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It’s widely acknowledged that the cultural phenomenon known as hip-hop officially began at a house party in The Bronx, New York on August 11, 1973. That means hip-hop is nearly 50 years old, and to celebrate its impending golden jubilee, Mass Appeal has announced the Hip-Hop 50: The Soundtrack project, 10 EPs produced by some of the culture’s biggest names to commemorate hip-hop’s longevity (the ha, the ha). The first will be DJ Premier: Hip-Hop 50 Volume 1, produced by… I mean, it’s right there in the title… dropping on July 15 via Mass Appeal and The Orchard.

The project’s five tracks will feature appearances from old-school legends like Nas and Slick Rick, contemporary craft masters like Joey Badass, Rapsody, and Run The Jewels, and cross-generational all-timer Lil Wayne. In a statement, DJ Premier said, “It’s an honor to kick off this iconic Hip Hop 50 music program. Hip Hop continues to inspire fans across the globe and it’s incredible to think of what the next 50 years will bring.” It seems likely that the new track Premier and Nas previewed last week is actually “Beat Breaks,” their collaboration from this project.

Future EPs in the Hip-Hop 50: The Soundtrack will include entries produced by Hit-Boy, Mike Will Made-It, Mustard, No I.D., Swizz Beatz, The-Dream, and more. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Universal Hip-Hop Museum, as well as other charitable organizations. Other arms of the Hip-Hop 50 initiative include live event programming and a slate of documentaries with Paramount + and Showtime, including the Supreme Team documentary that premiered on Friday, July 10, as well as the Spotify Original podcast, The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip-Hop, hosted by Miss Info and Nas.

DJ Premier: Hip Hop 50 Volume 1 is out 7/15 via Mass Appeal Records and The Orchard. You can pre-save it here. You can see the tracklist below.

01. “Lettin’ Off Steam” Feat. Joey Bada$$
02. “Remy Rap” Feat. Remy Ma & Rapsody
03. “Beat Breaks” Feat. Nas
04. “Terrible 2’s” Feat. Run The Jewels
05. “The Root Of All” Feat. Lil Wayne & Slick Rick

Harley Quinn just might be the best show you’re not watching (non The Bear category, of course), and there’s no better time to hop on board with a third season of the HBO Max cartoon on the way later this month. Monday brought a second trailer for the highly-anticipated streaming series that offers more details on the (spoilers ahead) relationship sure to anchor the upcoming episodes.

Much like the first trailer for Season 3, the new look is all about Harley and Ivy’s newfound romance and what they plan to do now that they’ve officially teamed up. And while the first trailer was about a much more vague “Eat. Bang! Kill” tour, Monday’s reveal is more to the point: Ivy’s finally going to terraform Gotham to make it an Eden-like paradise.

There are other hints about what’s to come as well, including a few familiar faces reappearing. Juxtaposing the typical DC darkness is a running theme of Harley Quinn, and Season 3 is no exception.

“Anyone wanna switch seats?” Quinn asks aloud on a bus, for example, while Nightwing monologues about how much Gotham needs him.

Other characters have their own plans for Gotham, though. Like a family-man Joker running for mayor, for example. And as the trailer makes clear, this is a different Harley Quinn we’re seeing in Season 3. And that might mean she’s not exactly OK with Ivy’s big plans after all. And might be teaming up with some other folks to fight back.

“I believe she’s going through what’s known as ‘some sh*t,” Clayface says about, well, someone. We’ll have to wait to find out who when Season 3 hits HBO Max on July 28.

Jeopardy! is well-known for having some of the most vocal fans in the syndicated game show world. If its long-spanning quest for a replacement for Alex Trebek is any indication, fans certainly have a lot to say about how the show is made, its adherence to its own rules and even how individual contestants play the game. Especially when they’re on screen for a long time.

Which has certainly happened a lot over the last three or so seasons, with so-called mega-champions going on long runs of success. Winning even a handful of episodes in a row is impressive, but a number of contestants have survived weeks-long gauntlets of trivia to return as champions and rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings. Not to mention three million-dollar winners in recent years — James Holzhauer, Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider.

