SZA held firm at No. 1 on the new Billboard 200 chart dated December 31 for a second consecutive week. According to the publication’s Luminate data source, SOS netted 180,000 equivalent US album units in the week ending on December 22.
.@sza‘s ‘SOS’ becomes the first album by a black female artist to spend its first two weeks on the Billboard 200 at #1 since @Beyonce‘s ‘Beyoncé’.
Tracks “Kill Bill” and “Nobody Gets Me” also debuted at Nos. 3 and 10, respectively, on last week’s Billboard Hot 100. “Blind” came in at No. 12, with “Low” at No. 17, “Love Language” at No. 21, “Seek & Destroy” at No. 24, “Snooze” at No. 29, and “Used” featuring Don Toliver at No. 30. Elsewhere on the Billboard charts, “Kill Bill” notched SZA her first career No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart and second career No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
This week’s Billboard 200 top five is rounded out by Taylor Swift’s Midnights(No. 2), RM’s Indigo(No. 3), Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (No. 4), and Michael Bublé’s Christmas (No. 5). Drake and 21 Savage’s record-settingHer Losscollaborative album fell out of the top five to No. 6.
Billboard 200: #2(=) @taylorswift13, Midnights 155,000 (3,188,000 units since release). *peak: #1 for 5 weeks*
Nathaniel Hackett was hired this offseason by the Denver Broncos in hopes of breathing some life into the offense alongside the addition of Russell Wilson. Through 15 games, Denver is just 4-11 with the league’s worst scoring offense, which is averaging 15.9 points per game and has just 22 total offensive touchdowns.
Early on, the defense was keeping Denver in games, but on Christmas, the Broncos fell apart completely in a 51-14 loss to the Rams (which likewise entered the game with 4 wins and were starting Baker Mayfield). It was a disastrous performance, including three more Russell Wilson interceptions, and one that proved to be the last straw for the Broncos front office, as they fired Hackett on Monday morning.
It’s rare for a coach to be fired in the midst of their first season, but Hackett’s tenure was truly a disastrous 15 games and it was clear nothing was getting better for Denver to be worth continuing the charade for the rest of the season. Hackett joins Urban Meyer and two others as the only NFL coaches to last less than one season before getting canned.
Nathaniel Hackett becomes only the FOUR @NFL head coach to be FIRED without lasting one season.
2021: Urban Meyer (JAX) 1978: Pete McCulley (SF) 1949: John Whelchel (WAS)
From the first game of the season, when Hackett’s catastrophic clock management and bizarre decision-making cost Denver a win when he played for a 64-yard field goal, he has appeared over his head in the head coach role, and while it’s still jarring to see a coach fired in the middle of his first season, it was fairly clear this wasn’t going to work out.
To be clear, Denver’s failings are far from the sole responsibility of Hackett. Russell Wilson looks completely cooked, and with his massive contract, whatever coach that takes on the Broncos job is going to have to figure out how to mask his deficiencies and try to coax better play out of him. Otherwise, it won’t matter much who is at the helm.
After helping globalize reggaeton music over 20 years ago, Daddy Yankee has officially retired. With the end of his Legendaddy World Tour, the Puerto Rican icon reflected on his final concerts and said his goodbye on Friday (December 23).
In 2004, Daddy Yankee was the spark that lit the fuse for reggaeton music with his breakthrough hit “Gasolina.” His album Barrio Fino became a landmark release for the genre with further hits like “Lo Que Pasó, Pasó” and “No Me Dejes Solo.” In March, Daddy Yankee shocked the Latin music world with the announcement of his retirement. Before stepping away from the spotlight, he embarked on the Legendaddy World Tour. Daddy Yankee also released his Legendaddy album with features from reggaeton’s new stars like Bad Bunny, Rauw Alejandro, and Myke Towers.
Daddy Yankee kicked off the Legendaddy World Tour in July. In arenas across the US, Canada, and Latin America, he performed in 85 sold-out concerts. Over 1.9 million people went to see Daddy Yankee on his farewell tour. He closed out 2022 with the second highest-grossing Latin tour of the year behind Bad Bunny’s World’s Hottest Tour. Daddy Yankee’s tour wrapped up in Miami on Thursday night.
“To all my fans worldwide, I want to thank you very much for your support and for opening the doors not only to me but to a whole movement from scratch,” Daddy Yankee said during his final show. “I remember when I was 13 or 14 years old, I was a kid with a vision, many dreams and aspirations, and as time went by, I saw beautiful audiences worldwide. Looking back, I can say it was worth the effort and sacrifice.”
