Over the past few months, Dreamville-signed Atlanta rapper JID has been slowly but surely rolling out his third album, The Forever Story, picking up the threads he left on his 2017 debut The Never Story and its star-making 2018 follow-up DiCaprio 2. In January, he kicked off the new year and his album campaign with “Surround Sound” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, then followed up throughout the year with an impressive array of guest verses demonstrating his lyrical prowess.
Today, he released the second single from The Forever Story, “Dance Now,” featuring rising fellow ATLien Kenny Mason, with whom he previously collaborated on the festival favorite “Stick” from Dreamville’s D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz mixtape earlier this summer. The new track dropped with a frantic music video that finds JID rapping as chaotic scenes whip by him including riot police, disgruntled citizens, and twerking exotic dancers.
In addition to his two singles, JID has raised his visibility this year with features alongside Denzel Curry, YSL rapper T-Shyne, R&B star John Legend, up-and-coming San Antonio rapper Mike Dimes, and hitmaking producer Dot Da Genius. He also dropped the “29 Freestyle” with a music video after performing it during his Governor’s Ball set.
Watch JID’s “Dance Now” video above. The Forever Story is out 8/26 on Dreamville/Interscope.
A lot of factors influence that favorite chip, from bag design to ad copy to which chips you’ve actually had and remember. Unless you’ve made it your specific mission, I highly doubt you’ve had them all. There are so many! What we Americans may lack in universal healthcare we tend to make up for in the snack aisle, miles of bagged junk food that make me want to hum “God Bless America” while my fingertips gently caress the crinkly bags.
I digress, but my point is that we, myself very much included, are suggestible when it comes to food and beverages. If you tell me a cool story about an alcoholic beverage while I’m on vacation, there’s a 96% chance that I’ll think it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted, spend too much to smuggle some back home, and will force it on a handful of my confused friends the second I touch down back home. Certainly a chip bag isn’t the same as a cool foreign bartender, but still, the only way to account for suggestibility in testing potato chips was to taste them blind. Just chips on a plate, no words or colors or anything else clouding my mind beforehand.
Okay, so art thrives on limitations, and this test couldn’t encompass every single flavor and brand. We had to narrow it down somehow, and since it’s summer, aka barbecue season, we chose BBQ-flavored chips. Almost every brand makes one, and it’s one of the most “classic” American potato chip flavors there are. Why not? I’m probably more of a salt and vinegar kind of guy myself, but I do enjoy a good barbecue chip from time to time.
I did my best to find every brand of chips that some schmuck in the comments section will inevitably say is “the best!” This involved traveling to at least five separate supermarkets and three or four delis. But understand that certain regional brands simply do not distribute to California and can’t be bought online in non-bulk quantities or for reasonable shipping fees. I did my best to be as thorough as I could be. But at the end of the day, I’m still bound by the limitations of space and time (sorry, I’m not Steven Seagal). So if your favorite brand isn’t listed here, try to remember that it’s because I hate you.
My wife helpfully randomized the chip brands and laid them out in unmarked batches of three or so — whole chips, no fragments! I then went through and sampled them and rated them all on a thoroughly scientific scale of one to ten.
You may not realize how many factors are at play in choosing a good chip. There’s the matter of which has the best BBQ flavoring (I tended to prefer the ones that leaned sweeter/smokey, and wasn’t so into that fake wood flavor of the more mesquite and hickory-heavy ones), but that’s only one factor. There’s also the chip itself. Thickness. Size of the potato slice. Fry color. Type of oil used. So many things!
In my head, I wanted a thicker chip with a darker fry. In practice, thick is only good if still has a melt-in-your-mouth crunch — the too-thick ones can taste stale without that melt factor, not to mention ruinous to gums and mouth. This test was more subjective than most, so I included my wife’s ratings. Unlike me, she notably does not enjoy smoky things, like mezcal or baba ghanoush (hers were not blind, obviously). Our favorites were distinct, but there was a lot of overlap.
These are hexagonal-shaped, for some reason. Is this some sort of Pringles situation? A non-potato? They don’t have kettle folds and they’re lighter. Must be baked.
Biting in, yep, definitely baked. Zzz. The BBQ flavoring is also super mild, just sort of bland and crackery. These are fine if you’re cutting calories or whatever, but they can’t really hold a candle to real fried potato chips.
Rating: 3.5/10
Bottom Line:
A baked chip is more of a cracker, which probably isn’t really going to compete with the fried chips. I do think more aggressive seasoning could’ve helped. There’s no fat in the seasoning, right? Don’t be shy.
Wife’s Rating: 7/10 (!!!)
26. Zapp’s Mesquite Bar-B-Que
Vince Mancini
Price:$32.99 for 25 2-ounce bags on Amazon ($0.66 per ounce)
Original Notes:
Vince Mancini
These look medium fried but heavily seasoned with bigger potato pieces.
