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Coco Jones is having one hell of a year. It started with the deluxe release of her EP, What I Didn’t Tell You, a project that originally arrived to close 2022. Months later, Jones would go on to win the Best New Artist award at the 2023 BET Awards, an honor that solidified the hard work and journey she endured in her music career over the years. Next up will be the What I Didn’t Tell You Tour which kicks off next month, but before that, Jones has a surprise for her fans.

The singer hopped on Twitter to announce that a remix of “ICU” with a special guest would arrive on Friday, July 14. Instead of revealing the guest artist, Jones shared three images as a clue for who the remix would feature. The first was a crying emoji over a hand-drawn river, the second was a screengrab from The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, and the third was a montage of various boy bands like *NSYNC, 5ive, Boyzone, and Boyz II Men.

With all the clues at hand, many users concluded that the guest artist on the song is none other than Justin Timberlake. The “Cry Me A River” singer (hint #1) was an actor on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993-1994 and he was also a member of *NSYNC from 1995 to 2002.

Jones has yet to confirm that Timberlake is the guest artist on the “ICU” remix, but fans were quick to share their reaction to the possibility of it happening. You can check those out below.

What I Didn’t Tell You (Deluxe) is out now via Def Jam. Find out more information here.

Over the past several years, a huge part of Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ brand has been a commitment to “Black excellence,” an idea that encompasses achievements in areas like art, entertainment, education, and especially business. The rap mogul continues to highlight the concept with his latest endeavor, Empower Global.

An e-commerce platform operating as a hub for Black-owned businesses, Empower Global aims to highlight these ventures, giving them a broader reach and making it easier for potential customers to find their products. According to a press release, at launch, the hub boasts more than 70 brands with over 1000 items available; EG also plans to add new businesses each month to reach a goal 200 brands by 2024.

In a statement, Diddy said, “My mission has always been to empower Black entrepreneurs and create more opportunities for
them to access the resources, tools and support needed to build successful businesses. Empower Global will uplift Black entrepreneurs, keep dollars circulating in our community, and make buying Black a lifestyle.”

You can find more info on Empower Global here.

Diddy is certainly aware of the challenges young businesses can face; he’s currently involved in a legal dispute with Diageo PLC spirits company over its alleged mishandling of his Ciroc and DeLeon beverage brands.

At the end of this week, British rapper J Hus will return with his third album Beautiful And Brutal Yard. The project is the rapper’s first full-length release since 2020’s Big Conspiracy, a project that fans of his were very excited to get their hands on at the time. Since then, J Hus’ releases have been limited with the most notable one coming through a feature on Burna Boy’s “Cloak & Dagger.” Now, the wait is (nearly) over as Beautiful And Brutal Yard is set to arrive in a couple of days. Let’s get you up to speed on everything to know about it.

Release Date

J Hus’ long-awaited third album Beautiful And Brutal Yard will be released on July 14, 2023, through Epic Records and Black Butter Ltd. You can pre-save and find out more information about it here.

Tracklist

The tracklist for Beautiful And Brutal Yard can be found below:

Here is the revised list of song titles in the requested format:

1. “Intro (THE GOAT)”
2. “Massacre”
3. “Who Told You” Feat. Drake
4. “Militerian” Feat. Naira Marley
5. “Palm Tree”
6. “Nice Body” Feat. Jorja Smith
7. “Masculine” Feat. Burna Boy
8. “Come Look”
9. “Cream” Feat. CB
10. “Comeback” Feat. Villz
11. “Alien Girl”
12. “Fresh Water/Safa Kara”
13. “My Baby”
14. “Problem Fixer”
15. “Killy” Feat. Popcaan
16. “It’s Crazy”
17. “Bim Bim”
18. “Come Gully Bun (Gambian President)” Feat. Boss Belly
19. “Playing Chess”

Features

Through the 19 songs on Beautiful And Brutal Yard, listeners will catch features from Drake, Burna Boy, Jorja Smith, CB, Villz, Boss Belly, Naira Marley, and THE GOAT.

Singles

J Hus released two singles ahead of Beautiful And Brutal Yard. The first was “It’s Crazy,” a solo effort that flashed his rap skills, while the second was “Who Told You” with Drake, a more upbeat record primed for the summer.

Artwork

The artwork for Beautiful And Brutal Yard can be seen below.

