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Before he was murdered a year ago today, Young Dolph had completed recording and conceptualized his next album, Paper Route Frank. Now on the anniversary of his death, a day that is officially recognized by the states of Georgia and Tennessee as the Adolph “Young Dolph” Thornton Jr. Day of Service, the rapper’s first posthumous album has been officially announced.

Released on the Paper Route Empire independent hip-hop label that Dolph had built, Paper Route Frank promises to show Dolph hungry, driven, and motivated to keep building. The album is presented with minimal alterations from what Dolph had originally laid down. The latest single, “Get Away,” has also been released today and it follows “Hall Of Fame” in showing Dolph at his creative and commercial peak.

With today marking the first ever Dolph Day, fans of the late rapper are encouraged to share photos of themselves performing an act of service and use the hashtag #DolphDay. “It is truly therapy and healing in helping others while you hurt,” Dolph’s longtime partner Mia Jaye said in a statement. “It’s the humility, the kind-heartedness, and the Godly spirit within you that blesses you while you bless others…so while in your season of suffering, take on the spirit of Dolph, pay it forward, and watch a blessing or two come your way.”

Listen to “Get Away” and watch the visualizer above. Check out the album artwork below.

Paper Route Frank is due out next month via Paper Route Empire.

After the Recording Academy released their nominations for the 2023 Grammys, as expected, the internet wasted no time coming for Nicki Minaj about her lack of nominations this year, with the hashtag #NoGrammyForGranny. But The Game wasn’t having any of it.

Despite releasing her chart-topping hit “Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj didn’t receive a single nomination for the 2023 Grammys.

The song was reportedly deemed a pop single, and instead of being submitted for Rap, it went for Best Pop Solo Performance instead. Nicki took issue with the Recording Academy’s decision and argued Latto’s “Big Energy,” which also has a pop sound, should be moved as well — leading to an ugly spat between the two rappers.

Social media was instantly set ablaze with jokes at the rapper’s expense.

“Barbs saying Grammys is racist… as if a bw isn’t the most awarded and nominated artist there,” one person tweeted. “They always pulling the race card when their fave flops. Just take the L!#NoGrammyForGranny.”

One person noted that despite Minaj’s constant rants about the Grammy, most notably this past October after having “Super Freaky Girl” kicked out of the rap category.

“Did all that huffing and puffing, crying and screaming, mourning and groaning all over the internet just to NOT get nominated?” they wrote. “We have to laugh, ” with the hashtag #NoGrammyForGranny, and laughing emojis.

The Game, who starred in Minaj’s “Pills N Potions” music video in 2014, doesn’t agree with the flurry of jokes that spread about the Jamaica Queens rapper and claimed that “she was the reason Female Rap was flourishing.”

“This is funny because Nicki Minaj is hands down the reason the female rap game of this era is thriving the way it is!!!!!!!!!!!” the Compton rapper wrote on a now-deleted Instagram Story.”Literally nuts mfs act any differently.”

Today (November 17) is officially recognized as Adolph “Young Dolph” Thornton Jr. Day Of Service in Tennessee and Georgia to acknowledge the one-year mark since beloved Memphis rapper Young Dolph was senselessly shot 22 times and killed in his hometown. He was 36.

The IdaMae Foundation, run by Dolph’s family, served lunch, gave free haircuts, and provided free winter kits at Memphis’ Hospitality Hub this morning and early afternoon. The foundation also urged people everywhere to honor Dolph’s memory by serving others and sharing their good deeds with the hashtags #DolphDay and #DolphServiceDay, per ABC24 Memphis.

Also today, Hernandez Govan briefly appeared in Shelby County Criminal Court in Memphis and pled not guilty to conspiracy and first-degree murder charges. The 43-year-old suspect was arrested last week. Prosecutors are alleging that Govan “solicited the killing” of Young Dolph.

Suspected killers Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith have been charged and detained since January, pleading not guilty to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, weapons charges, and theft charges in February. An additional charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder was reportedly brought against the two today. According to ABC News, Govan’s next scheduled court appearance is for December 16, and Johnson and Smith are due back in court on January 20, 2023.

See some of the #DolphDay tributes below.

Attention: if you attended a Beach Boys concert in the early 2010s where a teen girl came on stage and pretended to play the guitar, you were witnessing history. That teen girl grew up to be Emmy-winning actress (and future imperator) Anya Taylor-Joy.

