GoneTrending

2025 is off to a tragic start for Southern California, as a series of wildfires in the Los Angeles area have been burning and causing significant destruction for the past couple days now. The Los Angeles Times reports this morning (January 9) that over 2,000 buildings have been destroyed so far, and one of them is Malibu’s Harbor Studios, where Nicki Minaj recorded Pink Friday 2 and Doja Cat worked on Scarlet (as Billboard notes).

Yesterday, studio founder Zach Brandon shared a photo of the building’s burned remains on Instagram.

He wrote in part, “Named after one of the most important memories from my childhood, Harbor Studios quickly grew from a big, dreamy concept to a beloved staple in the recording industry. I cried this morning, but not because Harbor burned down. I cried because it settled in with me that Harbor was taken from so many artists who cared so deeply about Harbor. It was a place of musical freedom… a sanctuary in the most literal sense of the word. I loved it.”

Read the full text from Brandon’s post below.

“I am profoundly sad to announce that Harbor Studios has been lost to the Palisades Fire. Harbor has been a staple in the music community since the 1990s – first, it was the recording studio for Joe Zawinul and his world famous Jazz Fusion group, “The Weather Report”. Then, in 2008, it became the home studio for esteemed film composer Paul Dinletir, where he worked on compositions for movies like Avatar, Avengers, and other record setting movies. Finally, in 2021, it became Harbor Studios. Named after one of the most important memories from my childhood, Harbor Studios quickly grew from a big, dreamy concept to a beloved staple in the recording industry.

I cried this morning, but not because Harbor burned down. I cried because it settled in with me that Harbor was taken from so many artists who cared so deeply about Harbor. It was a place of musical freedom… a sanctuary in the most literal sense of the word. I loved it.

I started Harbor from the ground, and since its official opening in 2022, it has grown into something I never could have even tried to conceptualized. I have had the luxury of working with the world’s best and brightest artists, managers, and label execs, plus the best assistants, day to day managers, and other support staff. I have been fortunate to make enough great memories for a coffee table book, and most importantly, I have developed the most fulfilling relationships and friendships I’ve ever had, both from a career standpoint and a personal one.

This is not the end of Harbor. We are restarting from scratch (again)… nothing we haven’t done before. Not only that, but I have gained so much knowledge and experience from Harbor 1 that I will be implementing into the rebuild. I’ve taken the initial steps forward – the original studio builder and I have already begun planning what the new Harbor Studios is going to look like. Thankfully, the magic that has been bestowed upon us by our clients is something that can never leave. It’s in the soil, it’s in the air, and it’s in our souls.

We will come back stronger from this.”

Damian Lillard is pretty universally considered the best rapper in the NBA, and you can argue that he’s the best rapper that we’ve ever seen in the league. And yet, right now, all the focus in the basketball world is on someone else: LiAngelo Ball, who has gone viral in recent days for his song “Tweakers.”

What started as something that TikTok enjoyed has completely blown up, with Ball (who performs under the name Gelo) getting a spot at Rolling Loud California, while “Tweakers” seems to make it into every locker room after a big win nowadays. Unsurprisingly, Lillard has some thoughts on the track, as he was asked by Michael Eaves of ESPN for his thoughts after the Milwaukee Bucks beat the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

“I rock with it, man,” Lillard said. “I’ve been hearing it a lot, it gives me that 2003, 2004 vibe. I rock with it, like I said, it’s a slapper. And as an artist, you gotta respect other people’s artistry, and when something is going, it’s going. So, like I said, I rock with it, I respect it, and I’m always happy for other people’s success … I’m happy for him, it’s a big record. You’re hearing it everywhere, much love to him.”

The Bucks picked up a 121-105 win over the Spurs, with Lillard going for 26 points, eight assists, and five rebounds.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. It’s the first full week of January and if we had to distill the palette of this week’s releases into a couple of words, those words would be: dark and moody.

