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At the MTV VMAs in August, Taylor Swift, after accepting the evening’s last award (for Video Of The Year), announced her new album Midnights, arriving October 21. Since then, she’s shared a lot of information about the LP without releasing any singles.

She detailed it at midnight, writing, “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.” She slowly began unveiling the tracklist through charming TikToks, until five songs were left and she just shared the entire list, which has her first-ever song title with a swear. It also features Lana Del Rey as well as song credits going to Jack Antonoff (who produced it), Zoë Kravitz, her boyfriend Joe Alwyn, and more. She also revealed that there will be Target-only deluxe versions of Midnights with exclusive bonus tracks.

About the opener “Lavender Haze,” the pop star shared, “I happened upon the phrase ‘Lavender Haze’ when I was watching Mad Men and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it was a common phrase that was used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love,” Swift said. “Like, If you were in the ‘Lavender Haze,’ that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful.”

Midnights is out 10/21 via Republic. Pre-order it here.

Welcome to the Fresh Pair post-show huddle! After episodes of Fresh Pair, we’ll link up with Katty Customs to talk about the latest episode and dig deep behind the scenes to uncover hidden gems from the design process that didn’t make the main show. On the latest episode, Katty and Just Blaze were joined by the King of the South himself, the Rubberband Man, T.I. and presented him with a fire Air Jordan 3.

Like the sneaker designed for Jadakiss, T.I.’s custom Jordan 3 pays vivid homage to the Atlanta rap icon with details that celebrate the King and Paper Trail albums, two classics that have helped to shape the sound and vibe of trap music. We linked up with Katty herself to talk the concept for her design and which elements ended up on the cutting room floor. Here is hoping somewhere down the line Katty gets to make a T.I. 2!

Let’s pull back the curtain and get the behind-the-scenes details of Katty’s latest fresh design.

What were you thinking with this particular sneaker, what was the initial concept? What did Just bring to the table?

This one was a fun one! We definitely wanted to incorporate the King album. A silhouette of his name, Just came up with that idea, having “King:” written on the back tabs. So he created the back tabs and we also wanted to incorporate the Paper Trail album, because that’s one of his best albums. What’s so cool about Paper Trail is the cover art. We were like, “Yo, it would be dope if we could incorporate that album cover, the actual cover on the shoe, and use some of the colors that are in the album cover.”

And I thought that would make a pretty cool shoe, something that he would also want to wear and put up in a display case.

Why did you guys go with the Jordan 3?

Those are one of his favorites, his go-to shoes.

Did you and Just run into any arguments or butt heads about any creative choices? What was the most challenging part of putting this shoe together?

Of course, it’s not any bumping heads, but of course, we’ll go back and forth over what we thought would be better. But overall, we came up with a great shoe. His ideas were good; my ideas were good. And some of them clashed, so the shoe wouldn’t look right with everything that we wanted to put on the shoe, so we had to decide on which parts look good on the shoe to make it a great shoe… if that makes sense.

What ideas ended up on the cutting room floor?

For the back tabs, we wanted to do a silhouette of the T.I. album cover, where it’s the black silhouette with his hat tilted. But Just was thinking, he’s a grown man, he may not want his face on his shoe. You know what I mean? But in my head, I’m thinking, “Yo, that’d really represent the T.I. King album.” “I think it’ll look good, it’s just a silhouette, it’s not necessarily really a drawing of his face.”

But ultimately, we decided just to use the name King.

What kind of leatherwork or external help went into this design, was there any elements that needed to be outsourced?

Yeah, we had outsourced the Rubber Band Man tags, where it says “the struggle.’” And then we also outsourced the tongue, where it was representing his family. We had those made by Laura Boos out of Boos Leather. She did her thing on those custom tabs. We were so happy to receive them and really that’s what made the shoe pop. That’s what really elevated the shoe, her creativity. It was nice.

The Jadakiss shoe had a lot of little details that kind of linked back to him as a personality, as a rapper. What pieces of T.I.’s career, aside from the King association, did you incorporate into the shoe?

