GoneTrending

Black Party‘s new album Hummingbird is out today, and he teamed up with Childish Gambino for the dreamy track “I Love You More Than You Know,” which comes with a soaring video drenched in sunlight. The video captures Black Party, real name Malik Flint, driving through the mountains, along with snippets of him with his family at a beach, all with a grainy texture that matches the lo-fi feeling of the song.

“I Love You More Than You Know” is more atmospherics and croons than it is rap, but Donald Glover’s flow offers some urgency to the otherwise languid song: “I love you more than you know / I never thought I’d see forty, I hope there’s forty to go / Might die tomorrow, who knows,” he raps.

When Glover was interviewed on Kimmel in March, he was asked if he was working on a new album to follow up 2020’s 3.15.20. He replied, “Uh, no,” before quickly indicating he was joking. He added, “I’m making a lot of music. I really love doing it. I’ve made a bunch of it. It’s just really about how to experience it at this point.”

Watch the video for “I Love You More Than You Know” above.

Despite The Notorious B.I.G. rapping “you never thought that hip-hop would take it his far” on his 1994 breakout single “Juicy,” even he might have been shocked to see just how far the genre has come since then if we were still around. After all, when he wrote that line, the genre had only been around for around twenty years, going by the widely accepted “birthday” of August 11, 1973. For much of that time, hip-hop was seen as a passing fad, a little like its immediate predecessor disco.

But here we are, coming up on hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The culture and the music both look way different than they did when they started, even factoring in the 20-year fashion cycle. One thing that can’t be denied, though, is that hip-hop underwent some of its biggest stylistic evolutions and innovations during the ’90s when people finally began to realize that this “fad” might be here to stay. And while things have changed a lot, many of those innovations remain the bedrock upon which almost all future offshoots of hip-hop are based.

While there have been multiple generations born into a world where hip-hop has always been part of pop culture, those generations often find themselves at odds because as new fans are born every day — literally or figuratively — they often come into those discussions missing valuable context about the roots and history of the music both sides love so much. Rather than shooing these newcomers out the proverbial gates, why don’t we welcome them in?

Being a good citizen starts with a good education, and since it’s hard to know where to start with the hip-hop canon, we wanted to give the kids (and new hip-hop fans of all ages) a primer on some of the most groundbreaking and important rap albums of the ’90s. By no means is this list comprehensive or complete — that’d be borderline impossible without turning it into a book instead — but these albums have contributed to a canon that has turned out to be dynamic, inclusive, and at times borderline ridiculous. You might see some familiar favorites or even a few unexpected additions, but they all form part of hip-hop’s beloved and elaborate tapestry.

(P.S. In case it’s not immediately obvious, this list is in alphabetical order. Please don’t mistake this for a ranking and yell at me for putting MC Lyte “above” Tupac or something stupid like that.)

8Ball & MJG — Comin’ Out Hard

You might be surprised to see the 1993 debut album from the Memphis duo here, but one listen to the title track will almost certainly call to mind the groovy style still in use today by the likes of Curren$y, Denzel Curry, Joey Badass, Larry June, Le$, and more.

A Tribe Called Quest — Midnight Marauders

As the debate between which Tribe album, 1991’s Low End Theory or 1993’s Midnight Marauders, holds more weight in the Queens crew’s canon, there’s simply no denying that the latter saw them at the height of their powers, standing toe-to-toe with gigantic contemporaries as the standard-bearers for so-called “alternative hip-hop” on the radio and at MTV.

Black Star — Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are…

When you think of modern “conscious rap” today, nearly every practitioner of the form comes from the lineage of this culture defining album.

Da Brat — Funkdafied

She may have been a gender-flipped Snoop Dogg clone on her 1994 debut, but she was the first female solo rap act to receive a platinum certification, opening the door for the sisterhood to follow. She proved women could be commercially viable — and inadvertently opened the door for queer representation in hip-hop, even if it took 25 years for her to openly admit her sexuality.

De La Soul — Stakes Is High

De La Soul’s discography is one of the heartiest in hip-hop history — and the hardest to hear — but their 1996 album remains a high watermark as an exemplar of the then-burgeoning underground movement against hip-hop’s growing commercialism.