This week’s relatively short drop list keeps things in the bolder end of the color spectrum for the most part, which is great news for fans of stealthy kicks that look good with just about every fit. As is generally the case with early-year releases, Nike is bringing the biggest heat with a Year of The Mamba Kobe Protro and the return of the legendary Air Jordan 3 Black Cat.

Outside of Nike, JJJJound and NB have teamed up for a GORE-TEX-equipped drop, and Adidas is going the luxury route with a collaboration with Liberty London. Without further ado, let’s dive into the five best sneaker drops of the week.

JJJJound x NB 2002R GORE-TEX

Price: $189.99

This is the third and best JJJJound take on the 2002R. The all-black GORE-TEX-equipped sneaker features a premium suede upper with leather overlays, waterproof technology, rope lacing, an ABZORB-midsole, and N-ergy cushioning.

It’s a utilitarian sneaker designed to take abuse, but as is always the case with JJJJound, the design has a pristine minimalism that is impossible to turn away from. A perfect balance of fashion and function.

The JJJJound x NB 2002R GORE-TEX is out now for a retail price of $189.99. Pick up a pair at New Balance.

Nike Kobe V Protro Year of The Mamba Eggplant

Price: $200

2025 is the year of the snake, so you just know that Nike had to pounce on an opportunity to drop some “Year of the Mamba” heat. This week’s Kobe V Protro features a moody eggplant-inspired colorway with a golden snake graphic intertwined with the sneaker’s Swoosh logo.

Rounding out the design is a milky icy outsole, which serves as a nice point of contrast to the darker, royal colors of the shoe.

The Kobe V Protro Year of the Mamba in Eggplant is set to drop on January 9th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Women’s Air Max Muse Black and Metallic Silver

Price: $160
This might be a brand-new silhouette in the Nike roster, but the Air Max Muse is dripping with Y2K vibes thanks to its futuristic (by early ’00s standards) metallic upper. The sneaker sports a split midsole with a high arch, a chunky design, and a low profile.

It’s a welcome addition to the Nike family, though it would be great if Nike dropped this one in a full-size run because as of now, it’s a women’s exclusive.

The Nike Women’s Air Max Muse Black and Metallic Silver is set to drop on January 10th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Liberty London x Country OG

Price: $95

Another women’s exclusive, Adidas has teamed up with Liberty London for a floral take on the Country OG silhouette. The sneaker is all luxury, with a premium suede upper, textile floral details, and classy gold foil branding.

What we really love about this sneaker are the small details, like the milky white midsole over the gum outsole or the way the black three stripes break up the colorful floral design. It’s a great sneaker, and proof that Adidas needs to pay much more attention to this silhouette in general.

The Liberty Longdon x Adidas Country OG is set to drop on January 10th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $95. Pick up a pair at Adidas.

Nike Air Jordan 3 Black Cat

Price: $200

The Black Cat is one of the greatest colorways to ever hit the Jordan 3, and this week it’s coming back! This means just about every hardcore Jordan head is going to be trying to get their hands on it. So good luck out there, let the best sneakerhead win!

The sneaker features a leather upper with patent and nubuck accents, dark-filtered elephant print panels, and matching laces.

The Nike Air Jordan 3 Black Cat is set to drop on November 11th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

After taking two years off, it looks like Lil Baby has hit the ground running in his return to the limelight. He has already released one album this year, WHAM (Who Hard As Me), and announced plans to release another, Dominique. But now it sounds like fans could potentially have a third project to look forward to: A joint tape with Future, that could now include Young Thug.

On a new episode of Day In The Life from Spotify, Lil Baby revealed that he and Future were working on the project after a suggestion from Thug, but now that Thug is out of jail, he wants in. “Me and Future was working on a joint tape,” Baby enthuses while getting his hair retwisted. “Now, Slime came home… you know he ain’t goin’ for that, he like ‘sh*t.’ It’s actually Thug idea. When he was in jail, he was like, ‘Call Pluto, I want y’all to do a tape together.’”

