy things.

Being a new mom, are there snacks that both you and your daughter like to eat together, or things that she eats that you’re really surprised about?

She really likes greens, and I wasn’t really aware of that. When I put a plate, she’ll go to the sprouts, she likes cucumbers without the outside, and it has to be round. So, I find that very interesting. But I understand it because it’s refreshing. So, I think that she goes more for that area. And I like it too. I like yogurt. She likes it too. I guess she’s learning how to separate the Oreos. I didn’t know if she was probably copying what I was doing, but I separate them, eat the inside, and then she’s doing it, and I’m like, “Okay.”

That’s so funny.

She’s on that. Yeah, she does it all by herself. I like greens, and then I like some junk food here and there, and I see her in the same area.

Is that fun for you, exciting?

I love it. I love it. I love it. I enjoy it so much, and I feel like that’s something that people ask me. Like me releasing this album, I have ballads, I have really nasty, get down songs, and I have love songs, and I have everything. So many people are like, “Oh, but you’re a mom now.” And I’m like, “How does that make it difference to me?” It makes a difference in a powerful way. Now, they had asked me a question today, actually earlier. And I’m like, “I’m actually less afraid than before, of doing anything or expressing myself in any way because I feel like…unapologetic.”

So, I read somewhere that you love Dulce Frio, and I wanted to know, who makes the best Dulce Frio?

My mom.

I knew that was going to be the answer. But what if someone wanted to go buy some, is there anywhere that you’d recommend?

Actually, no, I haven’t seen that anywhere. Nowhere. And I have all the ingredients in my house, and I haven’t made it.

Maybe you need to make a store where people can buy it.

Maybe I do.

I also read that you really love cheese, so I’m wondering, do you like Puff Cheetos or Crunchy Cheetos better?

Crunchy Cheetos. Well, Interesting fact. I like it if it’s puffy Cheetos. This is going to sound weird, okay? You know when they’re kind of old, and they’re kind of gummy?

Old and gummy?

Not gummy, but they’re not that puffy.

Yeah, they’re a little stale.

Yeah. I like that. Yeah. I know. I know.

I’m going to ask one last question, and it’s a bean question. You said you like beans and lentils and bananas, right? Are there any other favorite bean snacks that you have?

Yes. In Dominican Republic, they make sweet beans. And it’s only made for Holy Week. That’s how you say it. They only make it for that time of year, and it’s a lot of sugar with beans and a condensed milk. You put little cookies in there. There are specific ones for that. You put prunes in there. It’s really good.

I really enjoyed getting to hear about all your snacking habits and your inspirations — I really appreciate you taking the time.

No, thank you, Dan. For sure. Thank you very much. Have fun. Thank you so much. I’m going to go eat because that made me hungry.

The Umbrella Academy has halted multiple apocalypses, including a twist-filled blast and defeating their own extreme sibling rivalry, and the gang will soon be back for a fourth and final season. Naturally, their very existence sits in a shambles because that third season finale changed everything.

Super apocalypse was the name of the game, given that the Hargreeves siblings had to defeat the Sparrow Academy, and they eventually did solve the Kugelbliz issue by hitting “reset” on the world. Yet they ended up in an odd reality where their powers were taken away, and they were allowed to enter the world, seemingly unaffected, to experience life anew. Elliot Page’s Victor got the last (profane) word, and the show actually could have ended there without falling into unresolved mode like, say, Santa Clarita Diet suffered upon cancellation. After all, three seasons is sometimes enough for Netflix with contracts generally needing to be re-upped, etc., but good news did arrive.

Showrunner Steve Blackman was thrilled to announce that the show has “an amazing story ahead for season four, one that will have fans on the edge of their seats until the final minutes.”

Promises, promises. I kid, though. This is an excellent development, and viewers won’t have to wait much longer, so let’s discuss the final season.

Plot

Netflix has revealed the above image that might appear uneventful, but upon further examination, it’s clear that something is very amiss. For starters, Tom Hopper’s Luther is no longer a jacked partial gorilla after losing those “powers.” That might seem freeing, and being normal might have guaranteed a lovely future for these generationally-traumatized characters. However, think again. On Instagram, Blackman revealed that the season premiere episode is called “The Unbearable Tragedy of Getting What You Want.”