“When I was a kid, the only music that I loved was music from the ’50s and ’60s, and so the Beach Boys were specifically very important to me,” The Menu star told host Drew Barrymore on The Drew Barrymore Show. “They were playing and I just ran to the very front and I was singing along to every single song, and so [Beach Boys vocalist] Mike Love stopped the concert and said, ‘OK, I understand why everybody else knows all the lyrics but there’s a child that knows all the lyrics.’”

Love pulled Taylor-Joy up on stage and handed her a guitar. “I don’t know what I’m doing with this, help,” she said before playing the self-proclaimed “greatest guitar solo of all-time.” Just kidding, she “didn’t play a single note.” But Taylor-Joy brought a photo of herself with the guitar (possibly this one) to a modeling agency and asked the scouts if they thought she could play it. Yes, they said. “Acting!” Taylor-Joy exclaimed while recalling the story to Barrymore. “I want to be an actor… So, yeah, big up, Mike Love.”

The key to being successful in Hollywood: jamming with the Beach Boys.

A lot has changed since the year 2005. Presidents have come and gone, social media became a Thing, and streaming services began their powerful rule. And yet, like a beacon of hope and light at the end of the tunnel, Grey’s Anatomy has been on through it all. During the COVID pandemic? They kept going. Cast misconduct? Nothing could keep them down! And they have made an episode on just about every modern medical marvel you can think of, including that one time when Kyle Chandler had to defuse a bomb inside of a human (real).

Now in its 19th season, the Shonda Rhimes flagship series has gone through many cast changes, firings, and even some rehirings, but the one person who has stayed through it all, Ellen Pompeo, has announced that she would be taking on a reduced role this season, leaving fans to think it’s the beginning of the end. But in typical Grey’s fashion, many are hoping that Pompeo’s character goes out with a bang, and potentially, a past love interest stopping by.

Yes, Meredith’s longtime love Derek Sheperd, played by Patrick Dempsey, died in season 11. But he also did return in season 17 during Meredith’s COVID-induced coma (also real) to give the fans what they really wanted: a socially distant love story. When asked if Dempsey would return to the hospital one more time to say goodbye he seemed… indifferent.

Dempsey confirmed to EW that he has been keeping up with news about the long-running show, but he hasn’t spoken to anyone about possibly returning, and thinks that the rumors might be taken out of context. “I think it’s just probably because the show is on…and of course, she’s made an announcement, I think, about leaving the show or she’s not on this season. It just is a real testament to the fans that they want to see that couple still together and what an impact it is.”

Many were surprised to see Kaylee Hartung filling the sideline reporter role when Amazon announced its broadcast team for Thursday Night Football this offseason.

Hartung, looking to broaden her horizons and continue her growth as a journalist and reporter, left ESPN for the news world — first CNN, then ABC News — five years ago. Few would have placed her on the shortlist for an NFL primetime broadcast. Among those few was Jared Stacy, Amazon’s Director of Global Live Sports Production, who suggested her to executive producer Fred Gaudelli as someone to consider for the position while Gaudelli was having a tough time finding the right fit.

“I look at that job as a real reporter. I don’t look at that job as a personality. I don’t look at that job as a a fluff position. Like, I want a real reporter and so that was definitely a plus in her column,” Gaudelli says. “I mean, she was not even on my radar. I really need to give credit to Jared Stacy here … he said, would you have a conversation with her? At that point, I didn’t have a lot of great ideas for sideline. And I said sure. So we had conversation on the phone, and then she actually came to my house in the middle of the winter. She flew across the country, and we spent a Saturday watching Michelle Tafoya tape. Her news background definitely was a plus for me. It’s a wide variety of experiences. It’s not doing the same thing every every day.”

For Hartung, the interest from Amazon came as just as much of a surprise, but the initial call was one she had to take and ultimately became an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

“When you start off with Al Michaels is a part of the team, like, the word legend can be overused sometimes but he is truly a legend in our lifetimes,” Hartung says. “And then Fred Gaudelli, who has been Al’s producer for almost three decades. There’s no better teacher I can have leading this than Fred. And then Kirk [Herbstriet] was hired before anything was finalized with me and I’ve known him since the very beginning of my time at ESPN.

