Marjorie Taylor Greene is trying to distance herself from George Santos, which is proving to be difficult thanks to a mountain of receipts she left behind. The separation from Santos occurred during Greene’s second attempt at impeaching Joe Biden (Marj is big into impeachment this week) when she was asked about her defense of the embattled congressman who’s currently facing federal charges for fraud, money laundering, and theft.
“I never defended George Santos,” Greene said during a Thursday morning press conference. “No one should report that. That would be a lie.”
Question: Why did you feel the need to defend George Santos? Greene: I never defended George Santos. No one should report that. That would be a lie pic.twitter.com/T6W3chVET4
It actually is not a lie. After Santos joined Congress, Greene was frequently photographed next to the controversial congressman during the contentious Speaker of the House vote. Like Greene, Santos backed Kevin McCarthy, which has provided Santos much-needed cover in Congress. Greene also went on record slamming Tulsi Gabbard for calling out Santos’ laundry list of lies on Fox News, and then there’s the bill that Greene and Santos co-sponsored to ban books from school.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Greene also fired off a Twitter thread defending Santos, which further added to the pile of receipts that people pulled out following Greene’s denial. In short, Greene very publicly hitched herself to Santos’ wagon, and that alliance isn’t going away easily.
Social media has put fans into direct contact with their favorite stars but there’s a downside to that for both sides. While entertainers sometimes have to deal with bullies, trolls, and the occasional thirst bucket, fans are subject to stan army backlashes, being called out on the timeline, or even, in some cases, being directly insulted by their faves — which one fan seemingly learned the hard way when he tried to slide into Ice Spice‘s DMs.
“Hey mamas,” he wrote, which… is a horrible opener, kid. Sorry, not sorry. If you’re going to pull up from 40 feet like this, your form better be perfect. This is just a half-court heave. It’s no surprise that Ice didn’t hold back with her critical response (assuming that the post was real in the first place). “Small ass dreads and no Nike tech,” she wrote back. Ouch. The DMer showed his friends, who put him on blast via social media — and you just know whatever damage she did was nothing compared to how badly they cooked him for the rest of the day.
The so-called “Princess Diana” of rap is getting used to the attention after being one of hip-hop’s hottest names since her hit single “Munch” basically took over the internet last summer. It’s no secret that her looks have been a part of her success, prompting one fan to take out a billboard inviting her to their graduation party and sparking rumors of half-million-dollar dates with NBA stars. And in this era of doing anything for social media clout (shout-out to Cardi and ‘Set!), there’s no doubt the shenanigans are just getting started.
However, Sting will not sell out to AI, and he fears the impact it may have on human job security moving forward.
“The building blocks of music belong to us, to human beings,” Sting recently told the BBC. “That’s going to be a battle we all have to fight in the next couple of years — defending our human capital against AI.”
The 17-time Grammy winner added, “It’s similar to the way I watch a movie with CGI. It doesn’t impress me at all. I get immediately bored when I see a computer-generated image. I imagine I will feel the same way about AI making music. Maybe for electronic dance music, it works. But for songs, you know, expressing emotions, I don’t think I will be moved by it.”
Earlier this month, will.i.am shared with Uproxx his opinion on AI. The Black Eyed Peas frontman believes “hip-hop is a great genre to start with when it comes to AI because hip-hop is a technical form of music.”
“The future of popular music isn’t people,” will.i.am added, “But the future of social activism around music, that’s the only way I think we are still going to be needed.”
Rachel Bilson’s podcasting side gig (as co-host of Broad Ideas) has led to a smattering of revelations that prove that she’s anything about shy while discussing her sex life. She infamously admitted that she fondly remembers Bill Hader’s huge dong, which led to a subsequent clarification that she wasn’t referencing Hader while (on a separate occasion) discussing her first orgasm “from, like d*ck” in her late 30s.
Her most forthright utterances, though, involved Bilson (very humorously) revealing her favorite and least favorite sexual positions while guesting on the Women On Top podcast. She grew extremely candid while discussing how she likes to be “manhandled,” and how she’s not thrilled with “doggy” because it “depend[s] on the actual d–k… Because it can go so deep and hurt.”