Following the concert, Daddy Yankee reflected on his retirement in an Instagram post. He continued to express his appreciation for his around the world.
“It was you who gave me the keys to open the doors to make this genre the biggest in the world,” Daddy Yankee said. “I finally see the goal. I retire with the greatest of thanks to my fans, my colleagues, all the producers, radio, press, television, digital platforms and to you, especially you, who have been with me from the underground.”
Dave Grohl is a prolific collaborator. His third annual “Hanukkah Sessions,” which he co-launched with acclaimed producer Greg Kurstin in 2020, is a microcosm of that. This year, the duo (basically secretly) held the inaugural “Hanukkah Sessions” concert at the Largo At The Coronet in Los Angeles. Performances from Judd Apatow, Pink, Tenacious D, Beck, Karen O, and even Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter Violet were recorded and subsequently rolled out throughout Hanukkah. Night Eight, the final installment, brought it all full circle.
Grohl and Kurstin capped off “Hanukkah Sessions” with a rendition of Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” on Sunday, December 25. Kurstin handled the keys. Grohl was stationed behind the drums, his home away from home, and sang. It began as just the two of them before Beck, Karen O, Pink, Jack Black, Kyle Gass, and Inara George slowly trickled out on stage to dance.
The video’s caption read, “Merry Christmukkah! Our nondenominational gift to you on this convergence of holiday cheer for the Jews and the goyim is Randy Newman’s classic ‘I Love LA’ — sung by Dave Grohl!”
Ever since 2015’s The Visit, a new M. Night Shyamalan has emerged. He’s no longer doing pricey, failed blockbusters like The Last Airbender and After Earth. Instead he’s embraced mid-budget quick-and-dirty genre fare, even when he’s doing Cinematic Universe stuff. Last year we got Old, the hit about a beach that makes people age rapidly. Now he’s got another modestly budgeted corker up his sleeve.
In early February the multiplexes will be gifted with Knock at the Cabin, M. Night’s latest mysterious spooker. The first trailer finds a family of three — two fathers (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) and their daughter (Kristen Cui) — heading to a remote cabin for some R&R. Unfortunately they find some unexpected guests: four strangers, including Dave Bautista and Rupert Grint, who show up at their door, take them captive, and claim that if they don’t make some horrible choice, they will bring about the apocalypse.
It’s another top shelf M. Night trailer, teasing us with just enough info to make us lean forward in our seats without having any idea how wild things will get. It’s also an excellent showcase for Bautista, whose hulking build is nicely complimented with a gentle voice that manages to sound both sinister and reassuring at the same time. A fine actor, that Bautista.
Knock at the Cabin hits theaters on February 3. You can watch the trailer in the video above.
It’s the end of the year but that doesn’t mean that whiskey has stopped arriving. In fact, it’s quite the opposite these days. New whiskeys are always hitting shelves. Moreover, so many whiskeys have been released over the course of 2022 that a ton slipped through the cracks. That’s the perfect combination for a list of whiskeys — bourbons and ryes — that we’re excited to talk more about in 2023.
For this list, I’m calling out 10 bourbons and ryes that dropped at the tail end of 2022 that’ll pop as we barrel into 2023. I’m also peppering in a few bottles from brands that I think will really pop off in 2023. They’re all good, so they’re not ranked, and they’re all worth hunting down and giving a shot. In short, the below whiskeys are exciting entries that you should be on the lookout for when the new year dawns.
Okay, that’s enough preamble. Let’s dive into a list of some really good whiskeys to try in early 2023!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Castle & Key Distillery is the renovated Old Taylor Distillery outside of Frankfort, Kentucky. This distillery has spent years contract distilling for other brands, until this year when they released their first batch of this expression in April. The juice is a mash of 73% white corn, 17% malted barley, and a scant 10% rye. After four years, 80 barrels are chosen for this small-batch expression and proofed down with local water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a sense of unbaked sourdough cinnamon rolls next to Graham Crackers dipped in vanilla-creamed honey served with a warm can of peach soda.
Palate: The palate leans into the fruitiness with a pink taffy vibe that’s countered by slight pepperiness, a touch of “woody,” and more of that creamy honey laced with vanilla.
Finish: The fruity take on a savory essence — think cantaloupe — on the mid-palate before circling back to the pepperiness with a bit of woody spice on the short end.