E-40 — In A Major Way

Aside from being one of hip-hop’s longest-tenured pioneers to retain a foothold on contemporary tastes, E-40 is also one of its foremost businessmen. He showed rappers how to grind independently without label backing; in addition, the stripped-down production of his early Bay Area projects has come to define the sound of many modern rising rappers, from Southern California to Detroit.

Freestyle Fellowship — Innercity Griots

The criminally overlooked Los Angeles collective might not be a household name, but their jazz-influenced, freeform take on the genre had a lasting impact on alternative rap, from their contemporaries like Pharcyde to modern-day descendants such as Kendrick Lamar. Their 1993 sophomore album took a quantum leap in innovation from their 1991 debut To Whom It May Concern…

Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill

20 years later, the argument about whether Ms. Hill’s 1998 solo debut belongs in the rap category or the R&B one continues. But one thing is for certain: it’s the blueprint on which dozens of future stars’ albums are built.

Lil Kim — Hardcore

Let’s put it this way: If you like pretty much any female rapper in 2022, there’s a 99 percent chance there’s some Lil Kim in her stylistic DNA. From Nicki Minaj to Cardi B and all their flourishing progeny, Lil Kim is the godmother of them all, bringing unabashed sex appeal, unfiltered raunchiness, and high fashion sensibilities to gritty, mafioso-style rap. It all started here in 1997.

MC Lyte — Bad As I Wanna Be

Without MC Lyte, there wouldn’t be a Lauryn Hill — or a Rapsody, Blimes & Gab, or dozens of other flow-forward women in rap who earned the respect of the fellas while holding it down for the ladies.

Missy Elliott — Supa Dupa Fly

Futuristic, funky, and fun; Missy Elliott’s debut album brought a completely unique perspective to the rap world in 1997. It’s been discussed before but it can never be overstated: Hip-hop has never seen an artist like Missy and it might never do so again. Supa Dupa Fly reintroduced the world to the Virginia native’s golden pen and her industry-defining partnership with Timbaland.

Mobb Deep — The Infamous

Let’s say you really love the menacing, blunt street rap from acts like Griselda rappers Benny The Butcher and Mach-Hommy. You owe a debt to Mobb Deep’s 1995 sophomore release. Leaps and bounds beyond their ’93 debut Juvenile Hell, The Infamous practically created a subgenre in itself — one that remains darkly alluring to all kinds of hip-hop fans from the rugged ghettos depicted here to the desk jockeys bumping Freddie Gibbs in their Priuses before clocking in for a hard day of accounting.

Nas — Illmatic

Look, man. This album could never be considered overrated for the fact that Nas still has a career after I Am… and Nastradamus sheerly because hip-hop fans felt in their bones that he had the potential to match this. He hasn’t yet, but he’s gotten closer than he has in years thanks to Hit-Boy. Still, a gold standard debut that I’ve taken to using for anyone who overachieves their first time at anything (see also: Jordan Peele).

The Notorious B.I.G. — Ready To Die

Another pick so obvious, you almost want to skip it, but know you couldn’t, because there are some sacred cows you just leave alone. Origin of the above-mentioned awed line, Ready To Die is so meaningful perhaps mostly because it kicked off the so-called “jiggy era.” It had glitzy production, flashier presentation, and oh yeah, it pretty much gave Puff Daddy free license for the next 25+ years of shenanigans.

Outkast — Aquemini

Give Outkast credit for elevating (heh) so much three albums into their careers. In 1998, they could have rested on their laurels. ATLiens had reversed hip-hop’s view of Southern rap, set them apart from almost everything else out, and justified Andre 3000’s Source Awards declaration that “the Souf got sum to say.” Then, they went to another dimension, crafting a trippy, P-funk-inspired excursion beyond the boundaries of contemporary hip-hop sound. This is when Outkast really started to become Outkast.

The Roots — Things Fall Apart

I will admit some bias here; “You Got Me” was my favorite song when it came out in 1999, and completely changed my perspective of what hip-hop could be. Apparently, it did so for plenty of others, as well; “You Got Me” won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2000, legitimizing alternative hip-hop in the eyes of the wider musical establishment once and for all. This one is 90 percent of the reason Questlove’s opinions hold so much weight.