Fans got a glimpse of what this might sound like on the WHAM track “Dum, Dumb & Dumber,” which includes all three. It should be noted that Lil Baby, Future, and Thug were already supposedly working on a joint tape, Super Slimey 2, with one other collaborator: the recently ousted YSL member Gunna. However, those plans were derailed when Gunna and Thug were arrested and accused of racketeering. Gunna has been on the outs with many of his former collaborators — especially Baby — since pleading guilty to racketeering in late 2021 in exchange for an early release with time served.

While Thug himself would later plead “no contest” to racketeering (and “guilty” to possession of firearms) in a similar deal, it doesn’t look like Gunna has managed to repair his relationships with any of the aforementioned Atlanta power players. Incidentally, a recent post from frequent producer Southside seemed to suggest that Super Slimey 2 could be moving forward, so perhaps this is the “joint tape” Baby and Future have been recording. Fans of the trap superstars will be eagerly anticipating the project either way, but it’s bittersweet to think of what we could have had.

You can watch Lil Baby’s full Spotify Day In The Life episode above.

As of this writing, thousands of resident of northwest Los Angeles County have been displaced by a trio of massive fires raging through areas that haven’t seen wildfire damage in decades. In times past — let’s call it, “Pre-Elon” — social media has been a valuable resource for coordinating evacuations and relief efforts, as well as sharing messages of solidarity for those displaced.

While the radicalization of Twitter has put a damper on its utility, some folks are still trying to use it to uplift victims. One of those folks was Meek Mill, but his supportive tweet was marred by his signature stilted delivery. “Prayers to la,” he wrote. “I never knew about fire trauma until my house caught on fire…. I was smelling fire in my sleep jumping up for 3 years… I didnt know that type of trauma existed, so I was just dealing with it as a kid!”

Now, he’s right about the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, which can cause people to have flashbacks. And trying to empathize is almost never a negative impulse. But something about the jumbled wording of the tweet rubbed fans the wrong way. Meek’s had a long history of posting awkward or upsetting things on Twitter, so even if his intentions were good, the end result was a bit of a “Where’s Ja?” situation.

“‘Prayers to la’ was enough to tweet,” one fan reminded him. Another pointed out why Meek’s tweets — even when well-intentioned — tend to go awry: “N****s take a serious situation and make it about them just send prayers and go on about your day,” they wrote. Meanwhile, several other users merely responded with photos and memes expressing confusion and dismay.

Still, it’s endearing that Meek is making the effort. Ever since you-know-who bought Twitter, it’s been kind of a cesspool, so even one person trying to empathize can make this marginally better.

Jimmy Butler’s demand to be traded out of Miami has been the dominant topic of conversation in the NBA for the last week (and the rumblings of Butler’s potential departure has been a major story for a month). Butler and Heat president Pat Riley are locked in a battle of wills, which figures to be fascinating as Riley is about as prideful as any front office person in the league and can go toe-to-toe with Butler in the “getting uncomfortable” department.

However, what makes the Butler trade saga so fascinating is that a third party, who has no incentive to help anyone involved, is the most powerful person in the entire thing. That would be Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal. Butler’s desire to go to Phoenix is well-known, and was further reiterated in the latest reporting from Jake Fischer in The Stein Line newsletter. Per Fischer, Phoenix was named as Butler’s preferred destination by every single high ranking team official he contacted, with the belief being that Butler sees Phoenix as one of the only places willing to give him the big, long-term deal he’s seeking this summer.

However, Phoenix is a second-apron team and, as such, cannot combine salaries to land Butler. That means they have to trade one of their max guys and the only one they’re interested in moving is Beal, who has two more years (worth $110 million) on his massive contract after this season. However, Beal’s deal has one of the NBA’s last true no-trade clauses, which he used to steer his way to Phoenix in the first place after asking out of Washington. That means that even if the Suns manage to find a third team that wants Beal — this is another fun subplot, that Miami won’t take Beal back cause they don’t want that contract — they then have to convince Beal to waive his NTC.

That’s not in the cards at this moment, and Beal is in the extremely rare position of not only controlling his fate, but really the fate of two franchises and another star player.

