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How did Donald Trump begin his message to the country after he was indicted on Thursday? “Very sadly, we’re a nation in decline.” Inspiring stuff!

While standing in a poorly-lit room, looking more like Vigo the Carpathian than ever before, the former president responded to the federal charges against him in connection with the classified government documents he kept at his Florida home after leaving the White House with an old fashioned witch hunt rant. “It’s been going on for seven years,” he said. “They can’t stop because it’s election interference at the highest level. There’s never been anything like what’s happening. I’m an innocent man…” (He’s no Hacker T. Dog.) Trump then listed various “hoaxes” before blaming Hillary Clinton, naturally.

He continued, “Our country is going to hell and they come after Donald Trump, weaponizing the Justice Department, weaponing the FBI. We can’t let this continue to go on because it’s ripping our country to shreds.”

The rant wrapped up with Trump claiming that he’s “an innocent man, I did nothing wrong, and we’ll fight this out just like we’ve been fighting for seven years. We’re a failing nation and this is what they do. I’m an innocent man. We will prove that again. Seven years of proving it and here we go again. Very unfair, but that’s the way it is.” Some things — like Trump defending himself by referring to himself in the third person — will never change.

(Via Mediaite)

After much anticipation and an often-NSFW promotional cycle, Janelle Monáe’s new album, The Age Of Pleasure, is here. As the project was released at midnight, Monáe celebrated, as she has over the past few months, with another skin-bearing post.

Shortly after midnight today, Monáe made note of the album’s release with a video, in which they stand on the beach and show off a cropped shirt bearing the album title. She then takes it off, along with her shorts, leaving her naked (albeit blurred out) as she jubilantly runs into the ocean, all set to the song “Water Slide.”

The same clip is included in a longer June 7 video Monáe shared to announce the album’s tracklist.

This goes along with a recent interview quote that has essentially been Monáe’s mantra lately: “I’m much happier when my titties are out and I can run around free.”

Speaking of the tracklist for The Age Of Pleasure, the album features Grace Jones, Doechii, CKay, Seun Kuti And Egypt 80, Sister Nancy, Amaarae, and even actress Nia Long.

The Age Of Pleasure is out now via Wondaland Arts Society/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.

Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert never has a dull moment. She’s still the butt of what seems like a million jokes over missing the debt ceiling vote after vowing to vote against the bill, and then claiming that she was “protesting” the vote, only to have video evidence disprove her story. She’s also recently been the subject of a wrestler’s paternity test beefing. And of course, the right-wing congresswoman has been tweeting through it all while diverting into other subjects, but word of ex-President Trump’s very serious criminal indictment (much more so than the 30 Stormy Daniels counts) has incensed Boebert.

As CNN reported, the precise charges against the MAGA King haven’t been revealed yet, but they include an alleged violation of the Espionage Act among another laundry list of crimes, presumably related to his hoarding of documents at Mar-a-Lago. It’s not great:

Trump is facing a charge under the Espionage Act, his attorney Jim Trusty said on CNN Thursday, as well as charges of obstruction of justice, destruction or falsification of records, conspiracy and false statements.

While all the exact charges against Trump were not immediately clear, the potential offenses strike at the core of some of the most somber duties of the presidency – including the protection of the country’s most vital secrets. And any allegation of obstruction involves another fundamental role of the public trust that Trump held and to which he aspires in the current campaign – the obligation of a president to uphold the laws.

As one can imagine, Boebert had a ready conspiracy theory for the timing of the indictment news. “They released this Trump indictment tonight because the walls are closing in on Biden,” she tweeted. “We’ve seen the evidence.”

Or… did this happen?

As is customary for her, Boebert ignored that response and all other criticisms of her claims. She did, however, continue to rant about the “innocent” Trump, who she believes has fallen prey to a “sham indictment.” She also placed “crime” into quotation marks as though this stuff was all made up, and everyone should focus on Hunter Biden’s laptop or something.