Biting in, yeah, these chips are too thick and the seasoning is a straight-up smoke bomb. Being drenched in that overwhelming seasoning makes pretty much everything else irrelevant.
Rating: 4/10
Bottom Line:
Like I said, not a huge fan of the wood-heavy flavorings, and these, an Utz product, were too thick and overseasoned to boot.
Very thin, pale, and crispy looking with bubbles. On the opposite end of the spectrum from the “kettle-style” potato chips, or the way I think of them, anyway.
Biting in, the sweet BBQ flavor is nice, but it’s very mild. Needs more. The chips melt in your mouth, but they’re too thin. They’re just not substantial enough, and not very addictive. I feel like I’m eating chip fragments rather than chips.
Rating: 4.5/10
Bottom Line:
In the course of this test, I think I discovered that I like the thick, kettle-style potato chips less than I thought I did. That being said, thin-ass nothing-burger chips like this were basically the reason kettle-style chips became popular in the first place. I have a hard time imagining opening these bad boys and not being disappointed. They feel timid in every way.
Pale, thin, no folds, Lays-y looking, bigger pieces. The fry is light colored but also inconsistent and a little oily, like when you crowd the pan. I’m not sure what that looks like on an industrial scale, but that’s what it reminds me of.
Biting in, I kind of like the crumble and melt-in-your-mouth quality of these, but the seasoning is just really, really timid.
Rating: 5/10
Bottom Line:
Like a lot of these entries in the bottom third, these weren’t inedible or even especially terrible, but there wasn’t a lot to recommend them.
These are some of the palest of the bunch, though I’m not quite sure what that means. A light fry?
Biting in, I like the thickness on these — and they melt in your mouth — but I don’t like the seasoning at all. It’s sort of just… sour pickle with no sweetness. Pepper is there in the aftertaste. I dunno, not a fan.
Rating: 5/10
Bottom Line:
Chipotle was definitely an outlier in this ranking, as was the very light color on these. It’s hard to say how much of my dislike was based on them being bad and how much was just them being not what I was expecting. A lot of my favorites were barbecue with something extra, but chipotle did not fall into that camp. This is weird because my go-to rib sauce has chipotle in it. Go figure.
These are also thick, but not folded. They’re flatter chips with lots of bubbling and lighter fry color. Seasoning is more visible, with bigger pepper flakes.
Biting in, these are thick, maybe a little too thick, but nicely melt in your mouth. The BBQ flavor is barely there but the dominant flavor is… salt. Yep, these are definitely oversalted.
Rating: 5/10
Bottom Line:
These chips were good in almost every respect except a crucial one, seasoning. The salt level is sort of like the Price Is Right. You want to get as close to the limit as you can without going over. But once you go over, you’re sunk.
Wife’s Rating: 2/10
20. Ruffles Flamin Hot BBQ
Vince Mancini
Price:$5.19 for 8 ounces at Smart & FinalOriginal Notes:
Vince Mancini
These look like Flamin’ Hot Ruffles, and I don’t consider myself a genius detective for saying so. Look at them, they’re big crinkle-cut jobs with lots of red powder on the outside.
Biting in, these looked really appetizing, but the thickness is weird. They don’t really crunch hard and somehow don’t really crumble either. They taste kind of stale. The seasoning is like hot pepper + molasses. I like Flamin’ Hot stuff, but I dunno, I’m not that into these.
Rating: 5.5/10
Bottom Line:
I’m a big fan of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. And as for Ruffles, I can’t really explain this, but if there’s a ranch-based, French onion or sour cream-type dip around, Ruffles are really the only choice in my mind. I don’t really use them for anything else, but I also wouldn’t use any other chip for that exact use (and I will thoroughly disgust myself with how many potato chips and French onion dip I will put down). This is a long way of saying that this is a combination of things I enjoy that’s somehow less than the sum of its parts. With all due respect to Jayson Tatum.
Big pieces, medium fry with medium curl, bigger flecks of black pepper on the exterior.
Biting in, texture and crunch are sort of replacement-level fine. The seasoning comes on nice and smoky sweet but seems to vanish halfway through the chew. I don’t quite know how to explain this. There’s not enough potato flavor either. There’s no finish so they’re oddly non-addicting.
Rating: 5.5/10
Bottom Line:
These are like a weird optical illusion. They look like they’d be great chips, but they taste like imitation chips. The flavors don’t linger, it’s like they give you a little tease, and then they’re gone. Very strange. Even weirder, there’s a different flavor of this brand that scored much higher.
Amber, small to medium-sized, with a darkish fry. Lots of bubbles. Kettle style.
Biting in, these are … okay. Again, the taste dissipates more than it lingers. The texture of the chips is really nice, but you don’t get the chance to enjoy it much because the actual potato pieces are so small. What is this? A potato for ANTS?!