Trebek himself had said in the past that the show is about the players, and the truly great ones have become stars in their own right. As well as taken attention away from all the drama around who is hosting. Which is a good thing, but not everyone seems satisfied by the recent string of mega champs.

The show’s very active Reddit community recently debated whether having so many long winning streaks close together has actually been good for the show. In some cases, the returning champions were a more consistent presence than the long string of guest hosts tried out in the wake of Trebek’s death in November of 2020.

As TV Insider pointed out, some fans spoke out about fatigue of seeing impressive runs of success on screen for weeks at a time.

One of the game show’s long-time viewers posted a thread on the Jeopardy! Reddit on Saturday, July 9, asking, “Does anyone else enjoy new champions on the regular?” While the fan noted that mega-champs are “great,” he added that he enjoys “seeing a daily or regular turnover of champions,” pointing to Yungsheng Wang’s recent short tenure as champion and how it “made the whole game more enjoyable.”

There’s something to be said for getting tired of the same players, but it’s certainly worth pointing out just how impressive those long streaks are despite their recent frequency. Contestants tape five episodes a day, so any streak longer than a week requires multiple taping days under hot lights while other contestants try to make the most of their only shot at their own game show immortality.

Not everyone agrees that it’s boring, of course, which is no surprise given how popular Jeopardy! is and how vibrant the community around the show has grown. But it’s certainly interesting to see how fans react to the game’s best players. Even if some people feel they’ve overstayed their welcome a bit.

[via TV Insider]

Even the most casual Star Wars fan knows the answer to, “Who shot first: Han or Greedo?” It’s Han, and don’t let anyone — even George Lucas — tell you otherwise. But if you really want to get Star Wars fans in a tizzy, bring a group of them to a bar ask, “Do you pronounce it A-T-A-T or @-@?” It may end up bloodier than Mos Eisley Cantina.

The Star Wars Twitter account choose violence by posing that question this weekend:

Hm, OK, that’s not super helpful, although the first AT-AT — which stands for All Terrain Armored Transport, as seen above — ran away with the contest with 71 percent of the vote (Joe Biden should hire first AT-AT to run his re-election campaign).

Luckily, Mark Hamill showed up in the replies and settled the debate once and for all.

There you have it: it’s @-@, although Hamill did note, “FYI: When we would ask George: “Is it Chew-bah-ka or Chew-back-a?” / “Is it Lay-a or Lee-a?” / “Is it Hahn or Han (as in hand)?”- he would just shrug & didn’t really care. He told us it would be pronounced in various ways in different parts of the galaxy.” So, even though @-@ is correct and has always been correct, you can pronounce it however you want. Want to call them Wattos-Wattos? Go ahead. Unlike Luke, there’s no one all-powerful Force controlling you.

(Via the Huffington Post)

The Eye usually features up-and-coming artists taking to a minimal studio space for a one-shot, black-and-white performance of discography highlights, with just a single microphone and camera capturing the rendition. That’s mostly true for the latest installment, but this time, performing is somebody we’ve already known well for years now: Kevin Gates.

The Louisiana rapper has been at it for well over a decade, with his first brush with mainstream success coming in 2013 via the Stranger Than Fiction mixtape, his first release to land on the Billboard 200. A few years after that, in 2016, he dropped his debut album, Islah, which managed a peak all the way up at No. 2. The 2019 follow-up I’m Him also fared well, topping out at No. 4. Most recently, his third album, June’s Khaza (which we named one of our most-anticipated rap albums of the summer), was the rapper’s third straight top-10 LP. (A couple mixtapes, 2017’s By Any Means 2 and 2018’s Luca Brasi 3, also both peaked at No. 4.)

So, Gates comes into his new performance for The Eye with a wealth of experience and success by his side. With the instrumental backing him, Gates goes hard for two minutes, sometimes spitting quick-paced verses and sometimes delivering some tender singing.