Tour

Later this fall, J Hus will embark on a tour throughout the UK and Ireland. The dates can be found below:

10/28/2023 — Dublin, IE @ 3Arena
10/30/2023 — Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro
11/01/2023 — Manchester, UK @ AO Arena
11/02/2023 — Birmingham, UK @ Utilita Arena
11/05/2023 — London, UK @ The O2
11/06/2023 — London, UK @ The O2

Beautiful And Brutal Yard is out 7/14 via Epic Records/Black Butter Ltd. Find out more information here.

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

A few days ago, there were rumors that Playboi Carti was getting ready to announce a tour, rumors prompted by billboard that had popped up. The rumors have been confirmed now, as today (July 12), the rapper announced he’s embarking on the Antagonist Tour. But who is he taking with him?

Carti has a few openers who will join him on the trek, all from his Opium Collective. One of them is Destroy Lonely, an Atlanta rapper who has spent the past few years building buzz with a series of mixtapes. That built up to If Looks Could Kill, his debut album from May that managed a debut at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 chart. (The album was also one of Uproxx’s most anticipated releases of this past spring.) The single “If Looks Could Kill” also made it onto the hip-hop charts.

Also joining the tour is Ken Carson, another Atlanta rapper who found some TikTok fame in late 2022 thanks to a dance to the song that was popularized by folks like Rico Nasty. Then there’s Homixide Gang, who are fresh off performing at Wireless Festival this past weekend. Their latest album, Snot Or Not, just dropped in April.

Check out the upcoming tour dates here.

Brian Cox is back with another one of his salty takes. The Emmy-nominated actor stopped by Piers Morgan Uncensored where he proceeded to rant about, sigh, “woke culture.”

Apparently, the opinionated Succession star is not a fan of “shaming culture,” which isn’t entirely surprising given his public defense of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling who’s been under fire thanks to her well-documented anti-trans remarks. According to Cox, the source of the problem is “millennials” and “social media,” which the actor believes “hinders, not helps.”

Via IndieWire:

“The whole woke culture is truly awful […] and the shaming culture.” He continued, “I don’t know where it comes from. Who are the arbiters of this shaming? And it’s very hard to pin them down, and, it turns out, it’s usually a bunch of millennials. I suppose in a way they’re probably saying, ‘Well you’ve all screwed it up so we may as well do something about it.’ But it’s from the wrong principle. It comes from the wrong place.”

Hot takes are becoming par for the course for Cox. The actor hasn’t been afraid to voice his opinion on everything from Meghan Markle to the source of his recent Emmy nom. Cox’s blustery family patriarch, Logan Roy, died suddenly — spoilers, but come on — during the final season of Succession, and the actor had no reservations about saying the crucial moment came too early. (Showrunner Jesse Armstrong explained that Logan died when he did because it would have the most dramatic effect.)

“I was fine with it ultimately, but I did feel a little bit rejected,” Cox said about Logan’s sudden death. “You know, I felt a little bit like all the work I’ve done and finally I’m going to, you know, end up as an ear on a carpet of a plane.”

(Via IndieWire)

A new voice in R&B has entered the scene. Forest Claudette hails from Melbourne, Australia, and is generating big buzz around his newly released debut EP, Everything Was Green. Deftly combining elements of R&B, pop, and alternative, he’s perfectly positioned to capture an audience raised on the Pollen playlist with tracks like “Violence” and “Mess Around.”

The 23-year-old singer dropped by the Uproxx Studio to perform the latter for UPROXX Sessions, crooning his way through the wistful ballad in a fittingly emerald ensemble. While the studio version from his EP features Atlanta funk-rappers Earthgang, he’s just as able and engaging singing solo here. The Aussie singer bears every hallmark of a Gen-Z star — and he certainly shines in this performance.

Watch Forest Claudette perform “Mess Around” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

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

Fresh Pair is back, baby! Sneaker artist extraordinaire Katty Customs and legendary hip-hop producer Just Blaze have teamed up once again — taking their sneaker customization operation to the city of Austin, Texas for a special live episode starring UGK alum, Bun B.

A renowned sneakerhead in his own right, Bun is no stranger to a fire pair of kicks, considering that and the fact that the Fresh Pair team was visiting Bun’s home state, Katty and Just Blaze had their work cut out for them and nailing the right design was of paramount importance. We won’t spoil the reveals for you here (it’s a lot more fun to watch) but we will say that Bun was beyond impressed with what Katty and Blaze cooked up, inspiring the legend to share never-before-heard stories from his come-up and lengthy career.

