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Andor is (a galaxy) far (far) and away the best Star Wars show. The Tony Gilroy-created series is thrilling, intelligent, and there’s no Skywalkers. What a concept! It probably won’t win Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys, but it also doesn’t look out of place in the same category as Succession, Better Call Saul, and The Last of Us.

Andor is coming back for season two, but will season one scene-stealer Andy Serkis return, too? When asked by the Dagobah Dispatch podcast (in an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike) about the fate of Kino Loy, the Lord of the Rings actor replied, “There weren’t really many discussions about the afterlife of Kino. All that we do know is that he survives. I mean, we don’t see him die. We see him left for a further life of the character.”

Serkis said there were “no discussions” about what “might happen afterward. I was just excited enough about the arc that I had to play, which was a really beautifully crafted illustration of a man who has a belief system that gets broken that then has nothing to believe in, that then gets kind of reignited by someone who inspires him to find himself again, and then self-sacrifices.”

I doubt Gilroy expected Kino Loy to become a fan-favorite character, which leaves him in a tough spot for season two. How can Kino come back without it seeming like cheap fan service? Should he come back at all? Can Serkis and Stellan Skarsgård have dueling monologues? (Hopefully yes.)

(Via EW)

Artists and their labels have never traditionally gotten along all that great, but sometimes, the struggle between art and commerce boils over, leading to public outbursts and occasionally even legal action. This has especially been the case for indie label Top Dawg Entertainment, courtesy of a tendency to sign ornery, outspoken artists who aren’t afraid to vent their frustrations with the label like SZA or take their time recording new music like Isaiah Rashad.

And while TDE has been pretty patient in the past, leading to some of the more successful releases in recent years like albums from the aforementioned artists and former artist Kendrick Lamar, apparently, even they have limits. Moosa Tiffith, son of the titular Top Dawg and one of the managers at the label, finally reached his during a live interview with Del Amo rapper Reason, calling in during the rapper’s appearance to refute his complaints live.

During Reason’s appearance on the podcast BACKONFIGG, he vented about the rollout for his upcoming album, Porches, saying, “We had certain features lined up that could’ve went through. We had the budget, we had the feature lined up, takes too long to get pushed through, feature price ended up going up or something goes away. Content ideas lined up, not executed. Rollout ideas lined up, not executed.” Reason specifically pointed to an attempt to secure a feature from EST Gee, but before it could be finalized, the Louisville rapper had released a song with Future, increasing his popularity and driving up the feature price.

When Moosa called in, though, things got heated as the manager asserted that former co-president, Dave Free, didn’t even want to sign Reason, who he called a “substitute teacher.” He also challenged the show’s hosts to name 10 Reason songs, and mocked the rapper when they couldn’t. “Dave never wanted us to sign Reason,” Moosa declared. “He called him a substitute teacher. Dot only said Reason had talent, but it’s gon’ take more than just talent in this game right now and everybody know that.”

You can check out the full episode above and see the argument in question below.

Grimes appeared for a new interview tied to being on the cover of Wired, where she did not shy away from speaking about all sorts of things tied to Elon Musk. Despite the two splitting a while back, they are still clearly close — enough for her to have an opinion on the reported cage match that Musk is having against Mark Zuckerberg.

She does believe that the fight will actually take place, considering how hyped up it’s been.

“I think so. Elon is very strong, but Zuck seems like he’s been training a ton,” Grimes shared. “I would prefer that it didn’t happen. I love gladiatorial matches, but watching the father of your children in a physical fight is not the most pleasant feeling. But it’s not going to cause brain damage, so actually I think this is good. Dudes need some outlet for trad masculinity. I told Sam Altman there should be a follow-up, him against Demis.”

During the piece, Grimes also admitted she might have been responsible for one of Musk’s Twitter (X?) posts, where he challenged Zuckerberg to a d*ck measuring contest in addition to their physical fight.

“I’m going to take credit for that one,” she added. “I was like, why don’t you cut to the chase and get out a ruler. I didn’t think he was going to tweet it.”

While it’s unclear still when exactly the two tech bros are going to box it out, there will definitely be people tuned in and betting on a winner.

