From her Fenty empire to her fashion deals and, of course, her chart-topping music, “Umbrella” singer Rihanna is known for many things. But the title she holds above all is mother. Rumors have begun to circulate that she and beaux Asap Rocky are working on expanding their family, but the couple has two confirmed children as of today.
Yesterday (December 18), before the Fenty x Puma Creeper Phatty launch party in Los Angeles, California, Rihanna opened up about her journey through motherhood so far. While chatting with Access Hollywood (around the 1:30 mark), she confessed that she let go of all expectations going into it but was seemingly looking forward to passing on her distinctive forehead to her children.
“You don’t have an idea [when you picture your future family]. I hoped that I could have kids one day. And I hoped that I could have them in love. I hoped I could be a part of a family that breaks generational curses… it’s happening, and I can’t believe it,” said Rihanna.
She continued injecting some humor into the conversation. “The only thing I imagined was probably the forehead on RZA,” said Rihanna, referring to her oldest son.
“Riot doesn’t have it. I’m like, wait, are you sure? You can’t lose this thing,” giggled the singer.
Understanding any type of royal family is confusing, mostly because there are just so many people to keep track of. So when The Crown introduced “King Tony” maybe you thought, “huh, I don’t remember this happening in history but it makes for some good entertainment!” You would not be alone in that.
King Tony is not a real king, but he is a dream rendition of Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister who was elected in 1997. In the final season of The Crown, Queen Elizabeth experiences a nightmare that involves Tony Blair being coronated.
The Queen, played by Imelda Staunton, mentions her fears about Blair’s popularity in an episode of season six. “Historically, I’ve not worried too much about prime ministers’ popularity. It tends to come and go very quickly,” The Queen admits, before expressing concern.”But I’ve a feeling that could be different with Mr. Blair. People really do seem to love him and see him as a true son of England, and a unifying national symbol in a way they used to see, well, me,” she adds. And that’s how anxiety nightmares are born!
The final season of The Crown contains a dream sequence wherein the late Queen Elizabeth II attends the coronation of King Tony Blair featuring a childrens choir cover of Things Can Only Get Better by D:Ream.
In The Crown, Blair is portrayed by Bertie Carvel, and season six shows the increasing tensions between Blair and The Queen, among other royal storylines. You can stream the final batch of The Crown episodes now on Netflix.
Check out the rest of Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.
Beyoncé – “Grown Woman”
In honor of Beyoncé’s self-titled album turning ten years old, she gave an official streaming release to the track, “Grown Woman,” as a bonus reveal from that era. “I still get scared before every album release,” she shared in a video montage on social media, tied to the anniversary. “I’m constantly searching for the deeper purpose for my art. Thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. Just because you become a mother, it doesn’t mean you lose who you are.”
Karol G – “Que Chimba De Vida”
Karol G‘s “Que Chimba De Vida” finds her honoring all the special moments that life offers, making it a fitting title — as it translates to “What A Great Life.” The pop star expressed a similar heartfelt sentiment on social media. “2023 taught me more than any other year that everything I lived, witnessed, and experienced over the years,” she wrote about the track.
Reneé Rapp, Megan Thee Stallion – “Not My Fault”
As a teaser from the soundtrack for the upcoming Mean Girls movie, Reneé Rapp (who is reprising the role of Regina from the musical adaptation) collaborated with none other than Megan Thee Stallion for the fiery “Not My Fault.” Megan does not hold back during her verse, noting how “it’s funny how the mean girl open all the doors / I been told y’all, I’m the Black Regina George.”
Eladio Carrión – “TQMQA”
Eladio Carrión uses “TQMQA” to showcase his emotions — titling the track after the acronym for “te quiero más que ayer,” which translates to “I love you more than yesterday,” according to Billboard. It gives listeners a universal feeling that they can apply to their loved ones, no matter what their relationship.
Anitta – “Joga Pra Lua”
Anitta’s “Joga Pra Lua” translates to “Play For The Moon,” and that’s exactly what she does. With the help of Pedro Sampaio and Dennis, she finally gets to release a funky chorus that has been stuck in her head — and hopefully, will do the same for listeners.