And via E! Online, Bilson is now letting the world know that she lost a gig over these remarks:
“First of all, I said it in a joking manner in the interview, like, ‘Yeah, I wanna get f–king get manhandled.’ Basically, it’s like, okay give control or take control in the bedroom, whatever … I’ve been floored honestly. Everything was set in motion and I lost the job. It sucks.”
As well, Rachel firmly believes, “I haven’t said anything inappropriate!” She does not clarify what the gig was, but she doesn’t regret discussing her sex life. “Choice of language, if I could go back, now knowing I lost a job, maybe I would say it differently,” she conceded. “But I still wouldn’t not say it.”
Further, she cannot believe how “[a] single mom, a woman, lost a job because they were being candid and honest and the subject was sex.”
For sure, Bilson hurt no one with her remarks, so it’s actually staggering that a job landed on the chopping block as a result. Perhaps she’ll reveal more about this lost role with time, but for now, everyone shall wonder.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Atlanta rapper Deante’ Hitchcock‘s second album, Once Upon A Time, offers a prime example of what rap needs more of. It’s got a clear, well-executed concept, head-nodding, instantly engaging production, and most importantly, the sort of earnest passion that denotes a serious artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously — i.e., one who’ll stick around and grow with the game long after “cooler” contemporaries have burned out or been exposed as lightweights.
There are some in my line of work for whom the above traits are ridiculous, deserving of derision and mockery. Just look at the reception to Chance The Rapper’s debut album, The Big Day, or the very existence of the term “dad rap.” The idea of maturity in hip-hop music would seem like anathema to an outsider, who might think the entire point of the genre was either aimless rebellion, ostentatious braggadocio, or mindless physical movement.
But from Deante Hitchcock’s 2020 debut album Better, the 30-year-old rapper always radiated self-possession and that above-mentioned maturity (I remarked about it in my review). He’s been likened to a combination of hometown hero T.I. and early benefactor J. Cole, and while there are those who might not consider that a good thing, there’s a reason both of those names ring bells in the wider hip-hop community. Commitment to craftsmanship and easygoing, relatable charisma shouldn’t be considered flaws.
In fact, the artists who’ve proven the most resilient have always had these qualities in abundance. In a genre where the average career peak only spans about five years and hitmakers can turn into has-beens seemingly overnight, the stalwarts who’ve outlasted rap fans’ minuscule attention spans and rapid attrition as hyperactive teens age into responsible adults tend to be those who are most passionate about the craft. The ones who can wrangle a concept, who make you root for them even when they don’t fit into the archetypes of the gangster, the pimp, the scumbag, or one of the other toxic molds rap marketing departments have come up with.
In other words, Deante’ Hitchcock should remind you of names like T.I. and J. Cole, as well as other Atlanta mainstays like Big Boi and Killer Mike, and deeply rooted grown-man rappers such as Common and Phonte Coleman. His peers are names like Denzel Curry and Big KRIT, who appears here on “Callin’” alongside Westside Boogie, another rapper who taps into his emotional growth and sharp-eyed environmental observations to flourish. And yes, he’s got the charm of an early Chance The Rapper, who despite being semi-written off by fans, deserves more respect for both his technical skills and business success.
Once Upon A Time, which tracks Hitchcock’s growth from club-crawling player to committed family man, is the prime example of why he belongs in such esteemed company. From the party-ready “Woah!” to the introspective “U Were Right I Was Wrong,” Hitchcock deconstructs and expands on what mid-2000s-era rap writers would have called the “for the ladies” track. While each song prescribes a different mood and premise, they are all unified by the context of the sort of song that would have represented a brief break in the gun talk to baldly — and occasionally, badly — appeal to any potential female fans.
That Hitchcock avoids dipping too deeply into the saccharine schmaltz of that subgenre of songs — save on “Drunk AF,” which sounds like something Chris Brown would have done around 2010 — is an impressive indicator of his talent and how earnestly he’s considered the subject matter.