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert swung back into action earlier this week by posting a photo of herself launching grenades after complaining about grocery prices. Now, she’s back to dabbling in history, which hasn’t historically gone well for her, especially when one confuses a founding father with a beer brand. The MAGA congresswoman has also intentionally reminded people of her GED (which she received a few months before being elected to office) and trashed people who have student loans and wanted to abolish the entire education department.

Now, she’s here to suggest that a Democrat get a “history textbook.” Yep, she did. This perhaps rhetorical question went out to Al Sharpton after he suggested that Trump was of the same school as some noted U.S.A. enemies.

It’s unclear whether Boebert took the “or” to be an “and” when Sharpton asked, “Are you on the side of America…or are you on the side of King George or the Confederates? – that’s where I would cast Donald Trump.” She didn’t elaborate upon the substance of her remark, so people were left to interpret it as they will. And that led to a pile-on effect.

Yes, plenty of GED mentions happened, and you know, there is nothing wrong with having a GED. Yet attacking someone else’s intelligence kinda opens the door to criticism on the subject. People also inquired what Boebert was attempting to specifically say about Sharpton’s argument to no avail, which only opened her up to more criticism. As a result, it got a bit ugly out there on social media.

It’s difficult to understand why lawmakers have so much time to tweet when there are so many bills to read, or at least, matters to catch up on during recess.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from Grandaddy, MJ Lenderman, Speedy Ortiz, Whitney, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

MJ Lenderman — “Knockin”

MJ Lenderman recently returned with his first single since last year’s resonant Boat Songs. “Rudolph” had his signature humor, whereas this new track “Knockin” shows off his knack for idiosyncratic slow-burners. “Loneliness is simple / Not much else is,” he drawls disarmingly against hypnotic, scrappy guitars.

Speedy Ortiz — “Ghostwriter”

Next month, Speedy Ortiz are sharing Rabbit Rabbit to follow 2021’s The Death of Speedy Ortiz and Cop Kicker… Forever, which was a celebration of their debut. The singles from their new album have made the upcoming record all the more alluring, and the upbeat “Ghostwriter” has memorably clever lines: “For every white lie I got a gray one and a reason for every failure / Every nickel I’m dimed, I just take it offline,” Sadie Dupuis sings.

Drop Nineteens — “Scapa Flow”

No big deal — Drop Nineteens just announced their first record since 1993’s National Coma. The shoegaze crew are known for their cult classic Delaware, and their new single “Scapa Flow” contains the dreamlike, sprawling sound that fans love them for. Hard Light is out in November and it’s going to be massive.

Grandaddy — “Derek Spears”

Grandaddy is sharing Sumday: Excess Baggage later this month, and “Derek Spears” is a preview. The piano-driven track is intimate and is made all the more emotional with a nostalgic harmonica. Jason Lytle’s distinct vocals are evocative as he details a story: “You slept right by the yogurt hut on a painted curb / Wearing nothing but some cut-offs and a muscle shirt.”

Meet Me @ The Altar — “Take Me Away” (Freaky Friday Cover)

Why not cover “Take Me Away” from Freaky Friday? Meet Me @ The Altar, who just unveiled their debut Past // Present // Future earlier this year, made the song their own with their energetic, invigorating sound. “It’s everything we love all meshed into one — female representation in punk music, and on screen,” the group said about the song.

Spirit Of The Beehive — “Tapeworm” & “Natural Devotion 2”

Spirit Of The Beehive’s Entertainment, Death was a highlight of 2021 with its eccentric ambiance. Their new songs “Tapeworm” & “Natural Devotion 2” from their forthcoming EP I’m So Lucky possess their lovable quirks — whispers, off-kilter atmospheres, screams. It’s a mosaic of madness.

Jobber — “Summerslam”

“Summerslam” is Jobber’s first music since their addictive Hell In A Cell EP, and it’s a great way to end the summer. This new track has their catchy brand of grunge; the heavy guitars and soft vocals meld perfectly together, making the music feel teleported from the ’90s. The music video of wrestlers and dinosaur suits only makes the song hit harder.