Beal’s no-trade clause is so vital to this dynamic and thus team officials have to tread carefully in this situation. Until there is some multi-team trade construction that could work for both the Suns and Heat, Phoenix has no incentive to broach this subject matter with Beal. “You can’t bring anything to Brad unless there’s a deal on the table,” said one longtime Eastern Conference executive. “You can’t lose him until you know you’re going to move him.” By all accounts, Beal has settled his family in the desert, does not want to be moved at this juncture and has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause.

The Suns don’t have an awful lot of leverage with Beal at this point, but they seem to be trying everything they can. Beal got moved to the bench this weekend, with the official reason being that they want to kickstart his offensive game by giving him the reins with the second unit, but many believing it was an effort to make him frustrated and want out. As such, I’m not sure the “tread carefully” part of the process has been successful, as Beal reminded everyone that “I hold the cards” after being asked about the situation over the weekend and seems keenly aware of all the chatter about the Suns pursuit of Butler — or Butler’s pursuit of the Suns, depending on how you’d like to frame it.

We have seen in the past that stars tend to get what they want in trade demands, but this time there’s a second player involved who has completely different incentives complicating matters. We will find out who can win a battle of wills and whether there’s a third team that both wants Beal enough to give up something of value that Miami wants and interests Beal enough to waive his no-trade. That makes this far more challenging than normal for Butler to bend the league to his will as so often happens with star trade demands, and we may find out the one way to prevent a star getting what he wants in the NBA is, in fact, another star player.

SZA and Kendrick Lamar have long been pals, but more importantly to fans, they’ve made a lot of music together over the years. One thing they haven’t done yet, though, is join forces over the course of a full album. That would be a dream come true for fans of both artists… and for SZA herself, too.

On a recent episode of Sherri, SZA was asked if she would ever want to do a full collab album with Lamar and she responded, “I would love that. I would love that! I think that would be amazing.”

She then gave some insight into their working relationship, saying:

“He’s such a genius, and part of his genius is him being so elusive, and so mysterious, and I love it. I don’t know what’s going on as much as you don’t know what’s going on. “When ‘Luther’ came on, I said, ‘OK, that’s the vocals we’re using, period,’ and same with Gloria: I said, ‘OK,’ and I love that. […] “I’m just trusting all of his expertise and being thrust into these moments and spotlight and saying yes, and he’s so good at saying yes but staying grounded, so I’m just like, ‘Teach me, sensei, what you know.’”

Check out an interview clip above.

A week ago, Brooklyn rapper Joey Badass kicked the year off issuing an open challenge to the rap world with his song “The Ruler’s Back.” Equally inspired and irked by the fanfare over Kendrick Lamar’s outstanding year prior, Joey carried the combative energy of “Like That” and “Not Like Us” into his song while declaring there was perhaps a bit too much praise being heaped on the West Coast as a result.

Well, Kendrick’s former labelmate Ray Vaughn has taken issue with Joey’s new song, publishing his response with “Crashout Heritage.” “What’s with the sneak dissin’? Takin’ shots at us, then hide the Uzi,” he wonders. “‘Cause the only badass the world was recognizin’ is Boosie / Please don’t get confused with shootin’ the movies, we really shootin’ / Was on Soul album, so if you ask me, you look like a goofy.”

Meanwhile, Badass wasn’t the only target Vaughn aired his grievances with on the song. Among the hip-hop figures who get mentions in “Crashout Heritage” are Tory Lanez, DDG, and Mal from The Rory & Mal Podcast. However, the track overall is geared more toward uplifting Los Angeles’ hip-hop community than sending darts at potential enemies. “We raised Pac, Dre and Nip, that’s a heavenly trinity / And all we had was DJ Hed to back us in the industry,” he reminds listeners. Thanks to Kendrick, that’s begun to change, and it doesn’t sound like any of Kendrick’s contemporaries have any plans on letting that change anytime soon.

You can watch Ray Vaughn’s “Crashout Heritage” video above.