On the vulnerable track, a single from Khaza, he sings of a woman he loves, for better or worse. Lyrics include, “No one loves you like I will / Feel like Yung Bleu ’cause you mines still / Baby, tell me what the fuck they know ’bout our love / Our love is a fire inside and it’s burnin’ forever.”

Watch Gates perform “Bad For Me” for The Eye above.

Kevin Gates is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

At the beginning of the month, Cardi B continued the journey towards her long-awaited sophomore album by releasing “Hot Sh*t,” her fiery collaboration with Kanye West and Lil Durk. The track features three solid verses from the artists who all did well over Tay Keith’s thumping production. Now, almost two weeks after the song’s arrival, Cardi is finally ready to share a video for it. She announced the visual with a brief teaser video that captures her descending from the side of a skyscraper. Cardi also confirmed that the video will arrive on July 12 at 8pm ET.

Shortly after she released “Hot Sh*t,” Cardi explained why a video did not arrive together with the single.

“Oh my goodness, I don’t want to talk about the video because this video has brought me so much drama,” she said during an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “So this is the first time I ever do CGI. I’m very particular on how I like my things, and I really like when things look super realistic. I like building sets, or I like to be in a place.”

She continued, “I couldn’t maneuver or move how I wanted to, because I was very confused. After I finished the video, I find out that this sh*t takes so long. I did this video around March, and it’s still not even ready yet. And it’s just so frustrating that I’m like, ‘You know what? Just put the f*cking song out. I don’t even give a f*ck anymore. I’m over it.’”

You can watch the teaser video for “Hot Sh*t” above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Getting a new puppy or kitten can be life altering in the best way, but those first few days can be a doozy. Trying to get a new animal acclimated to your home and schedule isn’t always easy and if you have other pets, it can make it downright impossible to do without taking some time off to monitor everyone. That’s where the concept of pawternity leave is helpful. You may be thinking pawternity leave sounds made up, but it’s actually a real thing for some companies.

It’s totally true. Several companies offer some form of pawternity or furternity leave for employees to welcome and acclimate new pets into their home. The range of time varies from 10 hours of paid leave to up to two weeks. MParticle, a company that offers two weeks of leave, has one stipulation on those two weeks. You must be adopting a shelter pet to qualify. Some companies even offer paid pet bereavement time. After all, these little furry guys are members of the family, so when we inevitably have to say goodbye, being able to take a day or so without guilt is important.

Pets can help with things like anxiety and depression, and some can be trained as service animals to help people live safely in the world around them. If someone adopts an animal from a shelter, they’re helping to clear out some of the overpopulated shelters to make room for other animals in need. Employers trying to be more in tune with what their employees need and providing some sort of leave when adding a new pet or during the time of pet loss is a wonderful step in the right direction for so many reasons.

Which companies are providing this unique benefit? There are a few. For example, Rover and Mars Petcare provide employees with 10 hours of leave and up to a week off for a new pet, plus the added perk of bringing the pet to the office after the 10 hours is up. MParticle pays for up to two weeks’ leave if the employee adopts from a shelter. BrewDog, a Scottish beer company, offers a week of leave. Collective Measures, a marketing company in Minneapolis, and Zogics, an industrial cleaning supply company, also offer pawternity leave, while Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants of San Francisco, The African Garden, VMware, Maxwell Health, Trupanion and Drugmart.com all allow for some form of pet bereavement leave.

Though these companies are in the minority with their pet leave policies, we can only hope that more companies will join in the future to allow an easier transition for new pet parents.

Most of us are familiar with the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show—perhaps through the 2000 Christopher Guest mockumentary “Best in Show,” if nothing else. The competition has been around for 143 years, celebrating canine pedigree and showcasing the best of various breeds. Dogs compete in the categories of Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding, and then one lucky pooch ultimately gets named Best in Show.

That’s all well and good if you’re into that kind of thing, but what about the mutts and misfits? What about the doggos who may be the best human companions but don’t have the shiniest coats or the greatest agility? Where’s the celebration of them?

Enter the American Rescue Dog Show.