Definitely, the Rubber Band Man tag that was on there. Because he mentioned in the interview that he still uses A rubber band around his money, but the interesting thing is It represents something different today than it did back then, but it’s still relevant. He still uses it, so I thought that was pretty cool.

What was your relationship with T.I.’s music going into the sneaker? Were you a big fan?

Definitely a big fan. His music is timeless. From when he first came out till now, it’s like his sound is always so different. I was excited to work on his shoe and also nervous too — because you never know, you create something for someone, telling their story on a single pair of sneakers. You want to make them happy, you want them to feel like we did a great job, so I’m always nervous about getting their feedback from that.

How’d you feel about his reaction?

I loved his reaction! He seemed happy.

What design element kept you up the latest, hardest element to execute?

The hardest element to execute was definitely using the Paper Trail album cover on the shoes. I’ve never done anything like that before. So, I had to use different methods and different things that I’ve never done to put that on the shoe. So that was a challenge, and it was exciting and fun to actually execute it.

How are we pricing this pair?

In my opinion, realistically, I would go for $3,500.

Nice. So 1k more than Jadakiss then?

Yep!

What would the T.I. 2 be? What shoe are you using? Is it another Jordan 3?

I definitely want to do another Jordan 3. Using the back tabs with the silhouette of the T.I. King, because we still have those back tabs, so I figure we’ll do something with that, just so he could have the chance to wear those or put them up.

Little Simz has won the 2022 Mercury Prize for her album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Crowning the top album released in the UK, the Mercury Prize is arguably the most distinguished music award in the UK and this is a triumphant win for Simz’s impactful fourth album.

While Simz won Best New Artist at the 2022 BRIT Awards earlier this year, the Mercury Prize brings a whole new level of accomplishment for the London rapper and multidisciplinary artist born Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo. This would seem to be an especially momentous award for Simz, considering she had to cancel her US tour this year citing the “mental stress” caused by tour finances.

“Wow. I’m very very overwhelmed, I’m very grateful,” an emotional Simz told the exuberant crowd. “Glory to God – God thank you so much. To my family over here, my loved ones right here in the center. I wanna say a huge thank you to the Mercury for this incredible, incredible prize.”

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert beat out a decorated field which included Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, Wet Leg’s self-titled debut, and Kojey Radical’s Reason To Smile, among others. “We all changed people’s lives with our music and that’s the most important thing. This is for us really,” Simz said to her fellow nominees.

Primarily produced by Inflo (Adele, Michael Kiwanuka, Jungle), this marked the second album that Inflo produced to win the MercuryPrize along with Michael Kiwanuka’s Kiwanuka, in 2020. Simz praised her collaborator later in her speech. “I wanna say a thank you to my brother and close collaborator [producer] Inflo – Flo is someone who’s known me since I was so young, he’s stuck by me, we created this album together,” she said.” There was times in the studio I didn’t know if I was gonna finish this record, I was feeling through all the emotions and really going through it and he stuck by me and pushed me to deliver this album for you guys.”

An independent release via Age 101 Music and AWAL, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert follows last year’s likewise independent winner, Collapsed In Sunbeams by Arlo Parks.

Watch Little Simz’s acceptance speech at the 2022 Mercury Prize Awards ceremony above.

The Inside the NBA Crew has returned for another season of rowdy studio entertainment for the NBA’s season opening matchup between the Celtics and Sixers. It’s a delight to see the iconic Inside crew on our tv sets once again creating TV magic that other networks have been chasing for years. Charles Barkley wasted no time firing off his hottest takes on the Eastern Conference contenders with the biggest question marks this season. Of course, the seasoned studio analyst required no time to ramp up for the season. Barkley started with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, and questioned whether James Harden had enough in the tank to propel the Sixers to a title. In Barkley’s own words, Harden “looked cooked.”

Harden’s hamstring is one of the single biggest questions in the NBA this season. If Harden can regain even a sliver of the explosiveness he possessed before suffering the injury in 2021, that would supercharge the Sixers offense to a very dangerous level. But injuries, especially soft tissue injuries, can be rather fickle and Barkley is correct in his assessment that you can’t really know if you’re fully recovered until the real games are played. He also noted that it may not just be the hamstring, but father time catching up, as you can be in great shape as you get older but still not have it, as he recalls going through personally his last two years in the league.