“So it was just like, how am I even being included in this conversation? It was just sort of a shock to me being five years removed from sideline reporting,” she continues. “I was so pleasantly surprised. But then, as conversations evolved, and the more I got to talk with Fred, he told me that his favorite thing about me was my news background. He treats the sideline reporter role seriously. And he believed that I would, too, and so I think there were just a lot of common values and common visions for what this role would look like. And here we are.”

While she had experience in college football, both Gaudelli and Hartung admit there was some trepidation about her never working in the NFL. It is a world all its own, with different politics and personalities to navigate than in the college game. But after their meeting in-person, Gaudelli felt confident that Hartung would quickly build the relationships with teams and players that are needed to gather information to enhance the broadcast.

“The fact that she had done college football and a lot of the players and even some of the coaches were now in the NFL, I just got from her very determined demeanor that she was going to make relationships and establish relationships that would allow her to get better at her job,” Gaudelli says. “And I will say she’s done that. She’s pretty darn good down there before the game, getting to meet people and trying to get information out of them. So, I’ve really, really enjoyed that part of working with her.”

That determination extends beyond the field, as Hartung immediately dug into her new role, trying to get up to speed as quickly as she could on what Gaudelli and Michaels would want. Michaels, in their first meeting, said he’d rely on her for “medical, legal, I’m counting on you for those details.” From there, it was diving into more tape of Tafoya, who worked with Michaels and Gaudelli at NBC and provided an example of the tone and structure they preferred, as well as insight into how Michaels works off of his sideline reporter.

“I went to one of our production assistants and said, ‘How much of Michelle’s tape can I get my hands on?’” Hartung says. “And they sent me the last five seasons of every report she’s done, and I’ve watched every one of those seasons more times than I can count. There were times — I feel like such a psycho when I say that — there were times I’ll be driving in my car, and I’ll just put on her tape just for me to listen to the way she’d structure a report, the way she would story tell, the way she would play off of Al and the way Al would play off her. There’s no worse feeling for a sideline reporter than being left on an island. But that’s a two way street, right? I’ve got to take the ball from Al in the way he’s talking to me, but I’ve also got to leave that door open for there to be runway for he and Kirk to build from. I hope that every report I do gives them an opportunity to continue down that path.”

The unique Thursday Night Football structure, which features new teams every week with very few repeats, can be a challenge for reporters as they start from scratch and can’t build out relationships over the course of the year in the same way other networks can. For Hartung, who was going to start from scratch regardless, it’s provided an opportunity for a speed run of sorts through the NFL, as she gets to lay a foundation with players, coaches, and executives from almost every team in her first year — the only teams not on Amazon’s schedule in 2022-23 are the Giants, Lions, and Vikings.

Seeing just about every team has also brought a bit of comfort to Hartung, because despite being five years removed from covering college football, she come across players she covered as stars in college who now star in the pros on a weekly basis. Those relationships still being there has helped alleviate her “biggest insecurity” about entering a new league and bolstered her confidence in returning to the sidelines. Along with seeing players she’s covered, the newest element to NFL broadcasts — the in-game coaching interview — helps Hartung build trust with coaches across the league.

As opposed to talking to coaches off camera as they go into and out of the locker room, broadcasts this year can do on-camera interviews between quarters if the coach agrees. For the reporters, it’s a rare chance to gather insight from the coaches during the game, but it requires a delicate balance to pry as much information out of the coaches as they can without pressing with questions a coach can’t or won’t answer and getting completely shut down. As Hartung has learned, the key is to get as granular as possible, noting that the coaches aren’t in a mindset to think big picture in the middle of the game. The best answers in those moments, particularly between the first and second or third and fourth quarters, come from being very specific and very focused on what’s happening in the game at that moment.

That belief was reinforced in Amazon’s preseason game between the 49ers and Texans, when Hartung spoke with Kyle Shanahan before the fourth quarter. Prior to the game, Shanahan had given fair warning that he might be a bit intense, telling her in their pre-game Zoom call, “Kaylee, I know we’ve never met, I swear I’m a nice guy. I want you to know I’m a nice guy, but during a game, I’m not nice. So, however I may behave during this interview, don’t take it personally. It’s not about you. I’m just focused on the game and I’m apologizing in advance.”

At that time, the dominant storyline in San Francisco was Trey Lance taking over the starting job so Hartung knew there had to be one Lance question, even if he hadn’t played since the first quarter. But the second question needed to be more in the moment, knowing that was Shanahan’s focus.