Bottom Line:
Castle & Key has been creating great whiskeys as a contract distiller for a while now. Now it’s their time to shine and these few batches from 2022 — of their own juice — has me very excited for what’s to come from the distillery in 2023.
Not for nothing, they also have a great rye that’ll surely dominate in 2023 too. It’s a good time to get into what Castle & Key is cooking is what I’m getting at.
E.J. Curley & Co. is another rebirth brand from Kentucky. The sourced juice is from four-year-old barrels from and undisclosed Kentucky distiller and mash bill. Regardless of the source, this single-barrel whiskey is a shining example of what the brand’s blenders are capable of.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a nice balance of red berries with a tart sweetness that’s tied to rich cream full of vanilla vibe and rush of apple pie and mild woody spice.
Palate: The taste is rich and creamy with a buttercream softness and vanilla smoothness that leads to a berry cobbler feel with plenty of butter, brown sugar, and mild winter spices.
Finish: The end leans into the tart red berries with a touch of huckleberry and blackberry pie next to cherry tobacco dipped in vanilla pudding and wrapped in cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
You might find a little variation in these single barrels from ultra creamy to very bright berry-forward. Either way, you’re going to be in for a really special treat.
Frank August Case Study: 01 Mizunara Japanese Oak Bourbon Whiskey
For this first “case study,” the team at Frank August picked five bourbon barrels to finish in Japanese Mizunara casks. While those barrels were finishing the elixir within, the team checked the whiskey every 30 days to assure they batched and bottled the whiskey at just the right moment.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a rich sense of butterscotch candy on the nose with freshly fried sourdough doughnuts dusted in brown sugar, cinnamon, and maybe some spearmint next dusting of white pepper.
Palate: The taste starts off creamy and full of toffee as apple pie filling with plenty of cloves and cinnamon leads to peppery mint chocolate and salted caramel drizzle with a twinge of pine resin.
Finish: The end is lush and spicy with a hint of caraway-encrusted rye next to cinnamon bark and clove buds next to warm menthol tobacco dipped in dark chocolate and wrapped with cedar bark and wild sage.
Bottom Line:
If this is any indication of what’s to come from Frank August in 2023, we’re in for some seriously good treats throughout the year.
This rye is sourced from expertly picked barrels for a very small batch offering. The mash is a classic 95/5 rye/malted barley bill. The barrels are close to seven years old before a handful come together to create this barrel-strength bottling of only 620 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a straight-up classic with a sense of cherry and cinnamon tied to fresh and chewy tobacco with a sense of old cedar bark braided with dry sweetgrass and smudging sage with a light sense of pear candy and cream soda.
Palate: The taste leans into spiced cherry tobacco and stewed pear with a hint of marmalade and peach cobbler next to a hint of black-tea-soaked dates, salted whiskey-laced toffee, and clotted cream before a red chili pepper spiciness kicks in with a sense of cinnamon and cherry bark.
Finish: The woodies of the orchard fruit and spice drive the warm finish — but never hot — toward a luxurious and creamy end full of sharp yet sweet tobacco, a whisper of dank resin, and echoes of old fruit orchards.
Bottom Line:
This is a stellar whiskey, rye or not. From the jump, you can tell that this is a true whiskey lover’s whiskey.
This whiskey — a revival of a centuries-old dead brand — is from the new company founded by Heaven Hill’s Andrew Shapira with partners Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky, based around the Rare Character Whiskey shingle. The whiskey in the bottle is rendered from six barrels of six-year-old whiskey that’s expertly batched and bottled with just a touch of local Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a beautiful sense of fresh orange blossom and nasturtiums on the nose with a lush honeycomb vibe next to stewed plums with hints of clove and allspice.
Palate: The palate is luxurious with a sense of salted caramel, cherry Dr. Pepper, and sticky toffee pudding with plenty of winter spice, salted toffee, orange zest, brandy butter, and black-tea-soaked dates.
Finish: The end has a sense of plum pudding with burnt sugars and orange tobacco kissed with anise and clove and rolled up with wild sage and cedar bark and wrapped in old leather pouches.
Bottom Line:
You’re going to hear me talking about Fortuna a lot in 2023. It’s a fantastic — truly — bourbon whiskey that’s just quintessential in every way while still taking you somewhere new and exciting with every repeated visit to the nose and palate.