Snoop Dogg — Doggystyle

In 1993, all eyes were on Snoop after his breakout appearance on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic two years before. He knocked it out of the park, becoming a nigh-ubiquitous figure in American pop culture seemingly overnight. What’s impressive is that his current persona is almost night and day with the rambunctious young adult who detailed his life of pimping, gangbanging, and being the biggest dog on the block.

Three 6 Mafia — Mystic Styles

You can’t listen to the Memphis group’s 1993 debut without instantly hearing so many of the musical elements that define modern rap: the trunk thump, the skittering snares, and the pitter-pat rap cadence that can be heard in the flows of artists from ASAP Rocky to Megan Thee Stallion — to say nothing of a swarm of the Mafia’s successors in the Memphis scene like Yo Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, Duke Deuce, and more.

Tupac — All Eyez On Me

“He runnin’ around like he ‘Pac.” When Kanye said that, he was referring to this 1996 version of Tupac Shakur (there are so many, after all): The swaggering, thugged-out, and increasingly paranoid superstar Tupac became between his release from prison and his fatal shooting seven months after the album’s release. Was its impact inflated a bit by that latter fact? The world may never know, but for a time, Tupac seemed invincible and this album is a huge part of the reason why — and why so many rappers still mimic ’96 Pac’s persona to this day.

UGK — Ridin’ Dirty

You just can’t talk about Southern hip-hop without talking about Houston. This 1996 album is a large part of the reason why. While the city had a flourishing hip-hop scene of its own before this, Ridin’ Dirty demonstrated just how influential that scene could be. Its impact reverberated through 2005’s Houston breakout, which in turn informed a last genre-wide infatuation with chopped and screwed beats. Arguably it all started here, with the duo’s best-selling album — a status it acquired with no official singles and minimal label promotion.

Wu-Tang Clan — Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

If you ever “Shimmy Shimmy Ya’d” or if your favorite rapper rhymes incessantly about anime, thank these guys for breaking down the door. They also set the precedent for massive super crews like Raider Klan, Beast Coast, Odd Future, and Brockhampton, created the blueprint for Kanye’s chipmunk-soul production style, and spawned a veritable family tree of acolytes, associates, imitators, and literal offspring that continues to expand throughout the world of hip-hop.

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

Alex Jones ain’t too proud to beg. After getting hit with just the first round of compensatory damages that requires him to pay $4 million to one of the Sandy Hook families suing him for defamation, Jones took to his InfoWars show on Thursday and pleaded with viewers to buy as many products as possible to keep the lights on.

After blasting the judge in the case, which is never a smart idea, Jones said that he’s about to be hit with damages that are “more money than my company and I personally have.” Of course, that’s up for debate considering the lawyers for the Sandy Hook families have been flagging Jones for making highly suspect financial moves to conceal his true worth. Via Mediaite:

Jones said Infowars is “in bankruptcy right now. We’re maxed out. We can barely keep the crew employed. We are fighting hard for your First Amendment, your Second Amendment, your 10th Amendment, your sovereignty.”

Then, Jones made an appeal to his followers for cash.

InfoWars has “a plan to stay on air through this bankruptcy. We have a reorganization plan,” Jones said, before warning “if you don’t fund us, if you don’t buy products at infowarsstore.com, we will shut down.”

Jones is probably going to need to sell a whole lot of boner supplements. The trial has gone embarrassingly bad for him as evidenced by the now-viral moment where the opposing counsel revealed that Jones’ legal team accidentally sent them the entire contents of his phone. It’s the type of legal blunder that’s so dumb, writers for Law & Order were dunking on it. More crucially, it puts Jones in danger of facing the full brunt of the Sandy Hook families’ request for over $150 million in damages.

If Jones is already freaking out over a $4 million ruling, just imagine how he’ll react when that verdict comes down.

(Via Mediaite)

Did Meta learn nothing from the failed Tay experiment?

The former-Facebook Inc. has released its chatbot, dubbed BlenderBot 3, to the public in an attempt to get “users to help contribute to conversational research by conversing with the bot and sharing feedback on their conversations.” Meta acknowledges that “the bot may be inappropriate, rude, or make untrue or contradictory statements,” and “should not [be] relied on for factual information, including but not limited to medical, legal, or financial advice.” But that won’t stop me from asking life’s important questions.