It’s been five years since Great Grandpa released Four Of Arrows, and for a time, it seemed like it might be their last album. The members of the Seattle-based indie rock group — Al Menne, Carrie Goodwin, Cam Laflam, Dylan Hanwright, and Pat Goodwin – were being pulled in different directions in life. But in 2023, Great Grandpa reconvened and started working on a new album, Patience, Moonbeam, which comes out March 28th.

Described as Great Grandpa’s “most ambitious and confident-sounding album yet,” Patience, Moonbeam is “a testament to the band’s musical and spiritual connection.”

In a statement, Hanwright said, “We’re all like individual swinging pendulums, and every now and then we come into sync for a few rotations. Sometimes it’s two of us, sometimes three of us, often it’s not any of us. But when it does come together, it’s really beautiful.”

You can listen to rootsy single “Junior” above, and check out the Patience, Moonbeam tracklist and Great Grandpa’s tour dates below.

Great Grandpa’s Patience, Moonbeam Tracklist

1. “Sleep”
2. “Never Rest”
3. “Junior”
4. “Emma”
5. “Lady Bug”
6. “Kiss The Dice”
7. “Doom”
8. “Task”
9. “Top Gun”
10. “Patience, Moonbeam”
11. “Ephemera”
12. “Kid”

Great Grandpa’s 2025 Tour Dates

01/29 — Washington, DC @ Songbyrd (with Grumpy)
01/30 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s (with Grumpy)
01/31 — Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (with Drench Fries)
02/01 — Boston, MA @ Something in the Way Fest
03/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Highland Park Ebell (with Gracie Gray)
03/23 — San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop (with Stephen Steinbrink)

Patience, Moonbeam is out 3/28 via Run For Cover Records. Find more information here.

Shortly after her performance at halftime of the Baltimore Ravens/Houston Texans game on Christmas (which is now being affectionately referred to as the Beyoncé Bowl), Beyoncé teased… something coming on January 14. Since then, the BeyHive has been buzzing with speculation about just what she’s got coming down the pike. Considering how secretive she’s been about past projects — whether they’re music releases or product launches — we aren’t likely to learn exactly what the big announcement is until the day, but here are a few possibilities:

A New Album

While this would be the most exciting thing Beyoncé could announce, it also unfortunately seems least likely. After all, she’s still yet to go on tour for Cowboy Carter, and after the blowout, yearlong promo cycle for Renaissance, you would think she’d want to give Cowboy Carter the same treatment — especially with how important the album’s themes seem to be for her.

The Cowboy Carter Tour Dates

In the same spirit, this seems like the likeliest announcement. Fans have undoubtedly been stacking their coins (or recuperating from the last tour), so giving them a few months heads-up before the tour would kick off in the summer seems like it would be a wise idea. Cowboy Carter wasn’t quite as beloved as Renaissance thanks to its departure from the pop-centric sounds we’re used to, so it’d give fans more time to learn those lyrics and put those cowboy boots on layaway (Klarna, Afterpay, same difference).

“The Visuals”

That being said, the thing that most of her fans have clamored for since the release of Renaissance has been the storied “visuals” — a collection of music videos accompanying the glittering, gritty songs Beyoncé has put out so far. It’s an understandable ask; ever since the surprise release of her self-titled album in 2014, which included a music video for every one of its tracks, the star’s releases have been paired with stunning visual components like The Lion King: The Gift, showcasing a new set of dazzling looks and crisp choreography for the Hive to swoon over. However, during the Renaissance tour, Bey did undermine fans’ hopes with a tongue-in-cheek message — although that hasn’t stopped them from asking.

A New Product Launch

In the past year, Beyoncé has launched: A line of hair care products, a collaboration with Levi’s Jeans, a new line of fragrances, and a whiskey brand named after her kids. That may seem like it leaves her with few options, but really, the possibilities are limitless. There are still consumer electronics, frozen foods, footwear, and a thousand other industries for her to conquer — heck, Ivy Park could use a jumpstart, and any of those things could be worth teasing an announcement two weeks out.

For our money, it’s probably the tour announcement. We watched her roll out Renaissance on a similar timeline, and there’s no reason to assume she’d shake things up just yet. We’ll all find out together on January 14.