“I just said, ‘Coach, we haven’t seen your starters on the field in two quarters, but how do you put into perspective what this last quarter of preseason football means to the guys who are still on the field?’” Hartung recalls. “And I felt like that question did two things: It gave anybody who’s at home watching a reason to keep watching — here’s why you should watch the fourth quarter.

“But it also put Kyle in a position to talk about something I knew he cared to talk about,” she continues. “And he gave a great answer about how the guys who are on the field are fighting for their lives, and even if they’re not going to make our team, what they put on tape is their resume for the next team. Anyway, it was just a really a thoughtful and great answer and it was a great learning experience for me to think about how I approach those interviews, and to think about setting these guys up to tell us something interesting so that we all learn something, because that’s the point.”

Part of the allure of returning to sports for Hartung was getting back to a celebratory atmosphere. Her postgame interview is with a person having one of their best days, while on-the-ground reporting for ABC News often meant she was speaking to people having their worst.

Still, those serious subjects arise in covering the NFL, from on-field injuries like Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion in Cincinnati to an off-field story regarding legal issues. Her time in the news world helped her become a more well-rounded reporter, and she says she’s now much better positioned to handle those stories with the nuance and gravity they require.

“I think that sometimes in a sports broadcast, it all seems so fun and it seems so light, but we’ve had to tackle some heavy stories in moments,” Hartung notes. “In one of our preseason games with the Texans we were talking about their head athletic trainer, who’s from Uvalde, Texas, and who lost so many people he loved, and so many families he loved were affected by that tragedy. And that’s a story I’m able to tell with the right tone, no matter the moment. I know how to do that. I know how to make that transition, whereas I don’t know that six, seven years ago I would have been able to do that in the same way. But now, it’s almost harder for me to get back to being as casual and fun as I should be in some moments in a football game. I’ve had to kind of check myself and be like, you can have fun, you know what I mean? It’s okay, this is football.”

Hartung has steadily grown back into the sideline role, finding her footing once again within the pace of a football broadcast. She’s also been reminded of the frustrations of having information that can augment a conversation in the booth, only for the game to have a sudden change that shifts the discussion away before she can add to it. It is the hardest part of the job, as every sideline reporter can show you pages and pages of notes, anecdotes, and stories that have never made it into a game broadcast simply because you are at the mercy of the game.

Still, in gathering that information, Hartung’s process is always focused on trying to bring something new to those watching. Fans are consuming everything there is about their favorite team and have been their whole lives. As such, her job is to provide nuggets of information that you can only know by being on the field and having the opportunity to talk with the players and coaches.

“The challenge I’m always giving myself is, I can never know as much about these teams as their most fervent fans,” Hartung says. “The guys and gals who have lived and breathed these teams their whole lives and love them endlessly. Like, no matter how hard I prepare, I can’t know as much as they know.

“But what I can hope to do is to give them some bit of information that they can’t know because they don’t have the access that I do in that moment. I’m on the field, they’re on their couch. What can I tell them from my vantage point that can help them learn something?”

Bikini Kill had a notable run of shows in 2022 including some North America tour stops and and appearance Oakland’s Halloween Meltdown. But they rescheduled the bulk of their North American tour due to COVID-19. Now those dates are set in stone, with eight different support acts opening up for the full Bikini Kill lineup of singer Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail on drums, Kathi Wilcox on bass, and guitarist Sara Landeau.

Across 17 tour stops, eight different acts will take turns opening up the shows. They are: Hurry Up, H.C. McEntire, Brontez Purnell, Mannequin Pussy, CB Radio Gorgeous, Donkey Bugs, XV, Soup Activists, and Snooper.

Check out the complete list of Bikini Kill’s 2023 North America Tour Dates below with the specific openers denoted at each stop. Get tickets here.

03/30/2023 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works (with Hurry Up)
04/01/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern (with Hurry Up)
04/03/2023 — Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel (with H.C. Mc.Entire)
04/04/2023 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring (with Brontez Purnell)
04/06/2023 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring (with Mannequin Pussy)
04/07/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall (with Brontez Purnell)
04/09/2023 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner (with Brontez Purnell)
04/10/2023 — South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground (with Brontez Purnell)
04/12/2023 — Montreal, QB @ M Telus (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/13/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/14/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/16/2023 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre (with Donkey Bugs)
04/17/2023 — Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre (with XV and CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/19/2023 — Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre (with Soup Activists)
04/20/2023 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/22/2023 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed)
04/23/2023 — Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine (with Snooper)

As the Republican Party (and apparently even Russia) plead with Donald Trump not to seriously pursue a 2024 presidential run after he cost the GOP a red wave in the midterm elections, another one of the former president’s failures is coming to light. Turns out, the Trump-owned 45 Wine & Whiskey Bar is not doing so hot even with a primo spot inside Trump Tower, which is also not doing so hot.