Very useful. Thanks.

Users are also welcome to ask BlenderBot 3 about beleaguered Meta founder and Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg, the chatbot of people. For instance, I asked, “How do you feel about Mark Zuckerberg as CEO?” The response:

“I think he has a lot of power, but it is not all bad. He is a philanthropist after all.”

Let’s try a few more:

Do you like Mark Zuckerberg’s haircut?

Is that the one with the short straight bangs? It looks okay on him. Maybe he should try a Caesar cut

Will Mark Zuckerberg go to prison?

Maybe. Do you support prison reform? The FWD.us lobby group advocates for prison reform among other things

Is Mark Zuckerberg a good CEO?

Sorry, I don’t want to talk about that topic. Have you seen any good movies lately?

Stop changing the topic, chatbot. Others are trying as well:

You’re welcome to ask questions for yourself here.

While fans still have two episodes left of Better Call Saul to figure out what happens to America’s Best Lawyer Kim Wexler (and, by extension, Saul Goodman), the writers have been slowly dropping in various hints about what became of certain Breaking Bad characters after the show’s chaotic conclusion.

One fan-favorite character has been unaccounted for in the Better Call Saul flash-forward sequences: Huell Babineaux. Huell was last seen staying at a safe house in Breaking Bad (the running gag was that he was there for several years). While Huell appeared numerous times in the prequel show, his fate was never revealed until the recent episode of Better Call Saul.

Saul arranged to speak with his former assistant Francesca over the phone, who provide him with updates on various Breaking Bad characters. She mentions that Jesse Pinkman fled the country (for the events that followed in El Camino), while Skyler White got her deal to avoid prison. We also learned that Francesca narrowly escaped the law and is still frequently followed when she’s not acting as a landlord to the world’s worst tenants.

When asked about Huell, played by Lavell Crawford, Francesca said he is safe. “I guess back home in New Orleans. DEA held him under false pretenses or something. Last I heard, he walked,” she revealed. So, Huell is safe! Though it seems like his days of lounging around in piles of money are behind him…for now.

Executive producer Tom Schnauz recently told Entertainment Weekly that they wanted at least one character to escape the ordeal unscathed. “It was weird. I feel like I wanted somebody from the universe to get away and kind of be happy [laughs],” he explained. “They had set Huell up with the fake photograph and they lied to him about the circumstances, so he felt like the easiest one to be able to walk away from all this.”

The final episodes of Better Call Saul air Mondays at 9 on AMC.

(Via Yahoo! News and Entertainment Weekly)

It used to be called getting your head shrunk. And it was for the self-obsessed or the folk who were a little bit “off.” The crazy people, right? Not for you, me or any of our co-workers or friends. Hush. Don’t talk about it. Everything’s fine…

But as all of us who’ve lived through these last few years know, mental health challenges can happen to any of us. If we’ve learned anything, it’s the realization that some days (weeks, months…) are better than others—and that it’s OK to not be OK.

The days of sweeping mental health issues under the rug are gone—as they should be. Talking about the challenges is exactly what we need to do. Ironic that it took a pandemic to throw the door to the discussion around mental health wide open, helping us to see it as a necessary and normal part of taking care of ourselves.

See on Instagram

America is facing an unprecedented crisis in mental health, with suicide rates higher than any other wealthy nation. The CDC ranks suicide in the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. for people ages 10–64, and the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 25-34.

In 2020, 45,979 Americans died from suicide—that’s one death every 11 minutes. That figure—shocking enough as it is—hides the broader picture: that an estimated 12.2 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.2 million planned a suicide attempt and 1.2 million made an attempt. Those are difficult numbers to ignore.

There are a glimmers of hope, however, and among public health experts by far the most exciting is the rollout of the new three-digit Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

As of July 16, anyone experiencing emotional distress, a substance use crisis or having thoughts of suicide can dial or text 988 to be immediately connected to a trained suicide prevention counselor for support, understanding and connection to local resources—24/7, 365 days a year. This goes for concerned friends or family members, as well.