We can expect this to continue, of course, and it was certainly a rough day for the GOP. The Supreme Court upheld relevant portions of the Voting Rights Act in a case about racial gerrymandering. Uber-televangelist and hater Pat Robertson passed away, and the MAGA master who led “lock her up” chants has a lot to worry about from the criminal justice system. And then there’s the ongoing Pride Month to really upset the far-right. Quite a month so far, really!

Shawn Mendes is finding himself at odds — in his relationship, and simultaneously, with the world. With recent headlines surrounding Mendes’ personal life, as well as contemporary global issues, his latest single, “What The Hell Are We Dying For,” feels more timely than ever.

On the song, Shawn questions the state of a relationship and where it’s going, over a rolling percussion loop and clashing guitars.

“If we don’t love like we used to / And we don’t care like we used to / What the hell are we dying for?,” he sings on the song’s chorus.

While it’s unclear when the song was written or recorded, it arrives at a strange time in Mendes’ life.

Earlier today, it was reported that Mendes and Camila Cabello had broken up again, just six weeks after they had reportedly rekindled their romance.

Also strange was the fact that the single’s cover appears to be an image of New York City engulfed in orange smog, after a wildfire in Canada caused the smoke to spread over to New York. Mendes himself is Canadian, so it’s likely that the wildfire hits close to home for him.

You can listen to “What The Hell Are We Dying For” above?

HBO’s new music industry drama The Idol has everyone talking, in more ways than one. But good or bad, the show’s co-creators Sam Levinson and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye are sure enjoying the buzz. Tonight (June 9), The Weeknd and superproducer Mike Dean have shared the latest taste of new music from the show.

On The Idol soundtrack’s latest song, “The Lure,” The Weeknd and Mike Dean put their production skills on full display, offering a chilling, instrumental theme song that encapsulates the terrifying, ominous nature of the show.

Only one episode of The Idol has aired so far, however, The Weeknd is in good spirits having finally begun sharing it with the world. He planned to drop all of the show’s music on the soundtrack, which will arrive shortly before the season finale. However, The Weeknd took to Instagram to reveal that he will share a good amount of the show’s music on a more frequent basis.

“I wanna drop new music from the show every week with each episode,” he said. “I’m excited for you guys to hear what we’ve been cooking and all these incredible artists that are a part of this show.”

You can listen to “The Lure” above.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve gotten to know and love Reneé Rapp through The Sex Lives Of College Girls. She is also starring in the upcoming film adaptation of the musical production of Mean Girls, in which, she plays Regina George. While we’ve seen her talent play out on-screen, music has always been Rapp’s first love. Tonight (June 9) Rapp has shared the first single and title track from her upcoming debut album, Snow Angel.

On “Snow Angel,” Rapp details the excruciating pain of keeping her composure while she is dealing with emotional pain.

“I’ll make it through the winter if it kills me / I can make it faster if I hurry / An angel in the snow until I’m worthy / But if it kills me, I tried,” she sings on the song’s chorus.

In addition to these poignant lyrics, the song’s instrumental — a melancholy piano, which is later joined with a clashing guitar and rolling percussion — encapsulates to mixed feelings Rapp has been grappling with over the course of her young adulthood.

Last November, Rapp released her debut EP, Everything To Everyone, which featured songs like “Too Well” and “In The Kitchen.” Her first full-length album will arrive later this summer.

You can listen to “Snow Angel” above and see the Snow Angel cover art below.

Snow Angel is out 8/18 via Interscope. Find more information here.

Sam Smith and Madonna have a sexy new anthem, which has arrived right in time for Pride Month. On “Vulgar,” the two embrace the labels which they have been deemed by haters and naysayers over the years, owning their sexualities and provocative stylings.

Smith opens the song, detailing a spicy, scandalous outfit, giving no f*cks about how it may be received. In fact, haters are their motivators.