Whitney — “Kansas”

Whitney’s new song “Kansas” is instantly emotional as Julien Ehrlich sings with a vulnerable lilt about poignant lanscapes: “Winter sky turned over in Kansas / Though I didn’t notice / The streetlights towered over / Lonely faces drifted out of focus.” The track has been performed to audiences before, so fans can finally listen to it now upon its release.

Pinkshift — “Home”

Pinkshift always provide the pop punk anthems. Their new song “Home” is no exception. The instruments build alongside Ashrita Kumar’s fearless voice: “You’ll never be alone again / I’ll always stay / We’ll never go home again / But I’m still the same,” she sings, leading the track into an enveloping rock catharsis.

The Linda Lindas — “Resolution/Revolution”

“Bela had been rocking out to a lot of Pantera and Judas Priest when we started writing ‘Resolution/Revolution,’” the band explained about their new unafraid anthem “Resolution/Revolution.” The guitars are relentless as they sing in a kind of chant: “You don’t know how to face it / Your arguments are baseless . You don’t have any takes and / Your sympathy is wasted.”

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

Dave Chappelle has had some overlap with the music industry: Chappelle’s Show often had musical guests, Chappelle has won a few Grammys in his day, and now, he has made his debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The comedian is featured on “Parasail” from Travis Scott’s new album Utopia, and the song just debuted at No. 53 on the chart. (Yung Lean is also on the track, which is his Hot 100 debut, too.)

Rob49 also just made his first Hot 100 appearance thanks to his feature alongside 21 Savage on “Topia Twins,” which debuts at No. 17. Westside Gunn also just had his Hot 100 debut via Scott’s “Lost Forever,” which enters the chart at No. 46.

If it seems like a lot of Scott songs are on the Hot 100 this week, that’s because all 19 tracks from Utopia debuted on the chart. Two of them are in the top 5: “Meltdown” with Drake at No. 3 and “Fe!n” with Playboi Carti at No. 5. Just outside the top 10 is “I Know?” at No. 11.

With that in mind, this next piece of news probably isn’t surprising: Utopia debuted at No. 1 on the new Billboard 200 chart with 496,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States, which was enough to beat Post Malone’s Austin.

Travis Scott may not have been able to perform at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt as he wanted to, but we now know when he plans to bring live performances of his new album Utopia to fans stateside, courtesy of the Circus Maximus Tour. The tour begins in late September in Chicago and crosses North America, touching down in Boston, Atlanta, Travis’ native Houston, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and more before wrapping up in Miami.

The Circus Maximus Tour will be Scott’s first since the Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour in 2018-19 with Gunna, Sheck Wes, and Trippie Redd, as well as his first since the Astroworld Festival tragedy. With the fallout from the latter still looming over his head, all eyes will likely be on this tour, hoping for the best.

09/25/2023 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
09/27/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
09/29/2023 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
10/01/2023 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/04/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
10/08/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/11/2023 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
10/12/2023 — Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
10/14/2023 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
10/17/2023 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
10/19/2023 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
10/21/2023 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
10/23/2023 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
10/26/2023 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
10/28/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
10/30/2023 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
11/04/2023 — Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium
11/07/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
11/09/2023 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
11/12/2023 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
11/18/2023 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center ATX
11/24/2023 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
11/27/2023 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center

Just to put a point on how damaging the federal indictments against Donald Trump are, his vast cadre of shady attorneys have been scooped up by the government and could possibly face indictments of their own. Rudy Giuliani is obviously one of the big names, but so is Trump’s former attorney John Eastman, who allegedly helped engineer the efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Those efforts culminated in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building, which Eastman tried to blame on, we kid you not, Mike Pence.

Following the unsealing of Trump’s third indictment, Eastman was identified as one of the unnamed co-conspirators “who devised and attempted to implement a strategy” to have Pence decertify the election. However, Eastman has yet to receive a target letter, but his lawyer Charles Burham stopped by The Beat with Ari Melber where he didn’t do his client any favors.

When asked by Melber if he accepts the fact that Trump lost the 2020 election, Burham refused to answer the question and repeatedly deflected Melber’s attempts to get him to admit Trump’s defeat.

Via Huffpost:

“Well, there’s a large portion of the country that has issues with the 2020 election. There are still discussion about things that went on,” Burnham replied.