Rating: 6/10
Bottom Line:
Who knew there were so many pitfalls for a potato chip? But add “tiny potatoes” to the list.
Thick, deeply fried, smaller-sized chips. Very kettle-style in appearance. I wish the pieces were a little bigger.
Biting in, these are thick and kind of hard. So in that way, the smaller-sized chunks actually help. The BBQ flavor isn’t too strong. Tastes more oily/salty though.
Rating: 6/10
Bottom Line:
These were too oily and too salty. If the barbecue flavor and seasoning had been on point, I don’t think the greasiness would’ve been as big an issue, but not getting the oil or the seasoning right is a big problem.
Thick chips with medium fry color. The pieces are bigger, and one is folded in half. Very much a kettle-style chip.
Biting in, there’s a nice crunch but maybe a little too thicc for my taste. I’d like it to melt in my mouth a little more (…in bed). The BBQ seasoning skews sweeter than smoky, which I actually like. It’s a shame, these are average to above average in most ways, but too thick overall, which makes them more of a chore to eat than addicting.
Rating: 6/10
Bottom Line:
Crunch is good, and these are definitely that, but I’m of the opinion that crunch should be fun for my mouth and not a daunting test of endurance. Thinner slices, plz.
These look like smaller chip fragments, with kind of a darker fry and more bubbling. The fry looks less uniform than the others I’ve had so far.
Biting in, the crunch is hard and shattery, and the BBQ flavor is bold, spicy, sweet, and intense with a lingering pepperiness. These are big, bold flavors, and crunchy chips. But the oil has an odd taste to it, or maybe too much of it just soaked into the chips.
Rating: 6/10
Bottom Line:
These are Steve Bramucci’s favorite, so his first question was whether these were the winner. To me, these felt like what I think I want out of BBQ chips but actually don’t. The seasoning was big and bold and tasty, but maybe too much of it? They were definitely too oily regardless. I feel like I’d eat a few of these and quit before they gave me heartburn.
Heavily fried, thicker, kettle-looking chips. These LOOK too thick and overseasoned, but we’ll see.
Biting in, they’re not as thick as I thought, and they kind of melt in your mouth. But they are on the oily side. Seasoning is fine. These are replacement-level chips.
Rating: 6.5
Bottom Line:
I didn’t really notice the promised imperfections in these, for whatever that’s worth. They were fine. I guess I could see buying them for being the only chips named after your mom (oh!).
Smaller chips, darker fry, thicker chip. A little bubbling. Not folded, but definitely skews kettle-style.
Biting in, they’re not as thick as they look, and they melt in my mouth quite nicely. What’s that flavor though? Pickle? Maybe dill or coriander or something I associate with pickles? The texture is nice, but the flavor is bizarre. Are these actually pickle-flavored chips that got mislabeled?
Rating: 6.5
Bottom Line:
This one was an interesting case in that it was a nicely sized, fried, and textured chip with easily the worst seasoning of the bunch. Nothing in the ingredients list jumps out as something weird, and yet weird they were. And they’re just labeled “barbeque.” I’m honestly confused.
Medium color fry and thicker cut, these feel like classic kettle style. Not too many folds in the potatoes. Very pungent BBQ seasoning that’s different than any of the rest.
Biting in, is that lime? No, wait, mustard? This feels like mustard BBQ sauce or something. It’s interesting, but I don’t love it, and the chips are a little too thick for my taste.
Rating: 6.5/10
Bottom Line:
According to the ingredients list, there was indeed some mustard in there, along with (deep breath) “Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Brown Cane Sugar, Organic Corn Maltodextrin, Tomato Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Natural Flavor, Gum Arabic, Red Chili Powder, Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Mustard, Modified Cornstarch, Red Pepper Sauce Powder, Vinegar, Oleoresin of Paprika, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Black Pepper, Rosemary Extract.”
I’m not sure what makes a barbecue sauce “Texas-style,” but I’m guessing chili powder? Anyway, the kettle style was a big improvement over the regular 365 chips, but the “Texas-style” seasoning wasn’t my favorite.
Most of these are folded over once and medium-sized, with either a medium fry color or a heavy dusting of BBQ seasoning powder. They look halfway between kettle and regular.
Biting in, they’re nice and crumbly and they melt in your mouth more than they shatter, which is surprisingly nice. The BBQ flavor is mildly sweet and smoky. These are good but kind of one-note.
Rating: 6.5/10
Bottom Line:
These were my wife’s favorite and I was a little surprised to see old school Lay’s do as well in my own rankings. The texture of the chip was really nice, a little thinner than your standard kettle style, which can tend towards too thick and mouth hurt-y. I think our point of departure was the lack of smoke flavor in the seasoning, which was a big plus for my wife but stood out as a lack for me. I don’t need it to taste like a campfire, but a subtle hint of smoke is nice.