“Look like I’m dressed to kill, love how I make me feel / All black in stripper heels, move like Madonna / Rich like I’m in the Louvre, got nothin’ left to prove / You know you’re beautiful when they call you vulgar,” raps Smith on their verse.

Madonna then joins in with a scorching verse of her own, reminding us that she and her clique are not the ones to be messed with.

“If you f*ck with Sam tonight, you’re f*cking with me / So watch what you say or I’ll split your banana,” raps Madonna.

According to a press statement accompanied by the song’s release, Madonna and Smith recorded the song the day after this year’s Grammys in a Los Angeles studio. The two collaborated with ILYA for MXM Productions, Cirkut, Omer Fedi, Ryan Tedder, Jimmy Napes, Sam and Lauren D’elia, Madonna’s vocal producer and engineer.

You can listen to “Vulgar” above.

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

TikTok is a place where obscure music is celebrated, retro comedy is king and lives can be changed overnight. But it’s a rare feat for all three of those corners to intersect on the platform.

As is the way with many TikTok sensations, faux radio show “The Bun 91.3” started off as a fun hobby. The DJ, known only to listeners as “The Bun,” highlights songs by up-and-coming artists all while sporting aviator sunglasses and mastering that cheesy, old-school radio voice.

Much to his surprise, The Bun’s passion project has actually been bringing major attention to aspiring musicians who might otherwise go unnoticed, just like real radio shows did back in the day.

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Take for instance the band Bird Photos. In his video playing their song “Dove,” The Bun said that the group had only 85 monthly listeners. After the clip was viewed over 650,000 times, Bird Photos’ reach skyrocketed to over 36,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

@thebun91.3 Next song up: Dove – Bird Photos #rock #indierock #indie #indiepop #thebun913 #radiohost #spotifyplaylist ♬ Dove – Bird Photos

“Man really gave them a 7800% increase in listeners in four days. We LOVE small artist promoters,” one person commented.

Or singer/songwriter Sarah Crean, whose song “2:00 AM” blew up with over 4.6 million views after The Bun professed he “couldn’t get enough of it” (one of his signature phrases). Crean went from having only 295 monthly listeners to 170,000 monthly listeners and ended up signing with well-known record label AWAL.

@thebun91.3 Next song up: 02:00 AM – Sarah Crean #indiepop #indierock #menitrust #japanesebreakfast #indie #sarahcrean #thebun913 #radiohost #spotifyplaylist ♬ 02:00 AM – Sarah Crean

“My gratitude for it all is immense,” Crean told Insider. “He’s putting really incredible artists forward to such an open-minded following and it’s opening so many doors for them…I think he’s got something really special there.”

Following successes like these, The Bun’s creative outlet has turned into something of a mission—one which he is fully committed to. The DJ also shared with Insider that he not only spends every morning scouring the internet for cool tracks, but he’ll also find local bands and solo artists to see them play at nearby venues.

Of course, with his newfound internet clout, musicians often reach out to him for coverage. Like Minova, who submitted their song “I Miss You So” and got so many new followers they released a whole new single. (Of course, The Bun covered that, too.)

@thebun91.3 Next song up: I Miss You So – Minova #minova #dayglow #wallows #clairo #sarahcrean #indiepop #sadgirlstarterpack #thebun913 #spotifyplaylist #radiohost ♬ I Miss You So

For The Bun, helping aspiring artists potentially get out of any side hustles and instead focus on what they love is the best part of the job. “I just get a lot of joy out of them winning,” he told Insider.

We see plenty of videos on TikTok with folks sharing their art, but it’s not every day that we see someone going out of their way to showcase someone else’s. The Bun is out there doing the dang thing, and doing it all with a huge dose of quirky charm. It’s something we can’t get enough of.

By the way—you can also find The Bun’s special curated playlist featuring these artists, and more, over on Spotify.