When I interviewed Deante’ last summer, he said of this project, “If you look at the legends, the Drakes, the Jay-Z’s, the Waynes, all of them guys, the thing that separates them – because all of them are technically inclined, they’re skilled at what they do, all of them can rap their ass off, get crazy with it – but they also have songs that the world can sing. And I mean, being a rapper, a lot of people will hit me up and be like, ‘Bro, you be rapping your ass off.’ I’m very appreciative of that. Because that’s the skillset I’ve honed for years. But bro, I want hits.”
There are plenty of songs here that could be considered hits — “Zodiac,” “Thinking ‘Bout You,” “Late Night” — but the fact that the quieter, more thoughtful moments — “2 Special,” “Royal” — are just as sticky testify to the effort Hitchcock made, and the growth he’s experienced since Better. And that sort of authenticity and passion is just what hip-hop needs. With the genre being increasingly infiltrated by soulless AI creations, algorithmically-written bids for TikTok viral hits, and disaffected, cynical interests more focused on sucking the culture dry for profit, that there are artists like Hitchcock still making this kind of effort is heartening. The rap business needs more like him.
Once Upon A Time is out now on ByStorm Entertainment and RCA Records.
Despite being on house arrest in Utah, Baton Rouge rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again has been menacing the rap world for the past several weeks, taunting would-be rivals like Lil Durk, Soulja Boy, and Drake. And while it appears they’ve mostly ignored his attention-baiting antics, there’s at least one person who took him seriously enough to take action.
However, unfortunately for fans of rap beef, J. Prince decided to put YoungBoy and Drake on a video chat to see if they could work out their differences. The Houston rap impresario posted a photo of himself with the young rapper, detailing how he encouraged him to take Drake off his “enemy list.”
“As you all can see, I had a good time kicking it with the homies in Utah,” he wrote.
On behalf of the lil Homie YB, me and my brother Birdman were able to have a real conversation face to face. We talked about the past, the present, and the future. But most importantly, we left each other with a mutual respect moving forward. Even though I wasn’t there for a meeting with bird man I must say the lord works in mysterious ways. With that being said, I must address the song where my name and drakes name were mentioned. To the lil homie, as I said to you privately, I say to you publicly that Drake is my son, he roll with me. Therefore, I think it’s a good idea to take him off your enemy list because the truth of the matter is that we got nothing but love for [Lil] Durk and your accomplishments. When I put Drake on that facetime call with you, my intent was for y’all to move forward, not backward. “Two things we get every day is a chance and a choice. The choices we make determine our destination.
The trouble appeared to stem from NBA YoungBoy’s new mixtape, Richest Opp, which featured the song “F**K The Industry Pt. 2.” The “How To Rob”-style track found the prolific spitter calling out names. While most of his ire was directed at Lil Durk, it seemed Drake’s association with the Chicago rapper was enough to earn a dismissive bar or two.
“B*tch, I send them hitters to hit at you, boy, don’t say sh*t to me / Talk to Drake ‘cross FaceTime, he wasn’t feelin’ me,” he raps on the song. “Told me that he f*ck with Durk, damn, that sh*t was gettin’ to me / Told me that he like the sh*t I’m doin’, but can’t do sh*t with me / So when we cross our ways, f*ck what you say, b*tch, you my enemy.”
To be fair, Drake already takes enough heat for his associations with Chris Brown and Baka Not Nice, one of whom is on his label. With YoungBoy’s seeming inability to keep himself out of trouble for 6 consecutive months at a time, that’s one collab the Canadian just might continue to avoid.
Pride Month is almost here, so Procter & Gamble is teaming up with iHeartMedia for another year of their annual event Can’t Cancel Pride. Hosted by JoJo Siwa, the virtual affair will take place on June 15 from the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles and will be streaming online for fans to watch. 2021’s lineup had Lil Nas X and Demi Lovato, and this year’s roster is as exciting.
Can’t Cancel Pride 2023 will feature performances from Brandi Carlile, Adam Lambert, Big Freedia, Ciara, Billy Porter, Hayley Kiyoko, Kesha, Kelsea Ballerini, and more. It’s the fourth year of the event, and so far it’s raised $11 million to LGBTQ+ organizations such as GLAAD, The Trevor Project, National Black Justice Coalition, SAGE, CenterLink, and OutRight International.