The American Rescue Dog Show celebrates the average adopted doggo. The show is hosted by Joe Tessitore and Rob Riggle, who totally lean into the heartfelt campiness of the idea. The three judges for 2022—Paula Abdul, Leslie Jordan and Yvette Nicole Brown—have all had rescue dogs of their own.

The delightful categories include Best in Ears, Best in Snoring, Best in Wrinkles and Best in Belly Rubs. There’s even a Best in Underbite category.

Check out these cuties:

u201cdid anyone else catch the u201cBest in Rescue Dog Showu201d??? nnthey had a category for best underbite ud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2du201d

— kelly (@kelly)
1657131040

The show’s creator and executive producer, Michael Levitt, has two rescue dogs himself, Trooper and Nelson, who serve as mascots for his production company. According to ABC7, Levitt once took an entire year off from producing to help dogs find homes.

“As a rescuer, I’m saving one dog at a time, which is amazing,” he told ABC7, “but as a producer, I knew I could do so much more to have an impact on a national level. That’s really how ‘The American Rescue Dog Show’ came about.”

And the show puts its money where its underbite is. Dogs who win any of the seven “Best in” categories win $10,000 for their local animal welfare group. The ultimate winner, named “Best in Rescue” gets an additional $100,000 to donate.

The show is perfect family television watching, and Levitt hopes that it will inspire more people to consider rescuing pets instead of getting them from breeders. Animal shelters across the country have pets waiting for people to offer them a welcoming home, and seeing how lovable these doggos are makes it hard to resist.

The show aired on ABC at the end of May but can currently be found on Hulu.

If you’re anything like most overwhelmed adults, you may sometimes find yourself forgetting why you walked into a room. Perhaps you’ve wondered if it’s an early sign of dementia. You let the thought flow while knowing you’re likely too young … but what about early onset dementia, you might think to yourself? If you’ve had this thought more than once, watch this video as it ought to put your mind at ease. Teepa Snow from Positive Approach to Care (PAC) demonstrates the difference between normal forgetfulness and dementia (a general term for a variety of conditions, one of which is Alzheimer’s disease).

In the video, Snow sits in a chair and thinks out loud that she would like to make a cup of coffee but on her way to do so, her phone rings. The conversation involves several details and by the time she hangs up, she’s forgotten why she was standing up in the first place. It’s an occurrence that probably happens multiple times a day in most households. You start to do something and get distracted by a pet, child or phone call, then completely forget what you were going to do in the first place. The feeling is frustrating, but sometimes it turns into concern, especially if it happens multiple times a week.

Snow effectively demonstrates how dementia differs from forgetfulness and the contrast is mind-blowing. When Snow sits back in the chair to set the stage for the dementia example, the audience appears shocked by the notable difference. She gets up to make coffee, answers the phone then begins rambling about someone stealing her drinking glasses before tucking it away safely in the freezer. Yes, the freezer.

The stark contrast between average forgetfulness and dementia is so effectively displayed that it should ease the minds of many overworked and overly stressed people.

Florida might be a swing state, but the rapper Flo Rida (whose song, “My House,” was in heavy rotation at Marco Rubio‘s 2016 primary rallies) sure caused some swinging that didn’t end well for the pants of a certain Fox News on-air personality. That wasn’t host Steve Doocy, who handled the below situation just fine. This turned out to be a Fox and Friends dance-fest with Flo Rida, and a bunch of conservative TV personalities getting “Low” onstage might be too much.

Below (after the 15-second mark), you can see correspondent Todd Piro onstage and actually read his lips the moment after he realizes his pants were history.

At least he’s having a really good time! To Piro’s credit, he showed off his pants’ battle scars onstage, and then he took to Instagram: “I ripped my pants when I got too low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low.” Mediaite fills in the blanks about how (in the moment) Piro gamely acknowledged the split as well while announcing to the live audience, “I got too low with Flo Rida.”

Naturally, Steve Doocy kept things together just fine while participating in similarly aerobic movies while onstage. Sometimes, morning TV can be truly strange. Also: Your move, Brian Kilmeade.