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After 2022 brought new releases from huge names like Drake and Kendrick Lamar and massive breakouts for the likes of JID, Latto, and Mavi, 2023 has been decidedly more low-key through its first six months. While the deluge of new releases shows no signs of slowing anytime soon, the biggest names in rap have yet to drop — but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any new releases worth checking out this year.

While rap fans await signs of life from some of the most anticipated releases of 2023 such as ASAP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb, Cardi B’s second album, Doja Cat’s oft-teased, much-adjusted fourth album, Nicki Minaj’s long-awaited fifth album, and Travis Scott’s comeback Utopia , Uproxx is taking a look back at the albums that have already released that are worth your attention.

Some of them were heavily praised on release, and some flew under the radar, but they all represent hip-hop at its best. Whether they pushed the boundaries of the genre or presented a pristine example of technical craftsmanship, each made an impact, demonstrating the heights the genre can reach — and beyond. And while this heavily compacted list might not have room for every worthwhile release, these albums all share solid claims to being the best hip-hop albums of 2023 so far.

Don Toliver — Love Sick

Travis Scott’s protege takes yet another step into his own on his third studio album, released appropriately just two weeks after Valentine’s Day. “I want people to listen to my music and think it’s timeless,” Toliver said of his latest release and while he’s got a ways to go before he realizes this dream, Love Sick constitutes an impressive step in the right direction in tracks like “Honeymoon” and “Leave This Club.” – Aaron Williams

El Michels Affair & Black Thought — Glorious Game

Listen, you can go ahead and call me a stodgy old crank for continuing to value technically superior exercises in formalism in 2023. That’s fine. Black Thought remains the (read: THEE) finest bar-for-bar, straight-up rapper in hip-hop to this day and it’s worth honoring that — especially when he possesses the awareness to pair his prodigious talents with production worthy of the finest funk-soul excursions into ’70s Classicism this side of Adrian Younge’s Luke Cage soundtrack. – A.W.

IDK — F65

DMV rapper IDK keeps getting more innovative, creative, and insightful with each new release. F65 applies a thematic veneer of Formula 1 racing to tie together a sprawling meditation on race (get it?), art, identity, and aspiration, drawing parallels between his drive to be the best and the adversities faced by F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. Throughout, IDK liberally pulls from the canon of Black music — jazz, dance, soul, and hardcore hip-hop — to prove his point: that Black artists are not a monolith. – A.W.

Jack Harlow — Jackman

Jack Harlow heard the complaints about his last album, Come Home The Kids Miss You, and responded in kind with a 10-song salvo of tracks that saw the Louisville rapper revert to the hungry, intensely-focused artist he was as he freestyled and battle-rapped his way to the top. The highlights: “They Don’t Love It,” “Gang Gang Gang,” and “Blame On Me,” which saw his talent for conceptual songwriting flexed to a degree fans hadn’t seen for nearly two years. – A.W.

Kaytranada and Aminé — Kaytraminé

The term “album of the summer” gets tossed around quite a lot lately, but this joint effort from the Portland rapper and Canadian dance producer earns it with 11 breezy-yet-diverse approaches to the seasonal sound and its related topics. From the glitzy, mellow “Rebuke” to the funk-tinged Pharrell feature “4Eva,” the lively spirit of the warmest months of the year comes through in ways both unexpected and comfortingly familiar. – A.W.

Lil Yachty — Let’s Start Here

Is Lil Yachty’s experiment in psychedelia technically hip-hop? I think the point he makes with Let’s Start Here is: who cares? (We’re including him here because of how Yachty got his start, the mode of the music he primarily makes, and the fact that he spends as much of this rock-inspired effort rapping as he does singing.) Yachty’s always bristled at the thought that he could be limited to just one genre. Here’s the strongest argument in his favor. – A.W.

Luh Tyler — My Vision

Luh Tyler is like the perfect synthesis of predecessors such as Kodak Black and Lil Tecca, with the carefree confidence of pre-graduation youth and the poised, deceptively clever pen game of the frequently incarcerated gangster rapper. By combining his natural gifts with an easygoing, unpracticed charisma and subject matter centered more around teenage fantasies of luxury lifestyles than drug game-produced shootouts, Luh Tyler cleans up the typical Florida approach to hip-hop without losing his cool. – A.W.

Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains

Arguably the most dominant producer of the streaming era, Metro Boomin comes close to creating his magnum opus with this late 2022 compilation (which is after Uproxx’s cutoff for Best of 2022 consideration). His full curatorial superpowers go on display in Heroes & Villians as he assembles his own Avengers of rap titans — or a Legion of Doom if you want to see it another way. 21 Savage, Future, Migos, Travis Scott, and more help fill out the roster, but the star here is always his production, skillfully tying them all together. – A.W.

Oddisee — To What End

Oddisee, one of the most consistent voices operating in the rap world for the past decade or so, has reached an impasse with himself about why he does what he does. And, in the spirit of true talent, he winds up using that as inspiration on this, his 10th studio album, which questions the nature of aspiration. To What End finds Oddisee wrestling with not just his goals and ambitions but what they might cost and whether it’s all really worth it. For us the listeners, it is. – A.W.

Skyzoo x The Other Guys — The Mind Of A Saint

A masterfully executed concept album inspired by the characters and events of the drug-game epic Snowfall, The Mind Of A Saint finds Skyzoo putting his feet in the shoes of the show’s principal criminal mastermind. Sky writes through the perspective of an older, wiser Franklin Saint who turned to the pen instead of the bottle — after all, he did finish the project before the final season had aired — but even with two layers of functionalization, the words and themes ring true. – A.W.

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

Sam Levinson’s latest episodic brainchild, The Idol, has sparked countless conversations from critics and viewers alike. The series chronicles the chaotic life of a budding music star Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp). Levinson kept the show’s ethos in mind during casting as The Weeknd landed a supporting lead role. But the “Popular” singer isn’t the only recording artist that appears in a scene.

Troye Sivan’s cameo in the second trailer made fans question who the “Mine” singer plays on The Idol. To answer the posed question, Sivan steps into the role of Caleb. The entertainer shares screen time with his fictional best friend, Depp’s character, in the role.

During an interview with Elle, Sivan opened up about working alongside Depp and witnessing her artistic input on The Idol. “There was not a single time where it was my close-up or someone else’s close-up, where she wasn’t behind the camera giving 1,000 percent after she’s just already given 1,000 percent on her coverage and knocked it out of the park,” he said in admiration for Depp’s work ethic. “She’s an incredible person to work with, so I feel very lucky to have her in my life,” said Sivan.

Later in the conversation, the singer discussed how his time in the industry has prepared him, saying, “I’ve got my day job of being a musician, and then when something exciting comes along that I’m interested in or that I feel challenged by, which is pretty much every acting thing ever, I’m so excited to throw my hat in the ring and see what happens without this stress and pressure.”

The Idol is exclusively available on Max (formally HBO). Find more information here.

Janelle Monáe fans have waited five years for a new studio from the musician. Finally, in just a few days, their appetite will be satisfied with the release of The Age Of Pleasure. Monáe is stripping away (quite literally) all the expectations placed on them as they enter this new era of their music career. As supporters count down the days until the project hits streaming platforms.

During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the Glass Onion star opened up about the creative direction for the LP. “All the songs were written from such an honest space,” adding, “I hope that people feel that when they listen to the music, that they feel that when they come and counter with me when I’m around, I definitely have had an opportunity to evolve and grow and to tap into the things that bring me pleasure, the things that perhaps I should rethink and rework. Sometimes it really is just saying, ‘You know what? Let’s get back to the basics, and also, let’s honor the present.’

1. “Float” Feat. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80
2. “Champagne Sh*t”
3. “Black Sugar Beach”
4. “Phenomenal”
5. “Haute”
6. “Oh La La”
7. “Lipstick Lover”
8. “The Rush”
9. “The French 75”
10. “Water Slide”
11. “Know Better”
12. “Paid in Pleasure”
13. “Only Have Eyes 42”
14. “A Dry Red”

Features

Janelle Monáe is a massive proponent of collaborating with other artists. However, for this album, the credited vocal features are limited. So far, only Nigerian music act Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 are listed on The Age Of Pleasure credits.

Artwork

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the seventh film of the franchise that was started by Michael Bay in 2007 and, over the course of the last 16 years, these movies have, frankly, somewhat knocked me into submission. (Yes, someone who was born when the first Transformers came out is now old enough to drive their own Autobot.) I can’t help but go into these movies with trepidation. Like, I know something bad is going to happen, but what form will it come in this time?