This is a rare find but a monumental one. The whiskey was distilled back in 1981 at the famed and now shuttered Stitzel-Weller distillery in Shively, Kentucky (West Louisville). The bourbon was taken out of the barrel in 1998 and stored in stainless steel vats to stop the aging process. And then it was left alone until 2022 when it was bottled completely as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Blackberries — think black cherry, berry, and currant — dominate the nose with a fantastical freshness that leads to marmalade with orange blossoms mixed in next to sweet yams with singed marshmallows dusted with shaved dark chocolate and kosher salt flakes.
Palate: The black cherry amps up 1000% — kind of like swigging from a Luxardo cherry jar — before more of that dark chocolate kicks in with a sharp peppery spice that’s mildly chili-esque next to Almond Joy, woody maple syrup, and pear compote.
Finish: There’s a light Honeynut Cheerios note on the back end that leads to more nuttiness before the cherry attaches to a winter-spiced tobacco leaf with a sense of old pine tar and leather boots leading to dry cellar dirt and broken-up old oak staves with a sweet plum jam vibe.
Bottom Line:
Preservation is releasing some of the greatest barrels left in Kentucky that you truly will never see again. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime bottles that’s worth every cent of hype it gets.
This whiskey — from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s own Origin Series — is their classic 95/5 rye that’s aged for almost five years. Then the whiskey is finished with alternating toasted American oak and toasted cherry wood staves in the barrel. Once the whiskey is just right, it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic with fresh cherry layered with nasturtiums, cinnamon sticks, and soft cedar planks just kissed with clove, nutmeg, and anise before light red peppercorns and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate kick in.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s lead with a lush mouthfeel that’s full of spicy stewed fruits and ciders mixing with creamy vanilla and nutty bases over subtle chili pepper spiciness far in the rear of the taste.
Finish: The end pushed the woody spices toward an apple cider/choco-cherry tobacco mix with a cedar box and old leather vibe tying the whole taste together.
Bottom Line:
Bardstown Bourbon Company has been contract distilling a lot of your favorite whiskeys over the years. Now, it’s their time to shine with their own juice, and ho-boy did they knock it out of the park with this stellar rye release. Basically, this is going to be the rye to beat in many blind taste tests going in 2023.
This new brand blends the worlds of Hollywood B-movies and Ohio Valley whiskey-making in one brand. The Indiana juice is made from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Those whiskeys aged four to five years before they’re sent to Kentucky for batching and bottling with a touch of that limestone water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Orange oils and cherry pie dominate the nose with mild hints of Saigon cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove next to a rush of caramel and maple syrup sweetness next to a hint of oak.
Palate: The taste opens sweet with more of that caramel leading to a lush vanilla base accented by cherry tobacco and cinnamon bark — in short, a classic bourbon palate.
Finish: The end gets creamy and soft with a sense of salted toffee and chocolate-covered espresso beans next to toasted tobacco and old oak.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice start and makes me pretty excited to see where Filmland takes us next with these releases.
Penelope has cornered both the four-grain bourbon and toasted barrel market in 2022. Single barrels of four-year-old four-grain bourbon — 74% corn, 6% rye, 17% wheat, and 3% malted barley — is finished in freshly toasted barrels (with a heavy toast) before they’re bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose pops with a sense of ripe peaches and dried apricot that leads to a darker sense of plum pudding full of spice and dried fruits next to a flutter of pine resin and wild sage.
Palate: That peach really concentrates on the palate with burnt sugars and holiday spices next to cinnamon-spiced streusel and a scoop of malted vanilla ice cream.
Finish: The end is lush and lingering with more dried fruits next to candied orange rinds and cherries, vanilla cream, salted caramel, and peach jam on scones with a hint of brandy butter, apricot tobacco, and freshly cut cedar kindling.
Bottom Line:
This single barrel pick — from Reserve Bar — is an excellent example of the greatness going on over at Penelope. The best part is that you can try it right now by clicking the price link up above!
Kentucky Owl’s batch releases are always adored when they drop. The latest batch — just dropped in late December 2022 — is a blend of seven to 14-year-old bourbons blended with four-year-old bourbon to create a deep and engaging flavor profile at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose feels quintessential from the jump with sweet and creamy toffee, woody winter spices, and orchards full of dry and ripe winter fruits (think pears, tangerines, and maybe even some pomegranate) with a hint of nasturtium.