Thick, lightly fried, medium-sized chips mostly folded over once, with visible pepper flakes and lots of bubbling.
Biting in, the BBQ flavor isn’t too strong, in fact, it’s barely there. But the chips have a nice thickness — okay, maybe just a tad too thick. These are just fine otherwise.
Rating: 6.75/10
Bottom Line:
Sometimes the chips are too thick. Chips should not hurt, this is my platform. “First of all, do no harm.” That’s the Chippocratic Oath.
These are more Pringles. Hooray, Pringles! These look slightly lighter in color with reddish powder coating them unevenly.
Biting in, what the heck is this flavor? It’s sweet, but also spicy, and… kind of cheesy? There’s a Cheez-It quality to these. Intriguing. But in a good way? I dunno.
Rating: 7/10
Bottom Line:
It’s hard to rate a Pringle against another kind of chip, but I also do love a Pringle. They may not be the best, but they’re always a Pringle, and Pringles sometimes just hit the spot. This was my least favorite flavor of Pringle though. The cheese was weird and the spice didn’t really hit and mostly it tasted like it was trying to do too much. Relax, Pringle! Take a load off. Life doesn’t have to be so hard.
Biting in, these are a little smokier than the other Pringle-type ones with that Pringle biscuitiness though, and melt-in-your-mouth addictiveness. They’re more Pringle-flavored than BBQ flavored, but hey, if you’re gonna eat a Pringle, eat a Pringle.
Rating: 7/10
Bottom Line:
First of all, how are you going to give your company a fancy-pants, mid-Atlantic name like “The Good Crisp” company and then make Pringles? Are Pringles even “crisps?” Quick, someone find a Bobby or a chimney sweep to ask. Anyway, these are basically Pringles, which are 10/10 when you want a Pringle.
These are quite plainly Pringles or an imitator. Light-color fry (?) and uniform, with no folds. Listen, a Pringle is a Pringle.
Biting in, they crumble more than crunch and have that biscuity kind of flavor. The seasoning is barely there, more just a mild sweetness, an overtone, or a nuance to your standard Pringle flavor. Which isn’t a bad thing. I’ve always found these things weirdly addicting. The bbq flavor adds to the effect. I don’t know how to rate them against standard potato chips because they’re kind of a different thing, but they’re undeniably good.
Obviously sweet potato, and weirdly the only one of these. These were also cut lengthwise, which is interesting — why don’t they ever do that with regular potatoes? They really look nice and crispy.
Biting in, the texture is nice: crispy, but not too hard. Flavorwise, there’s a hint of heat and some sweetness, but it’s hard to tell whether the sweet comes from the BBQ flavoring or the sweet potato itself. It’s pretty mild, but mostly in a good way. Definitely something different, but I’d eat these.
Rating: 7/10
Bottom Line:
It’s weird that in all the places I went to buy chips I could only find one single barbecue-flavored variety of sweet potato chips. These are pretty good. Much better than sweet potato fries, in my opinion.
Amber, orangey-brown chip, looks thicker than a Lay’s but with big pieces — not really kettle-style looking.
Biting in, the BBQ flavor is mostly sweet without a ton of smoke or spice, but well seasoned and nice. These are pretty good, if maybe ever so slightly too thick.
Rating: 7.5
Bottom Line:
These Lay’s Kettle-Cooked have the same sweet yet not-too-smokey/peppery seasoning as regular Lay’s, but in a thicker, harder, more “kettle cooked” variety. Though Lay’s version of kettle cooked has bigger potato slices (nice) and arguably not as hard/stale feeling.
These are fried darker with smaller, thicker pieces and more folds in them of the kind I associate with “kettle” style chips. Fairly regular brownish seasoning dusting them.
Biting in, the seasoning is the most intense yet. It’s a nice, sweet-smoky bbq flavor, and the crunch is thicker and harder but still melts in your mouth. These are good, but maybe overseasoned? I oddly miss some of that potato flavor. Still, pretty good overall.
Rating: 7.5/10
Bottom Line:
I still don’t think that wood flavor — mesquite or hickory — is my favorite in chips, but the texture and fry on these were pretty ideal. Crunchy and substantial but still melt-in-your-mouth.
Big pieces, thick and dark with folds, look heavily seasoned. Like kettle-style chips with big pieces.
Biting in, this is a nice kettle-style chip, and the BBQ flavoring is strong and bold. There’s an extra flavor in there though, like bourbon or heavy smoke or molasses? It’s a lot and these are pretty thick, but they’re very good. Addictive.
Rating: 8/10
Bottom Line:
A lot of times in these blind taste tests with a lot of different variations on the same thing, the ones that are a little different end up standing out in a bad way, where the weirdness comes off unpleasant, or like someone made a mistake. In this case, the “bourbon” tweak was really successful. I liked these a lot. It’s interesting, the “bourbon BBQ” flavors were one of my favorites, but the “backyard BBQ” was one of my least favorite. Do I just hate backyards? What makes a backyard BBQ different from a bourbon?