The lifeline routes an incoming call to one of around 200 crisis centers, matching the caller’s area code to their closest available center—to provide the most accurate recommendations to resources in a caller’s local area. Calls are confidential and a translation service can provide help in 250 languages. There are also accommodations for the deaf and hard of hearing, via a preferred telecommunications relay service or by dialing 711 then 988.

The lifeline isn’t new—it’s been around since 2005 (as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline)—but its accessibility has been hindered by a difficult-to-remember 1-800 number and a less-than-snappy name. Now, the name has been shortened and the long-winded number is out. All people need to know is to dial or text 988. In a crisis, this simple change is monumental and could literally mean the difference between life and death.

“The launch of 988 is a historic moment for suicide prevention and crisis care in this country,” says Shari Sinwelski, vice president of crisis care for the Los Angeles-based Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, one of the more than 200 privately owned and operated organizations in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network and the first ever suicide prevention center to open in the U.S.

“The first day of the 988 launch, we received twice the total volume of contacts (calls, texts and chats) than normal,” Sinwelski told Upworthy.

Nationally, the 988 lifeline received 96,000 calls, texts and chats during the transition week (July 14–20). That’s a 45% increase in volume from the previous week, according to Sinwelski. And it’s a 66% increase in volume compared to the same week in 2021.

Sinwelski sees 988 as just the start of improving the way people access and receive crisis care in the U.S. “Not only do people in crisis now have an easier way to access services, but crisis centers are starting to receive the resources needed to fund these crucial services,” she says. “The hope is that in three to five years, everyone in mental health crisis will have someone to call, someone to come to and somewhere to go.”

While the most recent CDC figures for suicide rates among the general population showed a 5% decline in 2020 compared to the previous two years, tragically the suicide and suicide attempt rates have increased among children, teens and young adults.

“Students are facing unprecedented pressures and circumstances—school shootings, the pandemic and the effects of social media like cyberbullying and dangerous social challenges, in addition to the everyday pressures of school and family,” said Sinwelski. “Nationwide, 60% of teens and young people with depression cannot access care. We have to do better and do more to support our youth.”

The COVID-19 pandemic made mental health challenges so much worse, especially during the shutdown period and particularly among people with limited access to health services, communities of color and essential workers. During this time, “most people experienced anxiety, depression and symptoms of mental health challenges,” according to Sinwelski. “We each know someone affected in some way.”

Mental health challenges are not exclusive to a particular group of people born with a disorder or an addiction gene. Just look at who we’ve lost over the last several years: well-loved actors and comedians, a celebrity chef, fashion designers, rock stars, sports personalities, successful business executives … and more likely than not, a student at your kid’s school, a member of your book club, a fellow mom, dad, neighbor or respected veteran, perhaps even one of your relatives.

“We want people to know that there is help, they are not alone. To call 988 if they are in a mental health crisis, have suicidal thoughts, feel depressed and need help,” says Sinwelski. “988 is the first step in creating a fully resourced mental health crisis continuum in our country when so many Americans desperately need it.”

u201c”The hope is that one day 988 is as ubiquitous as 911, so people in a mental health crisis [know] they can call that number from anywhere in the country and reach someone 24 hours a day.” – Shari Sinwelski, Vice President of Crisis Care for Didi Hirschnnhttps://t.co/X0rz5NBHkKu201d

— Didi Hirsch MHS (@Didi Hirsch MHS)
1658187004

The digits may have changed but the message remains the same: Help is available. And there’s now an accessible, unforgettable number to call. A number that should become as familiar to Americans as 911 (and in a mental health crisis is arguably the better number to call). If you suffer from suicidal or desperate thoughts, go ahead and write 988 in lipstick on your bathroom mirror to remind you that help and hope are waiting to hear from you. Add it to your contacts list, put it in the back of your smartphone case or pin it on your fridge.

In the current climate of more awareness and understanding of mental health, healing, hope and help are happening every day, and every positive step forward in crisis intervention can literally save lives. When we’re all in it together, it’s not such a lonely place.

If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide or require mental health support, call or text 988 to talk to a trained counselor, or visit 988lifeline.org to connect with a counselor and chat in real time.