“Large portion the country believes in ghosts or horoscopes,” Melber shot back. “I’m asking you, do you accept the results of the election that Donald Trump lost?”

Burnham dodged again.

“I’m just here as an attorney representing a client. But the important thing is,” he continued, as Melber interrupted.

The MSNBC host tried one more time to no avail. “I want to give you the opportunity to answer,” Melber said. “It’s a very easy question to answer. If you can’t answer it, I’ve got other questions.”

Burham still refused to say Trump lost and simply said “personal opinions are neither here nor there.”

(Via Huffpost)

Even 43 seconds of Ben Shapiro’s 43-minute prediction that Barbie would flop (lol) was painful to sit through, but at least it was tucked away on his YouTube channel where it could be easily ignored. That is not the case with Bill Maher‘s “pathetic” review of Barbie, which he tweeted to his millions of followers. No tweet should be over 50 words, let alone 350, which is how long the Real Time host spent whining about Greta Gerwig’s “preachy, man-hating” film.

“OK, Barbie: I was hoping it wouldn’t be preachy, man-hating, and a #ZombieLie – alas, it was all three,” Maher began. What is a “zombie lie”? “Something that never was true, but certain people refuse to stop saying it (tax cuts for the rich increase revenues, e.g.); OR something that USED to be true but no longer is, but certain people pretend it’s still true. Barbie is this kind of #ZombieLie.” A made-up term formatted as a hashtag? Off to a great start.

Maher, who will soon prove that he doesn’t understand satire, continued, “Spoiler alert, Barbie fights the Patriarchy. Right up to the Mattel board who created her, consisting of 12 white men! The Patriarchy! Except there’s a Mattel board in real life, and it’s 7 men and 5 women. OK, not perfect even-steven, but not the way the board IN THE MOVIE – which takes place in 2023 – is portrayed. And not really any longer deserving of the word ‘patriarchy.’ Yes, there was one, and remnants of it remain – but this movie is so 2000-LATE.”

Imagine you’re having a great time watching Barbie in a theater, until you feel a tap on your leg from the person sitting next to you. It’s Bill Maher. He leans over to whisper, “There’s actually seven men and five women on the Mattel board.” You get up and move to a different seat. Also, no one says “2000-late.”

I know, I know, ‘How could I know about the patriarchy, I AM a man!’ That argument is so old and so silly. Of course, none of us can know exactly what others go through life, but I can see the world around me, and I can read data. The real Mattel board is a pretty close mirror of the country, where 45% of the 449 board seats filled last year in Fortune 500 companies were women. Truth is, I’m not the one who’s out of step – I’m living in the year we’re living in.

Shockingly, Maher admitted that he “enjoyed” Barbie, but “it IS a #ZombieLie. And people who don’t go along with zombie lies did not take some red pill – just staying true to CURRENT reality. Let’s live in the year we’re living in!” He’s basically the meme of Principal Skinner asking if he’s out of touch. No, it’s the woke mob that is wrong.

(Via Twitter/Bill Maher)

Drake’s fatherhood has been called into question by Pusha T in his now infamous diss track “The Story Of Adidon.” Even users on TikTok raised an eyebrow after the “Search & Rescue” rapper joked about not knowing how much his son, Adonis Graham, weighed at the time of his birth. However, Drake hasn’t been fazed by the critics. He’s put his love for his son on full display by tattooing Adonis’ name on the back of his neck.

In photos shared by HipHopDX, Drake debuted the new body art while hanging out with friends. This isn’t the first inked piece dedicated to his curled hair cutie.

In 2019, Drake showcased an expertly crafted portrait of Adonis on his right forearm. The musicians added the mural to his already massive string of images of his family members on his body. In 2014, Drake inked a picture of his father, Dennis Graham, to which he returned the sentiments in 2017 with a tattoo dedicated to Drake on his upper shoulder.

Drake also has detailed illustrations of his maternal grandmother, uncle, and mother tattooed on his back.

But Drake’s tattoo of his son’s name isn’t the only new ink the musician was spotted with. The entertainer also tattooed his mother’s first and middle initial, SG (for Sandra Gale), on his face.