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The Botox-loving Vladimir Putin defending his dismal Ukraine war (he has declared victory in a Ukraine province), but he’s also growing wildly defensive about his shirtless horseback jaunts. What a strange combo, so let’s back up a bit.

Before his imperialistic lust took over, Putin was also infamous (worldwide) for the above shirtless photo shoot from 2009. He’s also known to take “macho” photos of his martial arts exploits, but he’s apparently feeling the pain of a rock-bottom approval rate (his lowest in 20 years). The global pariah also became the subject of chiding at the recent G7 summit, where British PM Boris Johnson declared that Putin’s war on Ukraine is the “perfect example of toxic masculinity” while trashing his “crazy, macho war of invasion and violence.” Johnson added that maybe everyone should take off their shirts to “show that we’re tougher than Putin.” And Canadian PM Justin Trudeau suggested that Western leaders should band together for a “bare-chested horseback riding display,” too.

This was a pointed callback to the 2009 photos, and that’s exactly how Putin read it. He’s now furious and lashing out, via the NY Post:

“I don’t know how they wanted to get undressed, above or below the waist,” he said. “But I think it would be a disgusting sight in any case.”

The 69-year-old president added, “Everything in a person should be harmonious: both body and soul, but for that to happen it’s necessary to stop abusing alcohol and other bad habits, do physical exercise and take part in sports.”

Well, at least he’s got this U.S. lawmaker on his side? Oh nevermind. Putin’s running short on allies, and there’s word of a secret successor in the works while he’s reportedly at risk for a “hammer to the head” from someone in his inner circle, all while he can’t even get a little respect for those shirtless photos. It’s rough out there for an autocrat.

(Via CBS News)

Scores of awards are handed out to various elite bourbons throughout the year. More and more each year — as new contests appear on the scene. It’s a seemingly endless cycle of medals, trophies, and new bourbon whiskies to keep up with. Meaning it’s a heck of a lot to navigate.

Well, friends, I’m here to help. I taste the vast majority of the awarded bourbons every year both as a tasting leader in the industry and as a judge at competitions. I can help you sort through all the static and find that one bottle of award-winning bourbon to actually put on your home bar cart.

To do that, I’m conducting a blind taste test of 15 award-winning bourbon whiskeys from this year’s spirits award competitions. I’m only going for the top awards though — double gold, double platinum, and best in shows — from a few different contests. If I started including gold, silver, and bronze placers from all the competitions worldwide, we’d be here until the end of 2023.

As for the ranking aspect, I’m going on taste alone. These are all award-winning bourbons. We know they’re well-made, nuanced, deep, etc. I will do my best to stay objective and simply find the best overall taste regardless of whether I know what’s in the glass. This is simply about what tastes good.

Our lineup today is:

• Pursuit United Bourbon Batch 2
• Kentucky Owl Wiseman
• Penelope Private Select Barrel Strength
• Smooth Ambler Old Scout
• Nashville Barrel Company Single Barrel
• Stellum Bourbon
• George Dickel Bottled In Bond Spring 2007
• Barrell Bourbon Batch 030
• Blue Note Juke Joint Uncut
• Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A122
• Redemption High Rye Bourbon
• Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
• Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel
• Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion #6
• Boulder Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Let’s dive in!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best Ten-Year-Old Bourbon Whiskeys, Tasted Blind And Ranked
• We Tasted Bourbon Whiskeys ‘Double-Blind’ And Tried To Guess Each Bottle
• All The Double Gold-Winning Straight Bourbons From This Year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Christmas cake and almost sour mulled wine mix with a hint of honey and dark chocolate on the nose. The palate leans into the honey with a hint of burnt sugar next to a spicy chocolate tobacco vibe next to a twinge of orange oil and maybe some dry cedar. The orange and chocolate become more apparent on the backend as a soft holiday cake spiciness warms the palate.

This was a nice place to start. It’s complex yet very approachable. It’s pretty lush as well.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a little hard to pick through. I get notes of sweetgrass, toffee, a touch of salt, some circus peanut, and a dash of cumin with some allspice. The palate holds onto the toffee as cornmeal, vanilla beans, and a hint of sweet raspberry sneak in. Wet cedar leads the mid-palate toward a finish full of leathery pouches full of tobacco with a hint of mint and more allspice.