The truth is, I don’t even dislike all these movies. The first Transformers is actually pretty okay. Its biggest problem (as with all the Michael Bay Transformers movies) is Bay has no connection whatsoever with the Transformers themselves. Take, for instance, in the first movie when, without a thought, Jazz is ruthlessly ripped apart and killed with little to no fanfare. Optimus Prime says something to the effect of, “Welp, too bad about Jazz,” and we move on. I honestly believe Bay had no clue Jazz was a fan favorite from the animated series and was voiced by the beloved Scatman Crothers. The second movie is terrible. The third movie is so ludicrous it devolves into something enjoyable. The fourth and fifth movies? Yikes. Then we get to Travis Knight’s Bumblebee, which is actually really great, but it’s kind of its own thing and, as the title, suggests, is mostly about one Transformer and, deep down, has more in common with something like E.T. than a Transformers movie.

Now here we are at Steven Caple Jr.’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, who directed the very enjoyable Creed II. Set in 1994, it’s got a very ’90s extreme feel to that title. (Also, maybe adding to my fears, I’m always wary of any movie that has the word “rise” in the title. If you elect me president I will ban “rise” from being used in a movie title ever again.) After an initial exposition dump about a doohickey that lets Transformers travel quickly to other galaxies through space portals, the movie quickly settles into something … pretty good! Tonally, I’d put this somewhere in-between Bumblebee and the first Transformers.

We meet Noah (Anthony Ramos), an ex-military guy who had to leave the service to take care of his younger brother Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez), who needs medical care because of sickle cell anemia. Unfortunately, Noah can’t get a job because his experience comes from the military and his former commanding officer has labeled him as someone who is not a team player. Desperate, Noah turns to grand theft auto and steals a new Porsche. Unfortunately for Noah, that Porsche is an Autobot named Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson, who genuinely seems to be having a nice time) and Mirage has just gotten a call from Optimus Prime to “roll out” for duty, so Noah will be coming along for the ride.

(I have some things I want to say about Mirage. So, when I was a little kid, I wanted a Transformer. My mom was wary because I already had GoBots and Transformers looked like a whole new thing and she didn’t understand why I couldn’t just stick to GoBots. Anyway, I finally convinced her and she bought me a Transformer called Huffer. These were the very small, little plastic mini Transformers – Bumblebee got his start as one of these – but I wanted a real Transformer. She finally relented and let me pick from any of the mid-size Transformer line and I went with Mirage, because he turned into a Formula One-style race car and looked cool. When the animated series came out, along with the Marvel comics, I couldn’t wait to see what my guy Mirage would be doing. What would his wild adventures be?!?! Turns out, the answer was “nothing.” Sometimes he’d show up in the background, but that was about it. My point here is, it actually blows my mind that Mirage is the main Transformer in a Transformers movie, even though he’s a Porsche now. I might literally be the only big Mirage fan on this planet.)

Noah is recruited by the Autobots because they need his help to steal the space portal device before Omicron’s lackeys get their hands on it? Who is Omicron? Omicron is a Transformer planet that eats other planets. If Omicron gets this device, he can warp himself to Earth and eat it. Yes, this is the same Omicorn that Orson Welles voiced in the 1986 animated film. When Noah is in the museum he meets Elena (Dominique Fishback), an artifacts expert who becomes fascinated with the portal device and believes it’s not from this planet. She is correct. Why not just destroy this device? Noah believes this is a good idea. Optimus Prime does not because the Autobots can use the device to finally get back to Cybertron. The only problem is this is only half the device. The other half is in Peru, guarded by the Maximals. (These are the aforementioned “beasts” in the title; basically, robots that turn into animals.) So, off our team goes to Peru.

Honestly, this is one of the least convoluted Transformers stories that has been made. I honestly don’t think I could tell you the plot of any of the six other movies except for Bumblebee. (I think the fifth one involved King Arthur? Am I making that up? That really happened?) And it’s obvious Caple Jr. actually likes the Transformers and treats them as actual characters. Also, this is kind of remarkable: This is not another Bumblebee movie. In fact, Bumblebee gets, let’s say, benched for most of the movie. In fact, Optimus Prime has more screen time in Rise of the Beasts than in any other movie. We get used to Prime either “dying” or having to do something off-screen where he disappears for whole segments of the movie. Not this time, Prime is in this for the whole ride and I kind of wish the marketing had made that more clear. I was actually surprised by this. And Prime has an actual character arc dealing with his feelings toward humans. (Also, I won’t get into spoilers but Rise of the Beasts has a pretty great twist at the end of the movie.)