Palate: The taste is soft and lush with a sharp winter spiciness — think cinnamon bark, star anise, and clove buds — next to burnt orange and salted caramel candies over a hint of figs and plums next to creamy vanilla just kissed with mint.
Finish: That creaminess drives the finish toward an orange marmalade tobacco end that’s full of subtle notes of spice, vanilla, and apple/pear/cherry cream soda and cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is another winner from Kentucky Owl, and worth drinking as 2022 sets and 2023 dawns.
Many of Latin’s music stars celebrated Christmas yesterday with their loved ones. Becky G shared her first Christmas as an engaged woman to Sebastian Lletget, while Rosalía and Rauw Alejandrorevealed their romantic getaway in photos.
Earlier this month, Becky G shared her engagement with Lletget in a heart-warming Instagram post. The Major League Soccer club player from the Los Angeles Galaxy got down on one knee and presented an emotional Becky G with an engagement ring. She said “yes” to getting engaged to Lletget.
Becky G spent Christmas with Lletget. She posted photos of the happy couple posing in front of a Christmas tree. With a big smile, Becky G flashed her engagement ring with a smitten Lletget. “Feliz Navidad from us and Buddy the elf,” she wrote in the post. Buddy can be seen behind the Christmas tree in the first photo.
Latin music’s power couple Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro also shared photos from their Christmas together. They spent the weekend in Tokyo, Japan in a snow-covered home. Alejandro posted intimate of them cozy on vacation. “To take you to Tokyo and not miss a thing,” Alejandro wrote. “Merry Christmas to everyone and may God bless you.” On his post, Rosalía commented, “Baby turn down the brightness.” She shared more photos from their trip on her Instagram account.
Meek Mill is too busy to tweet anyway. While Meek performed “Dreams And Nightmares” at the World Series in Philadelphia, his relationship with his hometown is anything but performative — from donating $15 million to 110 Philly schools earlier this year to his latest act of goodwill. According to Reform, the multi-platinum rapper posted bail for 20 women incarcerated at Philadelphia’s Riverside Correctional Facility.
“The women, who were unable to afford bail, will now be able to spend the holiday season with their families and loved ones. Five women were released today and will be reunited with their families, with the goal of 15 more women being released in the coming week,” the organization explained on Instagram.
“For families impacted by the criminal justice system, the holidays can be an extremely challenging time,” Meek said in a statement shared by Reform. “No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can’t afford bail, and no child should be without their parents during this time if we can do something about it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year.”
Since enduring all of that, Meek has dedicated himself to serving others. He supported New York’s “Rap On Trial” law in May and, through Reform, has been involved in probation reformation being passed in California and Michigan in years past.
Billie Eilish and Finneas are behind some of the world’s most beloved and popular music. Once upon a time, though, they were just kids making songs at their parents’ house. Ultimately, that’s how a lot of artists, even the biggest ones, got their start: Working on songs at home with a relatively minimal recording and production setup.
Presumably, a lot of emerging artists got started on this path yesterday when they received their first bit of audio gear for Christmas. For those folks, Finnneas has a message worth hearing.
Yesterday, he tweeted, “If any of you got your first audio interface or mic or midi keyboard today for Christmas, have fun!!! If you make stuff you don’t think is ‘good enough’ that’s okay! It means you have good ears!! You’ll get there!! Trust the process!!!”
If any of you got your first audio interface or mic or midi keyboard today for Christmas, have fun!!! If you make stuff you don’t think is “good enough” that’s okay! It means you have good ears!! You’ll get there!! Trust the process!!!
North West’s TikTok has been a sore subject for her estranged parents, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, but it’s a treat for her 11.7 million followers. Last month, the nine-year-old made a dancing TikTok with Lizzo while backstage at her Los Angeles stop of The Special Tour. And this weekend, North took to the platform to share glimpses into the annual Kardashian holiday party, hosted at Kourtney Kardashian’s Calabasas home on Christmas Eve (as noted by Peopleand TMZ).
North shared a “Boy’s A Liar” TikTok with Kim and Kylie Jenner, and another pose-filled one with her mom, but the 17-second snippet of North duetting with Sia especially stood out.
North and Sia stood together in a life-sized gift box and sang “Snowman,” a track from Sia’s 2017 Everyday Is Christmas album. A fan account also re-posted clips of Sia singing her ubiquitous 2014 hit “Chandelier.”
Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party will air live on Saturday, December 31 on NBC from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET. The special will also stream live on Peacock.
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