One of the big gripes about the College Football Playoff since its inception is how the same teams make it every year, leading to stale matchups on the sport’s biggest stage. It has led to calls since basically the beginning for the playoff to feature more than four teams, but for a myriad of reasons, expansion has always fallen flat on its face.

That changed on Friday afternoon. According to multiple media reports, the CFP Board of Managers met and unanimously voted to approve a 12-team playoff. While it could happen earlier depending on how things shake out with the TV contracts that have long been cited as the main hold-up to expansion, the most likely answer appears to be expansion coming in 2026, even if there is a chance that it’s implemented as soon as 2024.

The thing that could change this is when conference commissioners meet next week.

As for what an expanded playoff will look like, Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic brings word that the six highest-ranked conference champions will receive a spot, as well as six at-large squads.

In the eight years that the College Football Playoff has been the way to determine which team is the sport’s national champion, six schools — Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Notre Dame — have made it more than once.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Lil Baby, Freddie Gibbs, Fivio Foreign, and more.

Do you remember…the first column of September? Well, you will. Labor Day Weekend is underway and while this slate of releases is a bit less overwhelming than last week, there is still plenty to enjoy.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending September 2, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Kenny Beats — Louie

Kenny Beats is a top producer in the game and is well-known for his collaborative projects with Denzel Curry, Rico Nasty, and KEY! from the last few years. This week he drops off Louie, a 17-track project featuring Vince Staples, Slowthai, JPEGMAFIA, Mac DeMarco, and more.

Pi’erre Bourne — Good Movie

Yo Pi’erre, you want to come out here? Well, the 28-year-old producer is outside indeed with his new project Good Movie. The 23-track LP features the melodic stylings of Don Toliver and aggressively fun lyricism of Young Nudy.

Raedio — Rap Sh!t (Soundtrack: From The Max Original Series, S1)

There’s nothing like enjoying a television show or movie, and it’s even better when the soundtrack aligns with its themes. Issa Rae’s HBO Max show Rap Sh!t is all about empowering women and letting them get their bars off. The season 1 soundtrack features rappers like Dreezy, NCognita, Tokyo Jetz, and more.

Sha Ek — Face Of The What

After hearing Sha Ek’s new project, there may no longer be any question as to what exactly he is the face of. The 17 tracks making up Face Of The What feature PGF Nuk, SleazyWorld Go, and Bandmanrill.

G Perico x Gotdamnitdupri — LA Summers2

Los Angeles summers are so good that G Perico had to double up on the theme. LA Summers 2, also starring Gotdamnitdupri, is a 9-song invite to the splendor of the west coast and they are so tapped in that they did not need any additional features.

Sally Sossa — 4Ever Sossa (Deluxe)

Sally Sossa already graced the world with the 11 records making up 4Ever Sossa back in March, and to kick off September she is here with the deluxe version. The majority of the four new tracks are handled by Sossa herself, but “Certified Stripper” adds PGF Nuk to the mix.

Singles/Videos

EST Gee — “Hell”

EST Gee has been on a very impressive run over the last year. “Hell” shows the rapper tapping into his melodic side, but for those who love the brooding raspy delivery, there is plenty of that too.

Cam’ron & A-Trak — “All I Really Wanted”

Killa! Cam’ron and A-Trak link up for “All I Really Wanted,” where Cam reflects on already completing his bucket list. A-Trak laces him with an uptempo beat loaded with charming vocal samples, and Cam makes it look easy.

Babyface Ray — “Goofies” ft. Digga D

Babyface Ray and Digga D are doing too well to focus on the naysayers. “Goofies,” loaded with extra terrestrial-sounding production, is a confident dismissal of anyone who has anything negative to say about the two.

Yella Beezy — “Pimp C” ft. EST Gee

Yella Beezy and EST Gee pay homage to the late Pimp C in their new record of the same name. In addition to rapping with fury, they make a nod to his popular record “Get Down” in the hook.

NLE Choppa — “Little Miss”

NLE Choppa pays his respects to the independent women in “Little Miss.” It is not an all-positive story, as he acknowledges many of the internal battles even the strongest women endure and their intention on figuring it all out without help. While he and many men want them to open up, he acknowledges that may not be on their to-do list.