Bigger potato chips, lighter in color — more like traditional Lay’s than your darker, harder, kettle-cooked chips. Some bubbling on the exterior of the chips and seasoning flecks.
Biting in, these are thicker than Lay’s, but not as hard as the kettle kind of chips. They’re crispy, but more in a crumbly way than a shattery way. They melt in your mouth. The BBQ flavor is more sweet than peppery. Nice potato flavor. Tasty. Hard not to keep eating these.
Rating: 8/10
Bottom Line:
I didn’t identify these without the bag, but I always get excited when a sandwich shop (which is where I normally find this brand) stocks these — like my favorite sandwich joint in college, Board & Brew in Del Mar, California. It’s not surprising to find them near the top of my blind tasting. Fried in a peanut oil blend with “parts of the peel left on for flavor,” the Funky Fusion flavor of this Utz product is my favorite.
Wife’s Rating: 2/10 (My wife is even more turned off by fake mesquite than I am, turns out. I’m curious how she’d rate a different flavor of Dirty chips, but I didn’t have another on hand).
Sort of a gold color, thick and foldy with bigger potato pieces. Very kettle-style.
Biting in, I expected these to be overly hard but they weren’t. They have a nice crunch and the BBQ seasoning is some of the best in the bunch, sweet, smoky, and garlicky. I like these.
Rating: 8.5/10.
Bottom Line:
I get the feeling I could do this test four times on four different days and get four slightly different results. Anyway, the texture and size of these were nice. That notably garlic-heavy barbecue seasoning was that “little something extra” that put it over the top for me today. I liked everything in the top three quite a bit and there wasn’t a huge separation between them.
Wife’s Rating: 7/10
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to find many common threads because there are so many factors at play here, but I’m going to try anyway. I think the ideal chip is made from large slices of potato. It’s thicker than a traditional Lay’s but thinner than a standard kettle-style. It’s substantial and crunchy but it melts in your mouth. It’s medium-fried and not too greasy. It’s well seasoned, but not overseasoned. The barbecue flavoring has some sweet, some smoky, maybe a little heat, and a little “somethin’ extra” (bourbon, sweet onion, garlic, whatever). Ideally, it doesn’t have that weird hickory or mesquite flavor.
There, that is my second Corinthians as applied to barbecue-flavored potato chips. Have I wasted my life? Discuss.
Following a very public break-up with Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson received some not so kind words from Kardashian’s ex-husband, Kanye West. In a since-deleted Instagram post, West shared a mock-up of a fake New York Times front page, which read, “Skete Davidson Dead At Age 28.” This wasn’t the first time West expressed disdain toward Davidson while Davidson and Kardashian were dating: In a video for “Eazy,” a song by The Game on which Ye is featured, West kidnapped and buried an animated version of the comedian. He has also made several violent threats to Davidson numerous times on social media over the past few months.
A source close to Davidson spoke with People and revealed that since April of this year, Davidson has “has been in trauma therapy in large part” due to posts by West.
“The attention and negativity coming from Kanye and his antics is a trigger for [Pete], and he’s had to seek out help,” the source said.
The source also noted that since the breakup with Kardashian, Davidson “has no regrets for dating Kim and wants it to be made very clear that she’s been nothing but supportive of him throughout their relationship.”
“Moving forward, he just wants to focus on his career,” the source said.
Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan for Boston Red Sox ace and noted retro jersey haterChris Sale. An uneven 2019 was followed by a lost 2020 season thanks to Tommy John surgery. 2021 marked a return to the mound at midseason and to his previous form across nine starts, but he’s again been beset by injuries this year, missing three months due to a broken rib, making the wrong kind of headlines on his rehab assignment after destroying some signage in a minor league tunnel, and then promptly breaking his pinky in just his second game back.
Sale had been on the comeback trail from his most recent injury, but he apparently took a detour, falling off his bike and breaking his wrist — an injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season, according to MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo. The Red Sox are taking this in stride, with the team’s head of operations Chaim Bloom telling reporters, “We need to dispatch some people to find whoever has the Chris Sale voodoo doll and recover it.”
“You couldn’t make this up, right? We need to dispatch some people to go find whoever has the Chris Sale voodoo doll and recover it.”
Bloom explained that Sale fell off his bike while riding it to pick up lunch after a throwing session at Boston College (because Fenway was being occupied by a concert).