Barkley also expressed concerns about the Nets when he said, “They could win the championship or burn that thing down by Christmas.” Sir Charles isn’t a writer, but that should be the body paragraph for every Nets season preview on the Internet. Inside the NBA is already off to a fantastic start.

Summer might be over, but that’s no reason to end the festivity! Just ask UK DJ and Brighton EDM pioneer Fatboy Slim, who was down in San Diego last month to headline the iconic CRSSD Festival.

While more trendy and less rave-y than EDC Las Vegas, CRSSD is still an amazing bacchanal of pulsing House and Techno musisc. If you can’t pound your shoes to dust by the end of the day, fear not, there’s a wide variety of irresistible “after dark” sets available to get a complete fix.

On the waterfront of downtown San Diego, the combination of light-show extravaganza and salty mist in the air makes this quite a rare venue. Stocked with gallons of infamous San Diego Craft Beer, great food, and music, there’s no surprise it’s nearly impossible to find a parking spot within a few miles of the stage. While the vibe caters a more polished and mature festival experience, make no mistake, this is a party to groove to some of the most talented artists in the industry.

This year’s lineup shuffled a medley of electronic legends, rising talents, and genre leaders such as Dom Dolla, Joesph Capriati, Richie Hawtin, ARTBAT, Jamie xx, Sonny Fodera, and more. One of our favorites, the legendary master of ceremony Fatboy Slim, graciously hooked us up with an exclusive look into the festival through his photo diary. Check it out below (captions by the artist himself)!

Welcome to San Diego’s CRSSD Fall 2022. Pre-show hangs with Ali my PR at INFAMOUS

Impressive studio on-site at CRSSD, they had some crazy gear in there…I was lucky enough to be interviewed about my musical inspirations by the lovely folks at Synth History.

I’ve made a new mate on this summer’s travels…damn fine DJ @mochakk

My long-time tour manager Al got sick this week so thank you @ Alex_jones26 for stepping in. We made it!

“Ain’t No Love in the Jungle” Fred again remix smashed it at CRSSD, and seemed appropriate for their Palms stage

Future Art Rave….thank you to all who came out and sold out the festival. Some stunning views at CRSSD 2022

Hands up to you all in San Diego

Getting ready to Praise You when the towel whip rolls

A high five with some fans post-gig

Golf-cart laughs

She asked for the Fatboy smiley and said she’d get it tattooed later…

Managed to catch a bit of Fred. Again…

MORE PICS FROM CRSSD:

Donald Trump has a lot of problems right now, so many that it can be easy to remember all of them. In between Letitia James’ New York State lawsuit, the Justice Department investigation over classified documents, and the newly relaunched Jan. 6 hearings, he’s somehow finding time to address another headache: The defamation lawsuit brought upon him by journalist E. Jean Carroll. Trump is set to finally be deposed this week, but he may have already screwed himself by being an oversharing idiot on social media.

In 2019, Carroll publicly accused the then-president of sexually assaulting her in Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-’90s. Trump didn’t just deny the accusations; he did it in his usual reckless, insult comic fashion. He claimed she was “totally lying,” that he knew “nothing about her,” and added that she was “not my type.” That led Carroll to sue him for defamation, but Trump’s lawyers have long argued that he can’t be sued because he was president, and therefore protected by law.

Jump three years, and soon before Trump’s deposition in the case, which he has repeatedly tried to delay, he may have shot himself in the foot. Last week, after word that the deposition could no longer be delayed, he took to his failing Twitter clone and, in a series of unhinged posts, basically spouted the same claims that got him sued in the first place.

After calling the suit a “complete con job,” he kept going. “It is a Hoax and a lie, just like all the other Hoaxes that have been played on me for the past seven years.” He then added the one line that may have really gotten him in trouble: “And, while I am not supposed to say it, I will. This woman is not my type!”

Problem is, he’s no longer president and therefore can no longer claim presidential privilege. Barbara McQuade, formerly Detroit’s top federal prosecutor, told Vice that she thinks Carroll shouldn’t let this pass.