Gucci Mane — “Look Ma I Did It” ft. Baby Racks

There are few feelings as gratifying as making your mother proud. Gucci Mane and Baby Racks fully capture this emotion in their new record “Look Ma I Did It.” They acknowledge how other people doubted them, but their success is a testament to trusting their efforts and their mothers’ faith.

Giggs — “Da Maximum”

Coming off of a major co-sign from Jay-Z on DJ Khaled’s God Did title track, Giggs is looking to push things even further. “Da Maximum” is an assertion that he will not settle for anything less than everything life has to offer.

Rich Homie Quan — “Krazy”

Ever since he and Young Thug stopped making music together, we have watched Thugger ascend to new heights and wondered if the same could happen for Rich Homie Quan. While he is far less present than the YSL head honcho, it is still pleasing to hear that Quan is as talented as he was before. “Krazy” is a heat check for the Atlanta rapper.

Rot Ken x JetsonMade — “No Mind”

Rot Ken links up with talented producer JetsonMade to assure listeners that he pays “No Mind” to anything that doesn’t serve him. Whether it is people posing like they have money on social media or hating on him, he has a much higher focus.

Yeat — “Talk”

Yeat isn’t concerned with what anyone has to say. He quiets down the noise on “Talk,” proclaiming that he will go #1.

Tay Money — “Hands Up” ft. Monaleo

Tay Money and Monaleo’s “Hands Up” recalls the classic line “Throw your hands in the air and wave ’em like you just don’t care.” Only here, they morph it into an empowering twerk anthem. Right on.

Kay Flock — “DOA” ft. Set Da Trend

Kay Flock’s frantic flow has become a personal favorite, and “DOA” furthers that enjoyment. Set Da Trend joins the mix for this high-energy drill record. With all of these firm forces, being “dead on arrival” is an accurate label.

RJAE — “Personal Healing”

RJAE tells an all too relatable story about loving someone more than you expected and being devastated when you lose that love. After the loss comes “Personal Healing.” It isn’t easy, and he conveys this on the somber mid-tempo record. Hang in there, RJAE.

Whookilledkenny — “Teach Her The Game”

Some say the game is to be sold, but Whookilledkenny prefers to teach it. “Teach Her The Game” is about investing his time into a woman who holds his interest, though he isn’t necessarily interested in a relationship. Sometimes it is more enjoyable to see someone go forth and be great without claiming possession of them.

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

With Labor Day weekend upon us, theater chains across the country are jumping on board the first ever National Cinema Day. On September 3, the newly-launched event will give audiences a chance to experience the thrill of the theatrical experience for only three dollars. AMC, Regal, and other nationwide chains are treating the event as a “Thank You” to audiences who’ve flocked back to theaters despite pandemic shutdowns nearly killing the whole industry.

After a wobbly start in October 2021, the industry has already seen massive blockbusters reel in pre-pandemic numbers, and Top Gun: Maverick has been an overwhelming success as it continues to break records. Theater chains are, obviously, grateful to see those kind of numbers, and now, they want to make sure everyone knows how awesome the theater experience can be, which is where the discounted tickets come in.

Via CNBC:

“It’s an opportunity [for moviegoers] to see a movie again, or see a movie that they were maybe on the fence about,” she says. “For people who haven’t come [to the movies in a while], this gives them an opportunity to see how great movie theaters are.”

The flat $3 price for any movie in any format is also meant to encourage moviegoers to check out premium formats such as Dolby and IMAX.

As for how to take part in National Cinema Day, that’s the easiest part. On Saturday, September 3, just show up at your local participating box office or order tickets online (for a showing on that day) and the price of admission is only three bucks. Taxes and online processing fees will still apply — and the price of popcorn — but that’s a pretty cheap price for a movie ticket especially if you’re going all-out for an IMAX showing.

For a full list of participating theaters, click here.

(Via CNBC)

There are a select few celebrities who can cause several chaotic meltdowns on Twitter just by simply existing. There is Taylor Swift, Beyonce, any Marvel alum…and Timothée Chalamet.