This is probably a death blow to already waning postseason hopes that were previously hampered by the team’s weird two-steps-forward-two-steps-back approach to the trade deadline. And while “wait till next year” sentiments are a popular balm for these kinds of burns, it’s an open question if stars like Xander Bogaerts (with his opt-out) and Rafael Devers (with his lack of an extension) will be back, and what, if anything, they can expect from Sale. After all, he’s only thrown about 50 innings since signing a 150 million dollar five-year extension that runs through 2024, so whether it’s all connected to a voodoo doll or a lack of the team wrapping its star pitcher in bubble wrap, something’s gotta be done to get actual value out of that contract.
If you’ve been looking for something to fill the Ramy Youssef–sized hole in your heart while waiting for the third season of Hulu’s Ramy, look no further than Netflix’s upcoming series Mo. Youssef is executive producing Mo, alongside writer and star Mohammed “Mo” Amer, who also appeared in the hit series Ramy.
Mo will be based on Amer’s own life as a Palestinian refugee living in Houston, Texas, while dealing with casual racism, providing for his family, and learning about his own religion. Teresa Ruiz, Farah Bsieso, Omar Elba and Tobe Nwigwe also star in the series. As per the official Netflix description:
Mo Najjar straddles the line between two cultures, three languages and a ton of bullsh*t as a Palestinian refugee constantly living one step away from asylum on the path to U.S. citizenship. His family — including his resilient and spiritual mother, sister and older brother — flee to Houston, Texas. Laughing the pain away, Mo learns to adapt to his new world though getting ahead in life comes with several setbacks.
The series is executive produced by Ravi Nanan and Hallie Sekoff of A24, after the studio secured a television deal with Youssef in 2019. Harrus Danow, Luvh Rakhe, and Solvan Naim will also produce.
Amer is no stranger to Netflix as the comedian has several standup specials on the streamer. He will also star in the upcming superhero movie Black Adam alongside Dwayne Johnson later this year.
Mo premieres on August 24th on Netflix. Check out the trailer above.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are apparently learning that owning a restaurant is a lot harder than animating one on TV for Comedy Central. The proud owners of Denver area attraction Casa Bonita are having a much more difficult time renovating the place since they bought it last year, in what’s apparently not a homage to The Bear but simply the duo sinking a lot of money into the Mexican restaurant just to open it back up.
As The Denver Post detailed on Tuesday, Stone has been very up front about how difficult (and expensive) renovating Casa Bonita has been over the last few months.
“Have you ever seen ‘Kitchen Nightmares’? It’s the very, very worst one of those you could possibly ever imagine,” said Parker. “What we thought would be, ‘Oh this will be cool. We can buy this and open it and it’ll be around again,’ turned into ‘Oh this is going to be what we have to put all our money into and hope that it works.’”
The Post described the scene as an active construction site with 80 or so workers updating all kinds of things inside the restaurant. And Stone didn’t have great things to say about the previous owners, who apparently did a number on the place over the years. The fountain out front of the property, for example, had to be razed because of safety concerns. A lot of the basics had to be redone during the renovation, which has delayed the chances of even thinking about a reopening.
Things like updating the HVAC system and plumbing, and work on electrical and gas lines – “we’re talking about just health and safety stuff, like so someone won’t die,” Stone said.
…
“The previous owners deferred maintenance in an almost superhuman way,” said Stone. “They just didn’t take care of anything. And they ran it completely into the ground.”
Despite the construction delays and surprise costs, though, Stone reaffirmed that the duo will stick it out and make a new Casa Bonita a reality. It just means he may not be able to save a Coney Island hot dog he’s been eying up as well.
“Anyone else that’s said, ‘Oh I wanted to buy Casa Bonita,’ they wouldn’t have made it because this is going to cost so much and it’s really dumb,” said Parker. “We absolutely should bail and stop spending money, but we’re committed now.”
We’ll have to wait just a bit longer on those sapodillas, I suppose.
With both Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Megan Thee Stallion preparing new projects — DC’s League Of Super Pets for him, a new album for her — you might have expected both to be in the news cycle a lot this week. However, you probably wouldn’t have expected them to be in news posts together, since those projects are in separate media. But when The Rock was asked which celebrity’s pet he’d most want to be — an innocuous enough question, and on-theme for the film he’s promoting — worlds collided in a most hilarious and borderline bawdy way.
Johnson cheekily (and quickly) replied Megan Thee Stallion, which instantly sent the internet into a tizzy. While it’s obvious that Megan pampers her dogs 4oe, 5ive, Dos, Six, X, and Oneita, it was equally obvious that Johnson had other benefits in mind. Just look at that face!
not Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson saying he’ll be Meg Thee Stallion dog when they asked him who celebrity dog he’ll be . LMFAOOOOO I FEEL YOU MY BOY . pic.twitter.com/bzqsqerqHX
Of course, Meg’s been spoken for, and her boyfriend, fellow rapper Pardison Fontaine, hit Twitter with his response, writing, “All our dogs named after #s. Just teach your wife to use seasoning. You’ll be iiight … Moana is the shit tho.” Fans had a field day with his reaction, wondering how a real-life confrontation between the rapper and ex-wrestler might go. It didn’t exactly shake out in Pardi’s favor.