“The return of ‘Can’t Cancel Pride’ is always an exciting time, as we bring iHeartMedia’s audiences together across broadcast, podcasts and social to celebrate the strength of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Gayle Troberman, Chief Marketing Officer for iHeartMedia, in a statement. “This year we shine a spotlight on how far we’ve come and how much more there is to do to fuel equality and inclusion in support of these important organizations making the world better for the LGBTQ+ community everyday around the nation.”
As someone who firmly believes that getting a prom date shouldn’t be anywhere near as exciting ask asking someone for their hand in marriage, I’m generally loath to share “promposal” videos. Not to be too bah humbug about it, but the elaborate asks have gotten out of hand, and creating a memorable prom proposal feels like a lot to put on already-pressured teens.
That being said, one “promposal” video making the rounds on Reddit and other social media sites is worth watching. Not only does it shine with its clever concept, deft delivery and wholesome hilarity, but the simple joy it evokes crosses generations.
Monty Python has had a rather miraculous hold on several generations and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” in particular has been a cult classic for nearly 50 years. So seeing a group of high schoolers use it as inspiration for a prom proposal has people of all ages giggling with delight.
The video begins with a girl standing in her doorway watching someone perform a trumpet blast in her yard. Then we hear the clippity-clop of fake horse hooves just before a small group of guys come “galloping” into view on hobby horses.
A wigged scribe “dismounts” and unrolls a scroll before declaring, “Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!” and making the announcement.
The beauty of this promposal is that it succeeded in being over-the-top silly without actually being over-the-top. The paper crowns, the fact that they’re in normal clothes except for the red robe and goofy wig, the little detail of the kid being lifted off the horse, the scroll simply reading “Prom?”—it all harkens back to a simpler time before viral when kids would do stuff like this just for the fun of it.
Even the man in the background, presumably the girl’s dad, chuckles with approval throughout.
It’s not easy to hit the mark across generations, but they nailed it. Way to go, guys.
“I’ve known Harry since I was 19 and he was 16, and there’s something about going through your formative years — it’s quite weird,” Sheeran said. “He’s obviously on top of the world right now and has gone from being in the biggest boy band in the world to then being the biggest solo artist in the world. It’s an amazing journey to see, and I’m really super, super proud of him.”
Sheeran also compared his long-standing friendship with Styles to his long-standing friendship with Taylor Swift.
“It’s the same thing as Taylor. There’s rarely people that totally understand you, and I think both of them — because they are solo artists and are at this level, you kind of talk and there’s an understanding there that you don’t necessarily get from everyone,” he explained.
“I have long, long conversations with Taylor about stuff just because I feel like she’s one of the only people that actually truly understands where I’m at,” he told Lowe.
Back on Spout, Sheeran also touched on Swift: “I think because we don’t do a hell of a lot of business together, like, we’re very much — every now and then, we’ll come together and do something, but I’ve hung out with her more times than I can count and I can count on one hand how many songs we’ve released together. It is a friendship friendship, and we just happen to be in the same business.”
Watch Sheeran’s Spout Podcast interview above.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
“I’ve known Harry since I was 19 and he was 16, and there’s something about going through your formative years — it’s quite weird,” Sheeran said. “He’s obviously on top of the world right now and has gone from being in the biggest boy band in the world to then being the biggest solo artist in the world. It’s an amazing journey to see, and I’m really super, super proud of him.”
Sheeran also compared his long-standing friendship with Styles to his long-standing friendship with Taylor Swift.
“It’s the same thing as Taylor. There’s rarely people that totally understand you, and I think both of them — because they are solo artists and are at this level, you kind of talk and there’s an understanding there that you don’t necessarily get from everyone,” he explained.
“I have long, long conversations with Taylor about stuff just because I feel like she’s one of the only people that actually truly understands where I’m at,” he told Lowe.
Back on Spout, Sheeran also touched on Swift: “I think because we don’t do a hell of a lot of business together, like, we’re very much — every now and then, we’ll come together and do something, but I’ve hung out with her more times than I can count and I can count on one hand how many songs we’ve released together. It is a friendship friendship, and we just happen to be in the same business.”
Watch Sheeran’s Spout Podcast interview above.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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