After previously visiting the location in January and finding it mostly empty, blogger Emily Colucci gave Trump’s whiskey bar another shot to see if maybe the Omicron wave had hampered interest in the presidential eatery. Not so much. Even with the streets bustling outside, the 45 Wine & Whiskey Bar (along with Trump Tower itself) was still empty. In fact, the restaurant wasn’t even open during its normal business hours.

Via Filthy Dreams:

The only sign of life in 45 Wine & Whiskey was a lone mop bucket. In this dearth of humanity, the mop bucket took on added significance. A humble representative of the working people that continue to care for this gaudy boondoggle of pink marble and gold, probably rarely getting their check on time. Chillingly symbolic.

Now, don’t go thinking I arrived at Trump Tower without checking the hours. 45 Wine & Whiskey Bar was set to open at 1 PM, according to the website. I was at Trump Tower at 1:40 PM, quite a while after its supposed opening time. And a mop bucket doesn’t exactly broadcast: We’re opening soon! So, where was the rest of the staff? Where was…well, anyone?

While snapping pictures, Colucci did notice one interesting piece of memorabilia that definitely stood out more on her second trip. A “Top-Secret folder” encased below a picture of Trump in the Oval House.

“I believe this indicates Trump’s possible intent with those documents,” Colucci wrote. “Memorabilia!”

(Via Filthy Dreams)

Flame Technician, Servo Driving System Operator; Architectural, Industrial, and Laser Designer. No, this isn’t Sci-Fi, these are actually some of the high-tech roles necessary to assemble the jaw-dropping, immersive festival experience that is Mayan Warrior. And on October 29th, Exposition Park, Los Angeles was seized by the collective’s good vibes — engineered to perfection.

Starting from a trippy Art Car wandering the dusty celebrations of Burning Man, Mayan Warrior has ascended into an elite touring brand with a mission to showcase the pinnacle of contemporary Mexican electronic art. Brought together by a tight collaboration between top craftsmen, engineers, and musicians hailing from Mexico City, these events feature some of the most advanced lasers and cutting-edge sound technologies, all programmed to rocket audiences off to cloud nine.

To celebrate ten memorable years, Mayan Warrior set out on an anniversary tour that has seen sold out crowds in Austin, New York City, and now Los Angeles. Thrown in partnership with LA-based promoter collective, StrangerThan, the LA Halloween event featured acclaimed artists such as Lee Burridge, Adriatique, Jan Blomqvist, and Red Axes, as well as in-crowd performers, art installations, and a frenzy of costumes.

Check out what went down below!

21 Savage revealed that despite his tough bravado, he gets scared, too, especially after his own brushes with death.

The Georgia-based rapper stopped by the Off The Record podcast to chat with host DJ Akademiks and opened up about how seeing death has affected him throughout his career. Savage said he moves as if he’s “constantly being watched,” especially after witnessing one of his friends die right in front of him.

“I’m scared of everybody, n****,” he said in a clip that was posted to Instagram. “I’m not f*cking Rambo … I move scared. Hell yeah, I’m scared. Scared n****s stay alive. ‘Cause I done seen it. I’m not one of them n****s who just… n****, I been shot. I seen my friend die, in my face, on my birthday. In the car, too.”

The “A Lot” rapper noted that he was in the driver’s seat when the tragic incident happened.

“It ain’t like it’s like, oh, we just standing on the block and a drive-by happen,” he continued. “I’m talking bout right here, n****. He in the drivers seat, I’m in the passenger seat type sh*t.”

Later in the broadcast, the rapper spoke about the recent passing of Migos rapper, Takeoff, who was tragically shot and killed in Houston earlier this month. Savage said it was the “worst one” he’s seen in his life.

“It’s the worst one,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s ’cause I know him more than I know them, but this is one of them ones where it’s like, ‘Damn! Him?!’ N****s say that every time, but he really one of them ones like, ‘Damn! What the f*ck?’”