The siblings had largely gone their separate ways, but they couldn’t quit each other for real. For one thing, a lack of power means that there’s the serious problem of them being unable to halt any future apocalypses that come down the Bad Dad Hargreeves turnpike. You know that he wasn’t going to let the world slide without another civilization-threatening disaster, and somehow, their mother has been revealed to be alive again, too. Also, Allison will have to reckon with turning against her siblings and making a deal with Dad, which presumably reunited her with her decades-past husband.

That’s where a stumbling block occurs for plot predicting. The show will now move further (like Game Of Thrones did in regard to George R.R. Martin’s source material) past Gerard Way and Gabrial Ba’s The Umbrella Academy comics after The Sparrow Academy volume. In other words, we are now in the great Umbrella Unknown with Netflix issuing a vague season description:

Last season ended with a major twist: There’s a new timeline dictated by the family patriarch, Reginald (Colm Feore), and the siblings no longer have their powers. That’s not the only oddity in this timeline, where the stakes are higher than ever before — there are new enemies who want to see them wiped from existence, but how do they face them without their powers? And will the siblings ever get them back?

Yup, higher stakes, more siblings, and that sounds about right. Let’s keep going.

Cast

Beyond the mystery of who will play the new sibling rivals (maybe we’ll see another dance off), the fourth season will also include new characters portrayed by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally as college professors. David Cross also joins the cast (“as a man desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter”), and he recently told us that “it was a f*cking treat and an honor to be a part of that.”

Returning cast members will include the gregarious Robert Sheehan (Klaus Hargreeves), Elliot Page (Victor Hargreeves), Tom Hopper (Luther Hargreeves), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison Hargreeves), David Castañeda (Diego Hargreeves), Aidan Gallagher (Number Five), Justin H. Min (Ben Hargreeves), Ritu Arya (Lila Pitts), and Colm Feore (Reginald Hargreeeves).

Release Date

A fourth-season premiere date hasn’t been revealed yet, other than Netflix’s assurance that 2024 is the year, for sure.

Trailer

A tiny slice of footage appeared within Netflix’s most recent sizzle reel.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Icewear Vezzo, Lil Yachty, TiaCorine, and more.

It’s Grammys weekend, and you know what that means: It took me about a quarter of the time to write this column that it normally takes. Seriously, though, since more or less everyone in the music industry is converging on my hometown for the “biggest night in music,” we’ve all mostly been too busy schmoozing and connecting with acquaintances to manage the day-to-day logistics of putting new music out. Fortunately, that didn’t stop everybody from doing so, or this column might be even shorter than it already is.

This week, JT dropped her first new solo single in something like nine months, “Sideways.”

Lil Yachty got reflective on “A Cold Sunday,” continuing his hot streak of late:

And TiaCorine put her love for anime and video games on display in the video for “Bonnet” from her new EP, Almost There, which we cover a bit more in-depth below:

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 2, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

ALLBLACK — Slow Motion Is Better Than No Motion

It’s an age-old aphorism but remains as true as ever — and nobody knows that better than the Bay Area indie hero ALLBLACK, who has kept up an impressively steady pace of new releases for the past four years, with no fewer than five full-length projects since 2020. On the latest, he titles the songs after a collection of his underrated heroes, from perennial NBA sixth man Jamal Crawford to ’50s doo-wop legend Frankie Lymon.

Icewear Vezzo — Live From The 6

With all the talents burbling up from Michigan’s loose-limbed, hard-nosed underground scene, I hear weirdly little about Icewear Vezzo from fans. Perhaps indie elitists gave up on him when he signed to Quality Control in 2022. They shouldn’t have; he remains as street-rooted and quietly clever as ever. If his rhymes are less hilariously unhinged as some of his compatriots, his observations are as sharp-eyed and delivered as deftly as ever. Like Babyface Ray (who’s featured here, along with YTB Fatt, Chuckie CEO, and sigh, DaBaby), Vezzo’s calling card is his consistency — which will pay off eventually, if there is any justice in this world.

TiaCorine — Almost There

While much of the attention this week was still being lavished on Nicki Minaj’s increasingly one-sided “beef” with Megan Thee Stallion, Winston-Salem’s own TiaCorine made one helluva play to swing the spotlight back in her direction. Almost There features a who’s-who of buzzy net-rap faves (Key Glock, Luh Tyler, ZelooperZ) but she controls the show, spitting with the slick-tongued, sharp-toothed ferocity of any of your starving 1990s boom-bap artists. “Bonnet,” which I cited above, is a standout, and would probably be as big on TikTok as her breakout “FreakyT” had UMG not pulled the plug on its music-sharing deal with the video platform. Hopefully, other avenues will bring in the ears it deserves.