“ [Carroll] should amend her complaint to include an additional count based on the new statement,” McQuade said. “Because Trump is no longer president, this statement was most certainly not made in the scope of his federal employment.”

And to think Trump may have gotten away with it had he not returned to social media after getting booted from several services for allegedly inciting violence that almost overturned democracy.

(Via Vice)

Growing up in Southern California in the ‘90s, most of what I learned about weed came from Snoop Dogg. That iconic chorus from “Gin and Juice” — “rollin’ down the street smokin’ Indo/ sippin’ on gin and juice” turned me on to gin and juice (it’s the first “cocktail” I ever had) and probably deserves much of the credit for my preference toward powerful indoor indica weed strains. So Snoop Dogg is to me what I imagine Cheech and Chong were to stoners growing up in the ‘80s, an entry point to a wonderful world. Just knowing that Tha DoggFather is still deep into the weed game brings me a lot of joy, even if his brand, Leafs by Snoop, is exclusive to Colorado.

While I’ve yet to get my hands on Snoop’s weed, I was lucky enough to score both flavors of Snoop Dogg’s Snazzle Os, a cannabis-infused Funyuns-inspired snack made in collaboration with TSUMo Snacks, packing 100mg of THC in each bag. Unlike the Dogg Father’s namesake strain, this product is, as of now, exclusive to California — meaning that it was easy for me (and a whole lot of Snoop fans) to access. The Snazzle Os come in two flavors, Onion and Spicy Onion, and are currently available at MedMen locations until October 20th, after which the brand will hit dispensaries statewide.

So are Snazzle Os any good? How high will they get you? Does combining stoner snacks with actual weed improve both or fly too close to the sun? We ate a bowl of each variety and we’re ready to offer some slightly stoned thoughts.

Snazzle Os Onion/Spicy Onion

Price: $22

THC: 100mg per bag, 10 mg per serving

Tasting Notes:

Before I get into what the Snazzle Os taste like, I need to speak on their genius. The edible industry is full of sweet snacks, gummies, hard candy, brownies, cakes, and sweet drinks. With a few exceptions, the cannabis edible realm has more than enough sweet treats crafted to get you high, but not enough savory stuff. Snazzle Os don’t contain a single gram of sugar, instead offering something salty and savory to munch on.

We need more products like that.

Another genius thing about this snack is its shareability. Yes, you can break an edible brownie into twos or fours, but it always feels like you’re compromising both the dosage and the size of the snack. With Snazzle Os you can simply empty a bag into a big bowl and pass it between friends, bringing the communal aspect of smoking weed into the edible space.

Again, we need more products like this!

As for the flavor, TSUMo and Snoop Dogg have come up with something that tastes a whole lot like Funyuns. Funyuns are cornmeal based while Snazzle Os are made from sorghum, which is a grain closely related to corn, but considering most of the flavor is coming from the seasoning and the texture is essentially the same, you wouldn’t really catch the difference without looking at the ingredients list.

The Onion flavored Snazzle Os feature pronounced onion notes on the nose, with a tiny hint of plant-y cannabis flavor at the backend. They’re crispy and snappy, and a bit denser than Funyuns, but feature a strong and satisfying flavor.

If you have to pick just one flavor, we can’t recommend the Spicy Onion Snazzle Os enough. This is truly where it’s at, — they have that same onion and garlic forward flavor with a bit more complexity via some earthy turmeric notes and a strong Flamin’ Hot-esque kick that builds in the back of your throat with the more rings you eat. Since I was sampling both bags at the same time I had to settle for a half serving of each, but I’d have happily eaten more Spicy Rings had I not been eating this product for a review.

It’s hard to believe that just six of these pack 10mg of THC — they’re addicting enough that you’re going to want at least 10, so be very aware of your dosing if you’re a lightweight. The high hit me about 30 minutes after I finished my last ring and was noticeable in my body first, radiating a warm feeling from head to toe and bringing a strong sense of relaxation over me without weighing me down.

After the initial body high, the experience lived mostly in my head for the next couple of hours, providing a cerebral trip that had me feeling euphoric and honestly, hungry for more rings. I’m a heavy user, but the 10mg six-ring dose was enough to satisfy me, though the next time I dive into a bowl I’ll probably opt for a bigger handful.