Charlotte Sands – “Blindspot”
“It’s about the experience of watching their life from the sidelines and having to witness them have feelings for other people,” Sands revealed about “Blindspot,” which found her putting songwriting at the forefront, and drawing inspiration from Jewel and Michelle Branch.
Ericdoa – “Sweet Tooth”
“Sweet Tooth” finds Ericdoa going through how he feels about a romantic partner. “I remind her of a Sour Patch Kid, they don’t make ’em like this / Tell you something sweet, feel a pain in your rib,” he adds, as one of the many creative lines.
Elohim – “Broken Face”
Elohim dropped a new song, “Broken Face,” which is an emotional display of how she’s struggling to convey her feelings on the outside. It finds her being completely honest about her struggles, but despite her falls, she will eventually rise back up.
Laura Davidson – “Twisted”
Laura Davidson details a toxic relationship, and doesn’t hold back on the details when it comes to her new single, “Twisted.” She makes the cycle clear, singing, “Cut me off, then call me up / You know that I’ll forgive you.”
Jagwar Twin – “Bad Feeling (Oompa Loompa)”
Just in time for the new movie, Wonka, Jagwar Twin released their new song, “Bad Feeling (Oompa Loompa).” Incorporating the catchy song from the original Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory movie, this puts a rockier spin on it — bringing it to modern audiences.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Alan Ritchson has been racking up rave reviews for his performance in Reacher, the hit Amazon Prime Video series based on Lee Child’s books that’s now in its second season. The premise is shockingly simple, but it works: former military police officer Jack Reacher drifts into town and solves a new mystery by pummeling people in the face with his massive fists.
If that sounds kinda similar to how Batman operates, you’re not alone in that thought. Ritchson has emerged as a potential candidate to play the Dark Knight in James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe. Gunn has already announced a new Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, that will also bring Batman’s son Damian Wayne into the mix.
In a new interview, Ritchson responded to the rumors that he could be the next Caped Crusader, and the actor didn’t even try to hide his interest. Here’s what he said after being told that Kevin Smith referred to Ritchson’s Reacher as “Batman without a cape.”
Alan Ritchson: [Laughs]. With all the rumours flying that I’m supposed to be playing Batman, how can I knock Batman? I would love to play Batman. You know, [Batman without a cape] is a great analogy, actually. But I mean, Batman has got like a cave, and Reacher doesn’t even have a house. He’s got a toothbrush. So, I think Batman has got cool stuff. Dude is loaded and has caves, penthouses, and spotlights that call him. Batman’s cooler.
“Reacher would be harder to go down in a fight,” he said. “Just him and his toothbrush, and [Batman] be like, ‘Damn, he’s holding on. It’s been 30 minutes.’ So, it would be fun.”
Reacher season 2 streams new episodes Thursdays on Prime Video.
It’s a cliche, but it’s true: Rappers want to be hoopers and hoopers want to be rappers. Just look at Drake, J. Cole, Lil Durk, and Quavo — all guys known for melodic gifts who put a lot of free time into showing off on the hardwood. Drake even hosts his own pro-am league at his mansion in Toronto. Meanwhile, we all know about Shaq, Kobe, and Dame DOLLA, professional basketball players who trade Wilson for Shure in their off-hours.
It might be time to add the Los Angeles Clippers’ Bones Hyland to the latter list. The third-year guard is known for his swagger on court, but less known is his affinity for hooks and harmonies. He’s got a couple of excellent clips on YouTube and just dropped a new single, “Skarred,” in September. He’s also self-released three full-length projects since 2020 under the name Bizzy.
Where fellow NBA rap aficionados like Dame reflect the workmanlike focus on punchlines and wordplay of a day-job rapper like J. Cole, Bizzy tends to wear more melodic influences, like those of his favorite rapper Rod Wave, on his sleeve. This approach serves him well, though; in the same way the 6’2 player uses his lanky frame to shift defensive players and slither his way to the rim, something about his vibe suits his singsong delivery.