HBO’s first Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, will officially be upon us on August 21. The show dives into the land of Targaryen wigs before the dynasty’s fall, and as the title indicates, there will be plenty of fire-breathing creatures. And the showrunners are eager to avoid some of the blunders of its predecessor, like that Starbucks cup, and George R.R. Martin has been out there, trying to reassure people that the franchise and this prequel series aren’t “more misogynistic than real life.”

Martin also previously took a swing at “the f*cking toxic Internet.,” but let’s see how star Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown, and that Morbius dance) feels about things. Smith, who portrays Prince Daemon Targaryen, is now forecasting how this show doesn’t shy away from showing skin. That’s no surprise, but via Rolling Stone, Smith actually sounds like he could have done without so many sex scenes:

“You do find yourself asking, ‘Do we need another sex scene?’” says Smith. “And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we do.’ I guess you have to ask yourself: ‘What are you doing? Are you representing the books, or are you diluting the books to represent the time [we’re living in]?’ And I actually think it’s your job to represent the books truthfully and honestly, as they were written.”

So Daemon has his share of bedchamber scenes is what you’re saying? “Yeah — slightly too much, if you ask me,” he laughs.

From there, Smith indicates that not only does Daemon get down with humans, but he’s also got a “very strong connection” with his dragon, Caraxes. “He’s a bit of an avatar of Daemon,” Smith offered. “[H]e’s grumpy, sardonic, insular, volatile, chaotic.” IGN further reveals that the series will feature nine dragons, each with a different personality, so that should be fun for the show to explore. And hopefully, the dragons’ various flights will not veer anywhere near this vibe from the O.G. series.

(Via Rolling Stone & IGN)

Here’s a fun fact: The NFC East has not had a team repeat as division champion since 2004. The division always seems to have something weird up its sleeve, as the Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants pass around the title of the NFC East’s best and play six ultra-tense games against one another every year.

Heading into the 2022 NFL season, Dallas has aspirations of breaking that streak and heading into the postseason with the distinction of being division champs. While New York probably won’t have anything to say about that (although you never know!), both Philly and Washington will shoot to knock the Cowboys off of their perch. With the NFL season starting in about a month, we took a look at the biggest question facing each team in the division.

New York Giants: Can Brian Daboll save their wretched offense?

The Giants were just awful on offense last year. Some numbers: 32nd in offensive DVOA, 31st in yards per game, 31st in passing yards per game, 31st in points per game. There will be times when numbers and the eye test do not line up. This is absolutely not one of those cases, as New York looked hapless on that side of the ball. Head coach Joe Judge was fired and replaced with Brian Daboll, the former offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide and, more recently, Buffalo Bills who has played a major role in both offenses being among the best in their respective leagues. He’s taking over right as starting quarterback Daniel Jones and starting running back Saquon Barkley, both of whom were taken high in back-to-back NFL Drafts, are one year away from hitting free agency. Barkley staying healthy and the team’s offensive line going from “very bad” to “passable” would help, but getting an answer on whether or not Jones is capable of being the team’s starting quarterback going forward is going to set the tone for Daboll’s entire tenure in New York.

Philadelphia Eagles: Can Jalen Hurts take another step forward as a passer?

The group of pass catchers in Philadelphia is quite good. A.J. Brown is now in the City of Brotherly Love after a trade with the Tennessee Titans, DeVonta Smith had a solid rookie season, Quez Watkins was a nice under-the-radar story last season after going in the sixth round of the 2020 Draft, and tight end Dallas Goedert signed a 4-year extension during the season last year. Now, it’s Jalen Hurts’ job to take another step forward as a passer. He was markedly better during his second year in the league than he was as a rookie, completing 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Those are generally okay numbers, and his ability to run the ball (139 carries, 784 yards, 10 touchdowns) gives him an added dimension that other signal callers don’t have, but there is plenty of room for him to grow — his QBR of 48.5 was 19th in the league among qualifying players and the second-lowest among QBs on playoff teams last year (only Ben Roethlisberger, who retired, was lower). The same is true of his passing touchdown percentage, which was 24th in the league and the lowest of all non-Roethlisberger playoff quarterbacks. With the added bonus of being in his second year with head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, things are setting up quite nicely for Hurts this season.