Pardi ain’t did nothing to 5’4 Tory Lanez who shot his chick . Wtf he gonna do with 6’5 270 nigga used to wrestle for a living named The Rock lmaooooo https://t.co/3oEaD6ebp1
Naturally, after a few hours of this treatment, he deleted the tweet and changed tactics. “Of all the things to be worried about y’all think I’m mad at the Rock,” he cracked. “The comment started all our dogs #s and ended with Moana is my shit .. I deleted it (yesterday).. cus it seem like ppl took it wrong .. thought maybe my joke was in poor taste.”
Of all the things to be worried about y’all think I’m mad at the Rock ..
The comment started all our dogs #s and ended with Moana is my shit .. I deleted it (yesterday).. cus it seem like ppl took it wrong .. thought maybe my joke was in poor taste
King of Kentucky is one of the most sought-after and fleeting bourbon releases of the last few years. Even as a whiskey writer and spirits competition judge with lots of sources in the industry, I’ve had a hard time getting my hands on a bottle myself. Luckily, that drought ended when a bottle of King of Kentucky 5th Edition landed on my desk this week ahead of its release. Spoiler alert: this whiskey lives up to the hype and then some.
But before we get into that, let’s dive into why this super rare whiskey is so special. It was launched five years ago by Brown-Forman Master Distiller Chris Morris, Brown-Forman’s man in Kentucky. Morris is best known for his work on Woodford Reserve and Old Forester, among a lot of other hats he wears (Morris also helps make the barrels of Brown-Forman’s other big brand, Jack Daniel’s). He started this particular label to highlight the amazing barrels hiding in the Brown-Forman rickhouses in Kentucky.
This year’s first release (of only two) is a 15-year-old single barrel expression that retails for $250. That doesn’t sound too bad, right? Here’s the rub: these bottles are so revered and rare that the aftermarket price is 10 times that, easily.
Last year’s release is selling for $3,500 already. And here’s the even bigger rub: you’ll need to be in Kentucky for the release in order to snag a bottle (though there will be some bottles in Ohio and Illinois this year too). Oh, and King of Kentucky is often considered the best bourbon of the year by whiskey critics and fans alike. Add all of that up, and you have the perfect storm for a rare release that costs thousands of dollars the second after it hits shelves.
Is it worth it? Oops, yeah, I kind of spoiled that already. Let’s just dive in and see what’s in the bottle.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
King of Kentucky Single Barrel 5th Edition, Barrel No. 14
Brown-Forman
ABV: 65.3%
Average Price: $249 MSRP
The Whiskey:
This year’s King of Kentucky is a 15-year-old bourbon made from a mash of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley. The spirit — made at the Brown-Forman Distillery in West Louisville (Shively) — went into the barrel on December 18, 2009, at 125 entry-proof. After 15 long years, only about 35% of the whiskey was left in the barrel. 43 single barrels were then chosen for this release and individually bottled as-is, yielding about 3,500 bottles of King of Kentucky.
The Bottle:
King of Kentucky bottles feel like a bit of a throwback merged with winning a Golden Ticket. The glass is classic and dipped in wax. The label is a golden ticket of sorts with a white-on-black simplicity that pops with gold trim. The whole vibe imbues simplicity with class.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a hoecake with a sourdough edge which leads to very old boots rubbed with blonde Kiwi polish as pitchy fir mingles with dank honey with a sprinkling of dried berries and soft spices (think nutmeg and allspice) with a thin layer of used vanilla husks next to a faint whisper of honeydew melon and a twinge of chili pepper tobacco.
The palate is boldly mounted with ABV buzzing that leads to an avalanche of hot spices — Red Hots, sharp ginger, dried and woody chili peppers — that peaks with a blast of heat from the ABVs before lush vanilla cream cools everything down with notes of black cherry sweetness and old wicker. And then another wave of heat arrives on your senses with a woody spice matrix that’s then tempered by dark chocolate powder, brandy-soaked raisins, soft oats, buttery toffee, chocolate-covered espresso beans, dry cedar, and wet pipe tobacco cut with black soil, and cherry stems. The end leans into that earthiness with cherrywood tobacco and more dried berries, slowly — and I mean slowly — fading through the warmth of the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a wild ride from start to finish. It’s bold, brash… and bombastic. That second wave of heat and flavor notes is fascinating, a big “wow” factor. That might also mean that you may need a rock to calm this one down. I can tell you that tasting it with a few drops of water really opened it up into the stratosphere, so don’t hold back.
Ranking:
99/100 — This is a damn near perfect pour of whiskey. It’s not only bold, it’s 100% unique. This stuff rages against the machine on your palate in the best possible way while making you want more, louder, bigger, harder — and then it delivers!