Throughout this 30-minute episode, Bun takes us behind the scenes of the recording of “Diamonds and Wood,’ as well as the production process of UGK’s classic, Ridin’ Dirty. Later, Just Blaze and Bun reminisce about their early run-ins with Rockafella Records and Jay-Z and address that iconic moment in the “Big Pimpin’” video when Pimp C rocked a mink coat in 100-degree weather.

With the many references and nods to Bun’s career that Katty and Bun crammed into this single pair of sneakers, the hip-hop legend was bursting with stories to tell. Catch the full episode above and try to guess Bun’s out of 10 rating before we hit the post-interview during the credits.

Olivia Rodrigo is finally ready and preparing to release her sophomore album, Guts — and fans cannot wait either. Given it’s been around two years since Rodrigo stepped onto the scene with her record-breaking debut, time will only tell how much more this album will reach.

A few weeks ago, she shared the lead single, “Vampire,” where she chronicled feeling taken advantage of, whether by a relationship with someone older or by the industry as a whole — as the music video seems to suggest. In it, she is hit with a camera but tries to keep performing. However, the lights fall around her, and a group of people in black suits come to pull her off the stage of the awards show that she’s not supposed to be at.

Rodrigo recently celebrated the song reaching No. 1 this week. “Writing this song helped me sort through lots of feelings of regret, anger, and heartache. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album and it felt very cathartic to finish,” she previously posted about the track.

As for when fans can hear the rest of Guts, Rodrigo’s new album drops on September 8. “I am so proud of this record and I can’t wait to share it with you all,” she added in a separate Instagram post.

The album is currently available for pre-order via her website here.

The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson was so last century. In 2023, we got to witness the new (and far less morbid, not to mention delightful) televised trial of the century when Gwyneth Paltrow refused to roll over when a retired optimist sued her over a ski collision. O.J. did, however, weigh in on this trial, too, because how could you not? Goop lad lost a half day of skiing, and in the end, she was vindicated from liability, but not before we saw the stick-figure drawings of the century, too.

Now, we will be able to relive this madcap trial through a two-part documentary that will arrive sometime this year from Discovery+. As Variety notes, that means that “[y]ou skiied into my effing back” will receive new life, and I personally cannot wait for the dissection of Gwyneth’s “I wish you well” to retired optometrist Terry Sander following the verdict:

Production company Optomen (“Johnny vs Amber,” “Kim vs Kanye: The Divorce”) are continuing their “Vs” series for Discovery+ with a doc about the “Sliding Doors” star’s legal woes. The civil trial earlier this year saw Paltrow sued by – and then counter-sue – retired optometrist Terry Sanders, after the duo collided on an Utah ski slope in 2016.

Now for a further question: when shall we see the dramatization of this trial? We can simply slide the cast of HBO’s The Staircase right into these roles, no problem, and perhaps they can consider it a levity-filled palate cleaner. This trial was easily more entertaining than every single Pepper Potts MCU scene combined. That’s not exactly the hottest take of 2023, but I’m sticking with it.

(Via Variety)

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmys six times — with four wins. Bob Odenkirk has also been nominated in the same category six times — with zero wins. So far.

The Better Call Saul actor will compete against Jeff Bridges (The Old Man), Brian Cox (Succession), Kieran Culkin (Succession), Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), and Jeremy Strong (Succession) in one of the most stacked categories at the 2023 Emmys. One of the Roy boys has to be considered the frontrunner, but Odenkirk already won Outstanding Tribute to a Co-Star*.

(*not an official Emmys category)

“This guy looks pretty beat up…BUT, HOORAY! and THANK YOU to everyone who enjoyed Better Call Saul, and for this Nom,” he wrote in response to a Discussing Film tweet. “We all cared SO MUCH everyday we made this show. It starts with the WRITING and I’m so thankful Peter Gould and Gordon Smith are nominated.” Odenkirk is particularly happy that Rhea Seehorn, who played Kim Wexler, was also nominated (a nomination is nice; a win would be better, and deserved). “RHEA being nominated makes my day, my year,” he tweeted.

Considering Seehorn saved his life, Odenkirk better say nice things about her.

You can find the full list of Emmy nominations here.