The Dune leading man has starred in several hit movies over the past few years and has subsequently gotten the attention of many, many diehard fans who love to comment on every little thing he does, both good and bad. The latest frenzy was caused by his backless ensemble at the Venice Film Festival. It speaks for itself:

Chalamet is promoting Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age horror film Bones & All, which stars Taylor Russell, Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, and Chloë Sevigny. Of course, all eyes are on Chalamet’s draping crimson outfit, which looks like the personification of Dorothy’s ruby red slippers. That would be a great role for him after he finishes wrapping up the Willy Wonka reboot!

Obviously, fans are shocked, concerned, excited, and feeling just about every other emotion on the planet due to the fact that Chalamet looks a bit like a club promoter in the Matrix universe. Some fans love it, some fans hate it, and some people just like to be included in the discourse. As we all know, Chalamet loves to be the center of attention with his outfit picks.

Other fans…didn’t love the ruby ensemble.

Meanwhile, some people are questioning whether or not Timmy deserves fame due to the unfortunately difficult spelling of his name.

Kanye West’s collaboration with The Gap, known as Yeezy Gap, is starting to see the light of day. Kanye signed a 10-year contract with the clothing brand in 2020 and in July, Yeezy Gap started hitting stores beginning with a Times Square pop-up shop. Sounds pretty awesome right? A sweet deal for Ye, right? Welp, think again. Earlier this week, Kanye West took to Instagram to express his disdain for Gap holding a meeting about the brand without him. Meanwhile, Young Thug, who has been on a recent social media rampage while in jail on federal RICO indictment, has offered Kanye some serious real estate for a Yeezy Gap store in his Slime City project if Ye so chooses.

For the uninitiated, Slime City is a 100-acre development in Atlanta planned by Young Thug and his business associates which was announced last year. Thugger said that he wants to build high-quality homes, a waterpark, a camping site, hold his annual Slime Fest there, and now, a Yeezy Gap. “Kanye West, I got over 100 acres,” Young Thug wrote on his Instagram stories. “However many you need they’re yours free of charge. On GOD.”

The hustle never stops. Free YSL and let’s make this happen.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Over the past year, Jameela Jamil has made a couple of noteworthy contributions to the music industry. In November 2021, Jamil’s boyfriend James Blake shared a dramatic and impressive video for “Famous Last Words” and Jamil revealed later that she directed it. Now, she managed to get Megan Thee Stallion to guest star on a recent episode of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (on which Jamil plays Titania). The episode of course spawned the twerk heard ’round the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Jamil is claiming the credit she’s due for it.

On Twitter yesterday (September 1), Jamil shared a couple of selfies of her and Meg on set together and wrote, “You’re all welcome! [heart emoji] I asked her to be in the show and she said YES! And She Hulk twerking with Thee Stallion history was made. And it was glorious. Amen. [crown emoji].”

She-Hulk head writer and executive producer Jessica Gao recently explained Jamil’s involvement in bringing Meg on board, saying, “We knew that for that story, we needed a famous, beautiful, successful woman… We were going through all the possibilities… but when it came down to it, Jameela knew Megan from working on [HBO Max’s] Legendary together, and she brought her up. We were like, ‘Don’t say it if it’s not really true! Don’t tease us with this!’”

While it was Jamil who got Meg on the show, the twerking scene actually stemmed from She-Hulk herself, Tatiana Maslany. Kat Coiro, the episode’s director, recently noted, “The dancing was actually added to the script on the day, because Tatiana was so excited. She’s the world’s biggest Megan Thee Stallion fan and we were like, ‘We’ve gotta give her something,’ so they threw together this dancing scene.”

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SMU football kicks off its 2022 season Saturday on the road against North Texas at 6:30 pm local time. To celebrate their season opener, the Mustangs called upon the services of SMU alum and former football star, Eric Dickerson, for a fun piece of entertainment. Anything I say before you watch this video won’t do it justice, so I’ll avoid spoiling it and just let it speak for itself initially.

The gold Trans Am, “Pony Up” plate with “Mustangs” bordered around it and broadcast call of a Dickerson touchdown are a sensational combination. Then, it pans to Dickerson driving a new car, this one blue, with the engine revving. The lights and accent are red, an ode to SMU’s blue and red colors. The 23-second video is just really freaking cool. I have no clue how good SMU is supposed to be this season, but I’m confident the Mustangs are in line for double-digit wins now, based on that video alone.