Uproxx stopped by the Clippers’ practice facility in Playa Vista to chat with Bones about his musical ambitions, what basketball and rap have in common, and his rap-baller starting five.
Tell me how you got started making music.
I experienced a house fire, and it had set me back by eight months. So I was on house rest, chilling, trying to recover from my knee surgery. And I always had a voice to melodize hooks to songs. I would just sing hooks over and over again and I’m like, “Damn, let me try this music thing out.” So a couple of my other friends made music, and I’m just like, “Yeah, I’m just going to do the hooks and y’all got the verses,” and that’s how we would put the songs together.
From there, we were like, “We could do something with this.” We started doing shows around the city, getting paid, and then I dropped a single. Once I dropped my single, that’s when it just blew up like crazy. I’m like, “Yeah, this is something I can do besides basketball.”
You know what they say, that’s what helps you with basketball. If you have something else.
Yep. Facts.
So who are your favorite rappers?
So I would say Rod Wave, NBA YoungBoy, I’d say Lil Baby too, Hurricane Wisdom. But Hurricane Wisdom and Rod Wave, those two are my favorites though. Just the way they make music, the melodies they put into music, how their soul was into the music, how they harmonize with the beats, that’s amazing music that they’re making. So that’s something that those two guys are, for sure.
Because of the overlap between basketball and rap, have you gotten a chance to really hang around in the music world with some of the big-name musicians that you have been a fan of?
Yeah, recently before the season started, I had hung out with Rod Wave and just got to pick his brain and just talk to him. He’s a great, down-to-earth guy and I found out he was a Virgo. I’m like, damn, we’re just alike. It’s just crazy.
Did he give you any advice that you are using now that is helping you?
For sure. Just be yourself. Stay down, because he’s working, but the big thing he said is, “Don’t let the outside world affect you.”
You have to approach it the right way. And that’s something that I had to do with league basketball too. Everything you have to deal with, it’s the same thing. So it’s really dope how me and him connected on that. I’m like, “Damn, that’s really crazy. You connected with me on the fact that you’re going through this for rapping and I got to go through this for basketball.” It’s crazy.
Obviously, a lot of people when they hear a basketball player wants to rap or a rapper wants to play basketball, they’re like, “How do you balance that?” They don’t understand it’s a job. You clock out at the end of the day. You go home every time. So how do you balance that in terms of that expectation from people?
So people just be thinking basketball is something we do all day. We literally clock in the morning till a certain time in the evening and the rest of the day is ours unless we have a game or something. So we have free time where we can literally do what we want to do, enjoy time with family, go make some music, shop, whatever you want to do.
But I usually make my music during the off-season because I like to really focus on just music and enjoying time with my friends and stuff. I feel like that’s when my best music comes out, during off-season. I feel like if I make music during the season, I’m rushed because maybe I go to the studio at 9:00 and I make a song till 11:30, 12:00, I got to get some rest because I got a game tomorrow or something, so I got to get back to the hotel. But if it’s something like in summertime, I don’t have to leave the studio early. I could be in there how long ever I want.
Going back to rappers who ball and ballers who rap, if you had to pick a starting five of rappers who hoop, would be your starting five?
So I haven’t really heard that many rappers who hoop, but I’d say me. I’d say, this is a player that I just heard that raps, Jaren Jackson Jr., Miles Bridges, and Dame. That’s the only four. And Lonzo, yeah. I like Iman Shumpert too.
Have you hooped with any actual rappers like Drake, Lil Durk, J. Cole, or any of those?
I hooped with Rod Wave.
Is he any good?
Nah. Hell, no.
Listen…. Hanging around with you guys makes me so mad because I’ll be like, “Oh, yeah, I’m trash. I’m never going to be good at this ever. You guys set the bar too high.” There are a lot of aspects, I think… We were talking about the overlap. It’s crazy because, like J. Cole, he took the practice aspect of basketball and applied it to rap for The Off Season. Do you ever feel like that’s something that you could do or are you already doing that and how are you doing it?