This week was a comedown from the high of Beyonce’s massive Renaissance, but we were lucky enough to experience some great releases to keep us preoccupied. From the release of another new Carly Rae Jepsen track to another stunning single from Niki ahead of her forthcoming LP Nicole, there was a lot of cool stuff going on.
Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.
Omar Apollo — “Highlight”
As Omar Apollo prepares for the release of Ivory (Marfil), he’s giving fans a taste with “Highlight.” It flaunts his flirty attitude with a groovy sound and inviting lyrics: “You’re the only one that holds me / Yeah, I know you’re feeling paranoia / Are you in love, ’cause I wanna try,” he sings.
Remi Wolf — “Pink + White” (Frank Ocean Cover)
Before Frank Ocean announced his $26,000 c*ck ring, Remi Wolf shared a soothing rendition of the singer’s sprawling song “Pink + White” from his iconic last LP Blonde. It’s a hard cover to pull off, but Wolf does it justice with her gorgeous soprano.
Niki — “High School In Jakarta”
Niki’s conversational, detailed approach to songwriting gives “High School In Jakarta” a warm, welcoming texture that also intensifies the themes of youth and heartbreak. She makes the listener feel like a friend, and her insights into her own life are as universal as they are personal.
Carly Rae Jepsen — “Beach House”
Following “Western Wind” is this funky song called “Beach House,” which proves that she hasn’t lost any of her catchy melodies or whimsical lyrics. Her personality is as funny and entertaining as ever as she details exchanges with guys that went wrong for various reasons, and she’s able to make light out of all of it.
Olivia O’Brien, Fletcher — “B*tch Back”
After the unleashing of Fletcher’s controversial “Becky’s So Hot,” she’s teaming up with Olivia O’Brien for “B*tch Back.” It’s as mischievous as her last track off the bat: “Remember Ibiza, ’cause I don’t either / But I know we had a f*cking blast,” O’Brien sings. It serves as an anthemic ode to reckless female friendships.
Empress Of — “Turn The Table”
Empress Of always impresses with her radiant, silky vocals, but “Turn The Table” is packed with pleasant elements, like celestial synths and vivid lyricism. Everything about it is hypnotic with a memorable, colorful chorus.
Mxmtoon — “Kaleidoscope”
“Kaleidoscope” is a dreamy earworm that’s as resistant as it is beautiful: “I was born in a box / And taught to be soft / Learn to draw within the lines / Only speak when you’re asked,” she sings before launching into an ebullient chorus about being free and uncontained.
Lauv — “Stranger”
Lauv’s new track “Stranger” is about being jaded when it comes to romance, but still trying anyway. From the start, he sounds tired and drained: “So what if this is it? / What if it falls apart in front of my face?” he sings, but by the end passion enters his voice and he’s still singing in spite of everything.
Calvin Harris, Charlie Puth, Shenseea — “Obsessed”
Calvin Harris, Charlie Puth, and Shenseea have joined forces for an eclectic track against a jaunty piano tune. Shenseea’s flow keeps it upbeat and enthralling, whereas Puth adds a layer of bittersweetness, making for an engaging collaboration.
Zachary Knowles — “Crush”
This pulsating new song by Zachary Knowles is vulnerable, starting off slow but amping up in the chorus as his desire intensifies. “I’m sorry if I fall back in love when we both talk,” he admits with a sticky melody over a groovy rhythm.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This past weekend, rapper Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd was reportedly arrested at Los Angeles International Airport over a drug case in Georgia, according to TMZ.
Jxmmi, whose birth name is Aaquil Brown, had reportedly flown in from Canada, and upon landing, Customs and Border Patrol agents took him into custody. The case in Georgia reportedly entails possession of marijuana by Jxmmi with the intent to sell. At the time of writing, Jxmmi is currently being held in custody in Los Angeles without bail, and faces up to 30 years in prison.
Back in January, Jxmmi was arrested for battery charges in Miami.
Jxmmi’s lawyer, Steve Sadow, spoke to TMZ, saying, “Nearly two years ago, Aaquil entered a plea to a marijuana offense in Cobb County, Georgia. He was placed on probation,” Sadow said. “In early June 2022, the mother of his child filed an untruthful complaint with the Cobb County Police Department, which led to an arrest warrant being issued.”
Recently, Rae Sremmurd released a new single called “Community D*ck,” which features Flo Milli. The duo’s upcoming album, Sremm4Life is set to arrive sometime soon. Both Jxmmi, and his bandmate, Swae Lee, have teased the album via a series of tweets.
“Bout to get a dose of this Sremmy,” said Swae, in a May tweet.
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(@TimboFionna) 
(@CalledMe_Buskey) 
(@its_kachi) 
.. I deleted it (yesterday).. cus it seem like ppl took it wrong .. thought maybe my joke was in poor taste.”
..
ED (@pardi) 