Singles/Videos

Beatking — “Outside” Feat. Natalie Nunn

I’m sorry… featuring WHO!? We’re including this solely out of nostalgia for the early days of Twitter and the heyday of the Bad Girls Club. (Also, the beat knocks, and the baddies will almost certainly be turning up to this anytime get go … ahem … outside this summer.)

Don Toliver — “Bandit”

I covered this a bit earlier this week but feel it deserves a second look because it is marked by a notable improvement in the songwriting department on Toliver’s part. This might sound like shade, but this is the first time I actually felt engaged by a new Toliver single rather than just obligated to give it a fair shot. Dare I say, he’s grown on me a bit, and “Bandit” somewhat justifies that developing affection in a way that has me genuinely interested in what he might do this year.

Monaleo — “Don Who Leo”

One of my favorite things to drop this week was Monaeleo’s video for her new single, “Don Who Leo” (that’s a great title). While comparing her to fellow Houstonian Megan feels borderline gauche, I think it’s worth the possible faux pas because this reminds me of Meg at the height of her freestyle prowess, just before she broke out huge with “Big Ole Freak.” The energy is infectious, the punchlines are guffaw inducing, and the charisma is through the roof. I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but 2024 has the potential to be the year of the divine — and unapologeticaly ratchet — feminine.

Skilla Baby — “Plate”

Simple, straightforward, and with a surprisingly positive message. Not something I would have anticipated from Skilla Baby (usually, street artists wait until they’re on album three before doing their most uplifting material) but I should have known better. He’s made his name doing the unexpected and has always displayed the sort of self-awareness he shows here with lines like “Yeah, I see ’em, but I still pray / I’m a hypocrite for real, telling kids to stop the violence, out here slidin’ the same day.” BARS.

YFN Lucci — “Free Me”

The fact that Lucci can record and release this is fascinating — and not just because he will be eligible for parole in an eye-popping three months. The Atlanta rapper was indicted on racketeering charges in 2021 much like his rival Young Thug, yet because he’s accepted a plea deal, he could be back on the streets and regularly dropping new music by summer. Intriguingly, the streets have yet to accuse him of snitching like Gunna, despite taking a similar deal. Again, this is the stuff of bestselling cultural criticism — and if you beat me to it, I want 5 percent.

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

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Icewear Vezzo, Lil Yachty, TiaCorine, and more.

It’s Grammys weekend, and you know what that means: It took me about a quarter of the time to write this column that it normally takes. Seriously, though, since more or less everyone in the music industry is converging on my hometown for the “biggest night in music,” we’ve all mostly been too busy schmoozing and connecting with acquaintances to manage the day-to-day logistics of putting new music out. Fortunately, that didn’t stop everybody from doing so, or this column might be even shorter than it already is.

This week, JT dropped her first new solo single in something like nine months, “Sideways.”

Lil Yachty got reflective on “A Cold Sunday,” continuing his hot streak of late:

And TiaCorine put her love for anime and video games on display in the video for “Bonnet” from her new EP, Almost There, which we cover a bit more in-depth below:

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 2, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

ALLBLACK — Slow Motion Is Better Than No Motion

It’s an age-old aphorism but remains as true as ever — and nobody knows that better than the Bay Area indie hero ALLBLACK, who has kept up an impressively steady pace of new releases for the past four years, with no fewer than five full-length projects since 2020. On the latest, he titles the songs after a collection of his underrated heroes, from perennial NBA sixth man Jamal Crawford to ’50s doo-wop legend Frankie Lymon.

Icewear Vezzo — Live From The 6

With all the talents burbling up from Michigan’s loose-limbed, hard-nosed underground scene, I hear weirdly little about Icewear Vezzo from fans. Perhaps indie elitists gave up on him when he signed to Quality Control in 2022. They shouldn’t have; he remains as street-rooted and quietly clever as ever. If his rhymes are less hilariously unhinged as some of his compatriots, his observations are as sharp-eyed and delivered as deftly as ever. Like Babyface Ray (who’s featured here, along with YTB Fatt, Chuckie CEO, and sigh, DaBaby), Vezzo’s calling card is his consistency — which will pay off eventually, if there is any justice in this world.