But, yes, it’s kind of remarkable what can be done with a Transformers movie with a director who actually likes these characters. (And also very much loves his mid-90s needle-drop jams.) So, yes, I’d be in for some more Steven Caple Jr. Transformers movies.

‘Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts’ opens in theaters on Friday, June 9th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The original Beetlejuice was made long before computers all but took over Hollywood. It’s a special effects-heavy movie, but those f/x are all practical: elaborate costumes, over-the-top sets, stop-motion animation, matte paintings, people lip-synching to Harry Belafonte. Can a movie even be made like that in 2023? Sounds like they’re trying with the sequel.

In a new interview with Empire (as caught by The Hollywood Reporter), Michael Keaton gushes about not only returning to one of his more iconic roles, but doing so with the same lovingly handmade approach. At the very least it sounds like reuniting with Tim Burton has been a blast.

“Beetlejuice is the most f*ckin’ fun you can have working. It’s so fun, it’s so great. And you know what it is? We’re doing it exactly like we did the first movie,” Keaton gushed. For example: “There’s a woman in the great waiting room for the afterlife literally with a fishing line – I want people to know this because I love it – tugging on the tail of a cat to make it move.”

Keaton said he and Burton had been talking about doing the sequel for ages, but with one major caveat: “We both agreed, if it happens, it has to be done as close to the way we made it the first time. Making stuff up, making stuff happen, improvising and riffing, but literally handmade stuff like people creating things with their hands and building something.”

Seems like they’re pulling it off. He calls the shoot, now in progress, “F*ckin’ great. It’s the most fun I’ve had working on a movie in I can’t tell you how long.”

Mind you, Keaton was talking about Beetlejuice 2 while doing press for The Flash, in which he returns to another role he originated in a Tim Burton picture: the 1989 Batman. That film saw Keaton going from a mostly comic actor to the Dark Knight — a bit of outside-the-box casting that inspired Mark Hamill to try out for the animated version of one of Bruce Wayne’s main nemeses, the Joker.

(Via Empire and THR)

Taylor Swift’s rumored relationship with Matty Healy has reportedly ended. However, her musical partnership with Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy is just getting warmed up. Swift is preparing to roll out her latest Taylor’s Version album, Speak Now, and both acts will be featured on previously vaulted songs from Swift.

Fall Out Boy will appear on the song “Electric Touch,” whereas Hayley Williams will be heard on the track “Castles Crumbling.” The band is one of Swift’s special guests on her The Eras Tour; however, this marks their first musical collaboration with the musician. Meanwhile the latter “You All Over Me” singer has had a long-standing friendship with Paramore’s frontwoman.

Swift shared the news on social media, writing, “I’m very excited to show you the back cover of Speak Now (My Version), including the vault tracks and collaborations with Hayley Williams from Paramore and Fall Out Boy. Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist then and ask them to sing on the album. They’re so cool and generous for agreeing to support my version of Speak Now. I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and can’t wait to unveil it all to you on July 7th.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is out 7/7 via Republic. Find more information here.

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

Riding the school bus is generally an uneventful experience outside of the occasional fight or someone sitting in you seat. In Milwaukee, students and the bus driver had a more exciting trip than any of them planned. As the bus driver, Imunek Williams, was nearing the school to drop off a bus full of children, the bus started filling with smoke.

Williams, who is eight months pregnant, told WISN, “I started to smell something funny at the stoplight, and I just thought it was normal smoke coming from another car, because I always smell smoke or weird smells.”

But the smoke only got thicker as they continued to drive. It was then that Williams knew that she had to make a decision quickly to save herself and the kids entrusted to her care. The bus was only a half mile away from the school when the mom-to-be attempted to radio in the condition of the bus to dispatch.

“I couldn’t barely get what I was trying to say out because of the smoke was hitting me in the face in my eyes so I was just like OK forget the radio. Just got the kids off the bus,” Williams told WTMJ.

It was clear that she was in a race against time with how quickly the bus was overcome with smoke. Thankfully, Williams was able to get all 32 kids off the bus and lined up along the fence before it burst into flames.

“I was the last person off once I get off, I turned around and I just seen flames,” said Williams told WTMJ. “I wanted to make sure that I was safe, baby was safe and you know if it was my kid on the bus I would’ve wanted one of the bus drivers to act the same way that I did.”

None of the children suffered injuries and the soon-to-be new mom was treated for smoke inhalation and was able to return to work the following day. You can watch the incredible story below.