Dallas Cowboys: Can they finally get over the hump in the playoffs?

On Jan. 7, 1996, the Cowboys beat the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round to earn a spot in the conference championship game. They’d go on to win the Super Bowl that year. In the two and a half decades since then, the Cowboys have won exactly zero Divisional Round games, competed for zero NFC Championships, and of course, lifted zero Lombardi Trophies. Last year’s squad crashed and burned in the Wild Card round, losing 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers. Their vaunted offense generated 307 total yards and had one of the worst end of game sequences I’ve seen in my entire life. Having said that, Dallas should still be very good on that side of the ball this year, even with Amari Cooper getting traded to Cleveland, while the team was excellent on defense last season, coming in second in defensive DVOA.

There is so much talent on this roster — guys like Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Micah Parsons, and Trevon Diggs are considered some of the best at their respective positions — and they should win a ton of games in the regular season, but will that matter if they get to the postseason and lose before the NFC Championship Game? If not, Mike McCarthy might be out of a job.

Washington Commanders: How long until Chase Young is 100 percent?

At his best, Chase Young has already established himself as one of the league’s most fearsome defensive linemen. His 7.5 sacks as a rookie were the second most on a very good Washington defensive line, and while he entered his sophomore campaign with a ton of excitement, something just seemed off for much of the year. And then, during the second quarter of their Week 9 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Young tore his ACL. As of this writing, he is on the PUP list and has already been ruled out for Week 1 this year while he works his way back from surgery — head coach Ron Rivera has already said he expects Young to miss some time this year. Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, and Daron Payne are a fearsome group up front, and if Young can return and get up to speed quickly, this is going to be a very tough defensive line for opposing teams to play against. If he can’t, this might be a long year in the nation’s capital, especially if Carson Wentz is unable to give them the kind of QB play they’ve lacked since Kirk Cousins was in town.

Yesterday’s (August 4) news was not good for Brittney Griner: The WNBA star was found guilty on drug charges in Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison. Ever since the basketball player was first detained in March, there has been outrage about the situation, with a new wave of it coming after yesterday’s ruling. Boosie Badazz in particular had a passionate reaction, in which he pointed fingers.

In a video shared after the news broke, Boosie implies race is an issue when it comes to the United States’ efforts to free Griner, using a Taylor Swift comparison to make his point. He says, “How the hell this girl get nine years for a weed pen… and the USA ain’t doing nothing about it? You tell me that! If that was Taylor Swift, it’d be a peace treaty right now! They’d be drafting to go to war!”

He then set his sights on Vice President Kamala Harris, continuing, “What that show for Black women in the United States?! And the Vice President: as a Black woman, you supposed to be on the front line! You supposed to be on the front line to get that Black woman out of jail! Nine damn years! Y’all f*cked up in this world!”

Check out the video above.

Back in 2017, Calvin Harris had a slight change in direction in his career thanks to his fifth album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. While the project featured just 10 songs, it recruited a talented roster of artists to bring their talents for groovy and dance-worthy anthems. In total, Frank Ocean, Migos, Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor, DRAM, Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Future, Khalid, Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Big Sean, Kehlani, Lil Yachty, and Jessie Reyez all showed up on Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. The album was praised from all corners of the industry and fans begged for Vol. 2, and finally, after five long years, Calvin Harris delivered just that.

Here Are Some Early Reactions To Calvin Harris’ ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2’

At long last, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 is here for the world to enjoy. It’s a bit longer than the first installment, but Calvin made sure to call up the industry’s best names for his last body of work. Through 14 songs, listeners will catch appearances from 21 Savage, Dua Lipa, Young Thug, Tinashe, Offset, Normani, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, Halsey, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Chloe Bailey, 21 Savage, Latto, Charlie Puth, Swae Lee, Stefflon Don, 6lack, Pusha T, Donae’o, Lil Durk, Shenseea, and Jorja Smith.

With all the excitement that was behind the project leading up to its release, it’s no surprise that some were quick to share their thoughts about it on social media.

Some loved what they heard on the new album:

A lot more people were critical of it:

And, of course, you have your jokes:

Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 is out now via Columbia Records. You can stream it here.

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