Social media has made it very easy to alter your appearance using filters. They may come in handy when you need to record a video but look a bit under the weather—just turn on a soft glow or a makeup filter, and boom, you’re camera-ready in less than two seconds. But there has been a lot of talk around the use of filters and teen girls’ self-esteem and unrealistic expectations seemingly placed on women.

One woman has taken it upon herself to strip away the filters to prove that, while she is beautiful, her face doesn’t actually look the way it does with the filter on. The most interesting thing about these filters is that they’re so good, you can’t tell they’re filters. Gone are the days of filters that made everyone look like a Glamour Shot from the 90s. These filters move with you and even have pores so no one can tell it isn’t actually your face.

Well, it is your face—kinda.

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Mimi Webb starts off the 20-second clip using the infamous Bold Glamour filter. It’s the filter that has people questioning their perception of their own faces because the contrast is so jarring. But Webb doesn’t stop with one filter. She puts on another and makes sure she emphasizes her use of a ring light. After turning the ring light off and taking all the filters off as the video is ending, the woman removes her makeup, revealing an inflamed, irritated and blemished face.

People flocked to the comments to thank her for exposing the truth behind filters.

“You’re beautiful & this message is SO important thanks for the reminder,” one person wrote.

“You are beautiful. In real life, we all have imperfections. As a mature woman, I appreciate your honesty. Thank you,” another said.

“Thank you so much. You did not know how much this was needed,” a woman commented.

Social media can really do a number on people’s self esteem, especially when they’re comparing themselves to something that’s not real. Messages like the one Webb shared can help pull back the curtain on the reality of social media. Watch her video below.

@missmimiwebb

#greenscreenvideo

If you’re looking for career advice, there are few better people to ask than former President Barack Obama. After all, he got the most prestigious job in the world after only spending four years in the U.S. Senate and seven in the Illinois State Senate.

Obama clearly knows how to work his way up in the world.

Now, he’s investigating what it means to have “good” work in his new Netflix show, “Working: What We Do All Day.” According to Netflix, the show explores compelling ideas and issues about labor and work, while focusing on the lives of individuals in various professions.

Obama sat down with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth to talk about employment-related topics, including the role of work in our lives, disruptions in the workplace in the new Millenium, and the coming AI revolution. During the 15-minute conversation, Obama shared his most important career advice for young people, and it was simple, especially for such a thoughtful, well-spoken man. The former president said, “Get stuff done. Just learn how to get stuff done.”

He then unpacked what he meant by his simple motto.

“I’ve seen at every level people who are very good at describing problems, people who are very sophisticated in explaining why something went wrong or why something can’t get fixed, but what I’m always looking for is, no matter how small the problem or how big it is, somebody who says, ‘Let me take care of that,’” Obama said. “If you project an attitude of, whatever it is that’s needed, I can handle it and I can do it, then whoever is running that organization will notice. I promise.”

Obama is spot-on with his analysis. You can talk about things all day, but what really matters is taking action and making things happen. Maybe that’s why his campaign slogan in 2008 was a simple three-word phrase about taking care of business, “Yes, we can.”

“The best way to get attention is, whatever is assigned to you, you are just nailing. You’re killing it. Because people will notice, that’s someone who can get something done,” Obama continued.

As someone who has managed people at the top levels of government, Obama has a rare understanding of the importance of relying on people to carry out essential orders and knowing who to trust to get it done efficiently and correctly. When you’re president of the United States, you must have complete trust in the people you delegate work to because thousands or even millions of lives could be at risk.

Obama also added that young people shouldn’t focus on a specific job title but on things that interest them. “The people that I find are the most successful are the people who say, ‘I’m really interested in computers and figuring this stuff out,’ and they end up being a Bill Gates,” he said.

People will be happier with careers that are rooted in their interests because they’re doing what they love. We only get 24 hours in a day. Most people sleep eight, work eight and enjoy eight for themselves. Everyone loves sleeping and time off, but you can be happy 24 hours a day when you love your job.