No, not really. I just think every year I just make better music. It’s kind of crazy. I just recently dropped the tape. It got taken down, but that was my best piece of work so far. But I feel like every year, I really get better at making music. Maybe it’s the music that I’m listening to other than myself that’s helping me make better music. Obviously, my recent past life, what I’ve been through — that helps me make music too, make heart-touching music — but also just stuff that I’ve accomplished during my life now that I overcame… Because maybe some people can’t relate to the stuff that I’ve talked about in the past, but they can relate to the good life that I talk about.
In basketball, of course, you have concrete goals. You have, “Oh, this is the season we’re going to make at the playoffs. This season we’re going to get to the third round. This season we’re going to win the championship. I want to be able to add this to my game.” What in your wildest dreams are the things you want this music thing to be able to do for you?
Really just take off. I feel like my message and my songs are really touching. I feel like a lot of people, once the world really hear my music they’ll be like, “Damn, like how the f*ck did he make music like this and he played basketball?”
I recently dropped a little snippet on my Instagram page and it blew up crazy, but I see a lot of people that’s coming from just everywhere that I’d never seen on my page before. And they like, “Damn, he makes music too?” And then I’m like, yeah, it’s getting to new fans. People are hearing my music, so I know once it touches way more, they’ll be like, “Damn, nah, this dude cold, cold at making music. He really knows how to make music. He really sounds like a rapper.”
In terms of the differences between basketball and rapping, what is the biggest difference between how you approach it and how it feels? What’s the payoff? What’s the difference in the payoff for you emotionally?
I feel like there’s no difference in making music and basketball. It’s literally all the same thing. How the beat is, is how your footwork is. How the song is, is how sweet your jump shot is.
I don’t know. You got teammates out there, the engineer and the producer. So it all goes hand in hand. It’s literally all the same thing, for real.
Guy Fieri is, as previously established, a fascinating dude (and a peak example of dudes rock). The spiky-haired celebrity chef has lived multiple lives in one — he’s been falsely accused of drunk driving, raised a ton of money for food workers during the pandemic, and, oh yeah, Kristen Stewart wanted him to officiate her wedding (unfortunately, bad planning got in the way). Fieri also recently signed a $100 million contract to remain the Mayor of Flavortown, but none of that money will go to his kids — unless they get their degrees.
Fieri told Fox News that his kids, Hunter, 27, and Ryder, 17, as well as his nephew, Jules, 22 (who he’s raised since his sister’s death in 2011) won’t inherit his money without them heading to school. “I’ve told them the same thing my dad told me,” he explained. “My dad says, ‘When I die, you can expect that I’m going to die broke, and you’re going to be paying for the funeral.’ And I told my boys, ‘None of this that we’ve been… that I’ve been building are you going to get unless you come and take it from me.’”
The chef shared his process in encouraging the three boys to seek out higher education: “Shaq said it best. Shaq said, ‘If you want this cheese, you got to get to two degrees.’ Well, my two degrees mean, you know, postgraduate.”
While Ryder has expressed his frustration, Jules has taken his uncle’s guidance and is currently earning a law degree. “Jules is in the music industry down in LA. He’s in the law program at Loyola Marymount right now,” Fieri shared. “If you’re going to be a big-time entertainment agent, you need to have that law background. So he’s doing that.”
As for Hunter, he’s in “an MBA program at the University of Miami for his master’s degree in business,” according to People. I wish Fieri’s kids nothing but the best — but if they decide to drop out of school as an act of rebellion against their dad, and HBO wants to make a Succession-style show about them trying to become the new Mayor of Flavortown, that would be good, too.
Madonna performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center over the weekend, where she addressed her hospitalization that took place back in June. After suffering a bacterial infection, the pop star revealed she was in “an induced coma for 48 hours” at the time.
Thankfully, she had some loved ones by her side through it all, including her Kabbalah teacher. “The only voice I heard was his. I heard him say, ‘Squeeze my hand,’” she said.
Madonna also thanked her close friend, Shavawn, who came to her show to support her.