In November, the multi-day 2023 Corona Capital Festival will be headlined by The Cure, Blur, Pulp, and more. The event will be held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico.

On the first day of Corona Capital 2023, Friday, November 17, Arcade Fire, Pulp, and Alanis Morissette are billed as headliners. As for Saturday, November 18, Blur, The Black Keys, and Thirty Seconds To Mars will take over headlining duties. Finally, closing out the festival on Sunday, November 19, The Cure, The Chemical Brothers, and Pet Shops Boys will headline.

Other notable acts on the lineup include Feist, Sleater-Kinney, Fleet Foxes, Arlo Parks, Brittany Howard, MUNA, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Alvvays, and Soccer Mommy.

During an interview with The Grammys, Ricardo Gomez, the Senior International Talent Buyer for Mexican promotions company OCESA, shared what goes into selecting artists for the festival.

“We don’t have any Latin acts, and we do that because we want to desegregate Corona Capital from other festivals in the market. We look at trends and what’s happening in the music scene internationally,” said Gomez.

The special CitiBank members’ pre-sale starts on June 9. While general ticket sales for Corona Capital 2023 begin on June 10 at 2 p.m. CDMX via Ticketmaster. Find more information here.

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

Ron DeSantis has been trailing way behind Donald Trump in the polls. But you know what might beef up his stats? Committing crimes — or at least getting cronies to commit crimes for you. After all, being an indicted criminal who’s been found guilty of other crimes has worked wonders for Trump’s numbers. As it happens, DeSantis may be in luck.

As per Miami Herald (via Raw Story), Javier Salazar, the Sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, has concluded its investigation into the Florida governor’s Martha Vineyard’s stunt last fall. According to a statement, they’ve concluded that heads must roll. Salazar and team are recommending both felony and misdemeanor charges of Unlawful Restraint for those involved with luring migrants to a place unprepared to help them.

Back in September, members of DeSantis’ office arranged for 49 migrants, most of them from Venezeula, to be flown from San Antonio, Texas and deposited, without warning, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, off of Massachusetts. Some of the migrants described being lured with false promises of work and shelter. Upon arrival, they were housed at a church shelter, who did their best to help with limited resources. They were later voluntarily shipped to nearby Cape Cod.

The decision over whether or not to issue charges now moves over to the office of Bexar County DA. It’s unclear which DeSantis team members will be charged, but in their statement, Salazar’s team suggests they could go as high as top aides, including his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, and public safety czar Larry Keefe.

DeSantis may escape responsibility, but he may get a Mulligan: After a group of migrants were dropped off outside a San Francisco church on Friday, California governor Gavin Newsom suspected DeSantis was behind it and accused him of “kidnapping.”

(Via Miami Herald and Raw Story)

Tom Holland is still a young guy, but he’s not that young. He’s 27, three years shy of his 30s. For some context, he’s less than a decade younger than Shameless star Emmy Rossum — who, as it happens, is playing his mom on Apple TV+’s forthcoming psychological thriller series The Crowded Room. But you know who doesn’t mind the short age gap? Rossum.

“It makes sense when I read the script,” Rossum recently told Entertainment Tonight. Her character, Candy, she says, is “a super young mom, she’s almost a child in her own right when she becomes pregnant at age 16. You watch as I age from 25 to 35, which is actually younger than I am now.”

Besides, she got over any anxiety she may have had about playing the mother of a 20-something after she “fell in love with the relationship between mother and son and the closeness and everything that they’re grieving in later episodes.”

Holland, mind you, isn’t the only actor playing Danny Sullivan, who as a young man is arrested for a shocking crime in 1979. The younger version of him is played by Zachary Golinger, with whom Rossum, a real-life mother, really bonded.

“I was so taken with the series and really just loved all my scenes, especially with young Danny,” Rossum said. “Our relationship was so beautiful and so I knew everything that we had that I had lost in the scenes with Tom. [It] was really fun.”

Anyway, this is far from the most unrealistic age gap in TV or movies. When The Graduate was released in 1967, 30-year-old Dustin Hoffman was playing an undergrad collegiate having an affair with his parents’ good friend, played by 35-year-old Anne Bancroft. Then there’s Oliver Stone’s Alexander, in which Angelina Jolie plays Colin Farrell’s mom (one year apart, by the way).

The Crowded Room, which also stars Amanda Seyfried, bows on Apple TV+ on June 9.

(Via ET)