The Bottom Line:

Simply one of the best edible experiences I’ve ever had. If you’re not a fan of sweet treats and want something salty and shareable, the Snazzle Os are a near-perfect cannabis-infused snack.

The Watcher has put Ryan Murphy at the top of the Netflix charts for two shows, including Dahmer. Both shows are controversial, and in the case of The Watcher, this largely sources from the people’s frustrations at the lack of a solved crime in this based-on-real-life story. That’s to be expected. Even though this show is a dramatization and takes a lot of creative liberties, Ryan Murphy didn’t pull an answer on The Watcher’s identity out of thin air. He let the open-ended nature of the case stand, and nope, no one ever figured out who wrote those menacing letters to the Broaddus (renamed the Brannocks in the show) quartet.

What actually happened to the family, though? Following the 2018 article by The Cut about their cursed home, the parents found it difficult to sell the property, which they attempted to do eight months after their purchase and eventually did so at a loss as realtor David Barbosa revealed. A lot of publicity and whispering neighbors will do that to a house.

In the show, the family moves back to New York City, but in reality, the family briefly moved back in with family, and as The Cut also reports, the family seems to be alive and well, and they continued to make their home in Westfield, New Jersey. CNN points interested viewers toward Derek Brannock‘s Twitter account, where he’s watching people who are watching The Watcher. Circular! And fitting.

The Watcher is streaming on Netflix.

(Via The Cut, Entertainment Weekly & CNN)

Omar Apollo’s debut album, Ivory, has vaulted the bilingual R&B singer to great heights. His single “Evergreen” marked the Mexican-American’s first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has stoked the fire of Apollo’s upcoming The Prototype Tour. One of our most anticipated concert tours of fall 2022, the tour kicks off this week and heads to nearly two dozen stops in North America. But Omar Apollo’s opening act is also not to be missed.

Who Is Opening Omar Apollo’s ‘Prototype Tour?’

Chicago’s Ravyn Lenae is the lone direct support for Omar Apollo on The Prototype Tour and there could hardly be a better opener. The R&B and neo soul producer released her long-awaited debut album, Hypnos, this year as well, to much critical acclaim. The album features production from Steve Lacy, Kaytranada, Smino, Monte Booker, and others who all help elevate the Chicagoan’s velvety smooth vocals.

With Ravyn Lenae joining Omar Apollo, The Prototype Tour promises to be an apt showcase of today’s modern R&B. Check out the full tour dates below and get tickets here.

10/21 — San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
10/22 — Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
10/25 — Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
10/26 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
10/27 — San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
10/29 — Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
11/01 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theater
11/02 — San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic
11/03 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
11/05 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
11/08 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
11/10 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
11/11 — Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
11/13 — Richmond, VA @ The National
11/15 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
11/17 — Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
11/18 — Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
11/19 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
11/20 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
11/22 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
11/26 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
11/29 — Toronto, ON @ HISTORY

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

The rollout for Smino’s upcoming third studio album, Luv 4 Rent, continues. After revealing the project’s release date with an amusing trailer previewing a song featuring funk legend Bootsy Collins and announcing his co-headlining tour for the album with fellow Zoink Gang rapper JID, the St. Louis crooner shared the album’s cover, which fans noted continues a running theme of haircare related photos from his previous projects, Blkswn and Noir.

However, where the previous projects featured Smino getting his hair done by a woman, the cover to Luv 4 Rent sees a group of men waiting their turns in front of a mirror as Smino either braids his hair or takes his braids down. Some fans noted the change, speculating whether it was a hint to the content that would appear on the album.

So far, we’ve only heard a handful of tracks from the long-awaited album, beginning late last year with “I Deserve.” More recently, Smino shared the J. Cole collaboration “90 Proof,” while it’s unknown whether the Kobe Bryant dedication “24-8” will appear on the final tracklist. Perhaps we’ll find out the secret behind the subtle change to his cover theme when Luv 4 Rent arrives on Zero Fatigue and Motown Records, 10/28. You can pre-save it here.