“There are some very important people in the room tonight that were with me at the hospital,” Madonna added. “There’s one very important woman who dragged me to the hospital… I don’t even remember; I passed out on my bathroom floor and woke up in the ICU… She saved my life.”
“There were a couple of things I thought about when I first became conscious and I saw my six incredible children sitting around me — by the way, I had to almost die to get all my kids in one room,” she continued.
From her collaboration with Latto for Just Eat to her buzz-worthy late-night TV appearances, “Beautiful” singer Christina Aguilera has had an eventful year. Fans of the entertainer are curious if Aguilera will remain a busy bee into the new.
Will Christina Aguilera be on tour in 2024?
As of today, Aguilera plans to deliver a high-energy show for her fans. However, those performance plans are by way of her Las Vegas residency and not a full-on traveling tour. Aguilera unveiled the residency back in October. The unnamed series of shows will formally kick off on December 30. Then, into the new year, Aguilera and Kylie Minogue’sMore Than A Residency will alternate dates inside The Venetian Resort’s Voltaire theater.
In a statement, Aguilera expressed her excitement for the residency, saying, “I look forward to bringing Las Vegas a new show that fuses music, sophistication, and art in ways I have never performed before. What I love about the intimacy at Voltaire at The Venetian Resort is how up-close-and-personal I can be with the audience… a truly modern twist on the performance experience.”
Tickets for Aguilera’s Las Vegas residency are on sale now. View the full schedule below. Find more information here.
Christina Aguilera’s Las Vegas residency dates
12/30/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
12/31/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
01/05/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
01/06/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
02/02/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
02/03/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
02/09/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
02/10/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
03/01/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
03/02/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Votaire
Kid Cudi has been hard at work on his new album, Insano. A few months ago, the rapper revealed that it will truly be a stacked record, as he is planning for it to have more than 40 songs.
“I ended up makin some more sh*t cuz I was in the f*ckin’ zone and I wanted to make something undeniable and change my entire live experience,” he posted on social media. “This album was made for tour next year. Get ready.”
When Does Kid Cudi’s New Album Insano Come Out?
According to Cudi’s bio on Twitter/X, his new album will be dropping on January 12. This has also been confirmed as a pre-order date on Republic Records’ official store. While not much else is known about Insano yet, it will likely include his recent “At The Party” collaboration with Pharrell and Travis Scott.
Back in September, the rapper had delayed the record’s release, pushing it instead a few months back. “I have to push Insano back until January,” Cudi announced at the time. “I want to make sure that everything lines up and I give y’all the best version of myself.”
Directly on the heels of his guilty verdict for assault and harassment, Marvel fired Jonathan Majors putting to rest months of speculation of how the studio would handle the actor who was arrested on domestic violence charges shortly after his big-screen debut as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Despite the arrest, Majors still appeared in Loki Season 2, but signs began showing that Marvel was moving away from making Kang the next Thanos-level threat to the MCU. The upcoming film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty would’ve made good on that threat, but in mid-November, director Destin Daniel Cretton exited the project amid reports that Jeff Loveness was no longer writing the picture. Now comes word that the film’s title and focus may have already changed.
In November, Marvel hired Loki creator Michael Waldron to work on a new draft of what was once called Kang Dynasty, but is now being referred to as Avengers 5, according to sources. The studio has had months to plan for such an eventuality, and it’s possible that Waldon was part of that course correction.
As THR notes, Marvel has two moves at this point as it retools what’s now being called Avengers 5: “It could recast the part, although it is not clear how many actors would be attracted to a role from which one actor was so publicly fired. The other course is to redevelop its plans and refocus on a brand new villain.”
There may already be indications of which direction Marvel is heading. The recent behind-the-scenes exposé from Variety reported that studio executives have already discussed pivoting to a new villain: Doctor Doom. On top of that, Jon Hamm has already thrown his hat in the ring for the role. The actor publicly expressed his interest while promoting Fargo Season 5.
There also been uncorroborated online rumors that Marvel has approached Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy for the part of Doom.
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