Dickerson is an SMU icon. During his four seasons as a Mustang, he compiled 4,640 yards from scrimmage and 48 touchdowns across 44 games. He finished third in Heisman voting in 1982, and SMU went 21-1-1 over his final two years, ranking among the top five in the AP Poll by season’s end each time.

Throughout his 11-year NFL career, Dickerson made six Pro Bowl teams, five All-Pro appearances, won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1983 and won Offensive Player of the Year in 1986. He’s now a member of the Hall of Fame. The dude’s a legend and SMU’s latest hype video only confirms that sentiment.

Every interview with Werner Herzog is a treat. In a discussion with IndieWire ahead of his 80th birthday (September 5th), the documentary filmmaker reflected on his age (“It sounds like statistics. I do not really relate it”), throwing away rare footage of Mick Jagger in 1980’s Fitzcarraldo (“Celluloid creates a lot of costs for storage and it has to be cooled down. That’s way too expensive”), and whether we should make a big fuss about volcanos (“We shouldn’t make a big fuss about it”). Take that, Fire of Love.

Herzog was also asked whether he would do more acting following his recent unmistakable performance on The Mandalorian, where he was turned into an action figure. “I’ve never volunteered for it,” he said. “I’ve always been dragged into it.” Now I’m imagining Baby Yoda literally dragging Herzog to set. It’s delightful.

He continued:

“Of course, the screenplays have to make sense, and it has to be a part where I feel comfortable. When it comes to the role of a real bad-ass bad guy, I know I can do it.”

Herzog also said that he’s “paid for spreading terror onscreen,” but in real life, “my wife, who has lived with me for 27 years, will testify convincingly that I’m a fluffy husband.” Never change, Herzog… which won’t be an issue considering he’s, again, turning 80.

(Via IndieWire)

Singers being discussed on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show is always bizarre — whether it’s Ariel Pink sitting down for an interview or Carlson ranting about the lyrics of Cardi B’s “WAP.” Apparently, he recently brought up the singer Maren Morris, and she did not hesitate to have fun with it.

She posted a screencap of her with a description on the bottom of the screen that reads, “Lunatic Country Music Person,” next to the Fox News logo. She captioned the picture, “#NewProfilePic.” She didn’t actually make it her Twitter avatar, though that would’ve made it even funnier.

Jason Isbell weighed in on the joke, quote-tweeting with the caption, “‘Maren Morris refuses to meet in the middle’ was RIGHT THERE.”

Morris is open about her politics. Last year, she released “Better Than We Found It” and said she “wanted to write something to address exactly how I feel right now, and this came together pretty quickly.” She continued, “It’s a protest song — it’s the most American thing to protest and protest songs have been so embedded in American culture: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone. I think the world right now is sort of in a perpetual mourning period and I wanted to have a song that had weight but also had hope.”

Lil Baby season is here. After an active last few years where many have likened his run to that of late-2000s Lil Wayne and 2015 Future, the Quality Control artist is ready to unleash his third album, titled It’s Only Me.

In a Friday (September 2) Instagram post, the “Woah” artist shared the album art featuring his own version of Mount Rushmore. Similar to Drake’s lyrics on 2018’s “Survival,” Baby’s Rushmore shows four different iterations of the Atlanta rapper from his infancy until today. Beneath the cloud-adorned structure, he sits on a rock flanked by goats, a nod to his lyrics on Drake’s 2021 record “Wants & Needs” where he says, “I’m not the GOAT but I fit the description.”

His caption reads, “‘ It’s Only Me ‘ 10-14-22 I Kno Its Been Along Time Coming But I’m Coming Harder And Harder …… #worththewait,” which also references his early projects Harder Than Hard, 2 The Hard Way, Too Hard, Harder Than Ever, and his collaborative project with Gunna titled Drip Harder. While Baby is seemingly at the peak of his career, one can only wonder if the use of “Harder And Harder” means he is looking to revert back to his early stages but add a 2022 spin.

Check out the It’s Only Me album art above.

It’s Only Me is out 10/14 via Quality Control/UMG.