TiaCorine — Almost There

While much of the attention this week was still being lavished on Nicki Minaj’s increasingly one-sided “beef” with Megan Thee Stallion, Winston-Salem’s own TiaCorine made one helluva play to swing the spotlight back in her direction. Almost There features a who’s-who of buzzy net-rap faves (Key Glock, Luh Tyler, ZelooperZ) but she controls the show, spitting with the slick-tongued, sharp-toothed ferocity of any of your starving 1990s boom-bap artists. “Bonnet,” which I cited above, is a standout, and would probably be as big on TikTok as her breakout “FreakyT” had UMG not pulled the plug on its music-sharing deal with the video platform. Hopefully, other avenues will bring in the ears it deserves.

Singles/Videos

Beatking — “Outside” Feat. Natalie Nunn

I’m sorry… featuring WHO!? We’re including this solely out of nostalgia for the early days of Twitter and the heyday of the Bad Girls Club. (Also, the beat knocks, and the baddies will almost certainly be turning up to this anytime get go … ahem … outside this summer.)

Don Toliver — “Bandit”

I covered this a bit earlier this week but feel it deserves a second look because it is marked by a notable improvement in the songwriting department on Toliver’s part. This might sound like shade, but this is the first time I actually felt engaged by a new Toliver single rather than just obligated to give it a fair shot. Dare I say, he’s grown on me a bit, and “Bandit” somewhat justifies that developing affection in a way that has me genuinely interested in what he might do this year.

Monaleo — “Don Who Leo”

One of my favorite things to drop this week was Monaeleo’s video for her new single, “Don Who Leo” (that’s a great title). While comparing her to fellow Houstonian Megan feels borderline gauche, I think it’s worth the possible faux pas because this reminds me of Meg at the height of her freestyle prowess, just before she broke out huge with “Big Ole Freak.” The energy is infectious, the punchlines are guffaw inducing, and the charisma is through the roof. I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but 2024 has the potential to be the year of the divine — and unapologeticaly ratchet — feminine.

Skilla Baby — “Plate”

Simple, straightforward, and with a surprisingly positive message. Not something I would have anticipated from Skilla Baby (usually, street artists wait until they’re on album three before doing their most uplifting material) but I should have known better. He’s made his name doing the unexpected and has always displayed the sort of self-awareness he shows here with lines like “Yeah, I see ’em, but I still pray / I’m a hypocrite for real, telling kids to stop the violence, out here slidin’ the same day.” BARS.

YFN Lucci — “Free Me”

The fact that Lucci can record and release this is fascinating — and not just because he will be eligible for parole in an eye-popping three months. The Atlanta rapper was indicted on racketeering charges in 2021 much like his rival Young Thug, yet because he’s accepted a plea deal, he could be back on the streets and regularly dropping new music by summer. Intriguingly, the streets have yet to accuse him of snitching like Gunna, despite taking a similar deal. Again, this is the stuff of bestselling cultural criticism — and if you beat me to it, I want 5 percent.

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

Hollywood was stunned on Friday by news that iconic screen actor Carl Weathers passed away at age 76. Best known for his roles in Rocky, Predator, and more recently, The Mandalorian, Weathers reportedly died peacefully in his sleep.

In the wake of his death, tributes have been pouring in on social media, starting with Adam Sandler who worked with Weathers in the 1996 comedy classic Happy Gilmore.

“A true great man,” Sandler wrote on Twitter. “Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend.”

Jesse Ventura, who worked with Weathers on Predator, also paid his respect to the late actor.

“We lost an icon,” Ventura wrote. “Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years. Thank you, Carl.”

Thanks to joining The Mandalorian world in Season 2, Robert Rodriguez had the privilege of working with Weathers and spoke kindly of their time together.

“Will miss the great Carl Weathers who I was very fortunate to work with on several occasions,” Rodriguez posted. “A very kind and generous person. His performances were always electrifying and he was also a terrific director of both stage and screen.”

Magic Johnson, Leslie Jones, Jon Lovitz, and more also chimed in with tributes to Weathers for not just his acting talents, but his skills on the football field:

You can see more reactions to Carl Weather’s passing below:

(Via Adam Sandler on Twitter)