“These are not the droids you’re looking for.” I found this nice. But, it just wasn’t quite what I wanted in a glass of whiskey. That said, I could see using this as a funky/spicy foundation for a spicy cocktail paired with some South Asian food.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Cornmeal and apple pastries lead to mulled wine spices, brown sugar, and a little note of wet cedar bark on the nose. The taste leans into heavy brandy-soaked cherry vibes as waxy dark chocolate with a sour edge leads to apple fritters, winter spices, buttery crust, and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. The finish leverages the brandy cherries against old dry wicker with a dark spiced chocolate tobacco chew.

Hell yes. This is damn nice.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Corn tortillas and taco seasoning pop on the nose with a hint of dark chocolate and maybe some vanilla bean. The palate veers away toward cherry tobacco and dry straw with a more cinnamon-infused chocolate vibe. The end is sweet with a hint of marshmallow next to caramel and more cherry tobacco.

Well, that’s nice but a little all over the place. That taco seasoning (cumin, oregano, chili) isn’t off-putting but does leave you scratching your head for a moment. That said, I bet this is great with a plate of hard-shell tacos.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

The nose draws you in with still warm and salted kettle corn with a hint of cotton candy in the background while Hostess Cherry Pies mix with salted caramel, old jacket leather, and a hint of orange oil. The taste amps up the warmth with a mix of cinnamon, allspice, anise, and clove next to a lush nutmeg/eggnog creaminess that leads to Almond Joy and more salted caramel with a whisper of dry sweetgrass. The end is old and leathery with sweet cedar, dried fruits, and plenty of wintry spices.

This is a contender. It’s f*cking great.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Holiday cake spices with nuts and dried fruit draw you in the nose with a hint of honey and tart apple. The palate mixes vanilla cake with dried chili flakes next to blackberry jam with a line of cinnamon and nutmeg throughout. The end is part winter spice and part soft and creamy honey with a light vanilla tobacco buzz on the end.

I dig this. It’s really tasty but kind of middle of the road compared to some of the tastes above.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sweet almost oaty vibe to the nose with a hint of apple fritter with pecans next to old leather gloves and a hint of woody maple. The palate leans into the apple and pecan with a dry chocolate pudding sachet next to cherry Necco Wafers with a hint of health food store vitamin aisle. The cherry turns candied as the finish leans into browned butter, soft apple pie filling, plenty of dark and woody spices, and a hint of sweet oak.

There’s no question this is a Dickel product, thanks to that Necco Wafers vibe. Still, this is pretty goddamn tasty all around.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Plum jam with plenty of dark spices mingles with candied fruit and citrus next to a hint of nuts and an almost dark rum vibe. The palate shifts towards brambles full of blackberries and blueberries that are tart, sour, sweet, and earthy. The fruit stews toward a pie filling as lines of vanilla cream, sharp cinnamon, smoked chili in dark chocolate, and walnuts arrive. The end gets creamy and full of that chocolate and nuts with a hint of earthiness.

This was a lot. It was all good but I feel like I need a rest after getting through all of that.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

This has a classic bourbon nose. Caramel, vanilla, oak, orchard fruit. The taste leans into the dark and woody spices with a touch of creaminess thanks to nutmeg and vanilla. The finish is part Red Hots and part vanilla tobacco with a twinge of cedar.

This was actually a nice break. It’s so easy drinking yet classic and familiar.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a hint of sourdough doughnuts dusted with cinnamon and pecans next to floral honey, caramel, and candle wax with a vanilla feel to it. The taste rolls through soft leather and singed marshmallows toward vanilla cream and cinnamon sticks with a touch of cedar. The end is all about the lush eggnog with dry braids of cedar bark leading to cinnamon-apple tobacco pipe tobacco with a warming old leather pouch wrapped around everything.

This is another classic with a great profile. I don’t know where it’ll land, but it’ll be high on the list.

Taste 11

Tasting Notes:

Vanilla and orange lead to red and slightly tart berries with a mix of brown spices on the nose. The palate is more about chocolate-dipped cherries with black pepper, clove, root beer, and a hint of lemon zest. The end has an old glove feel with a lemon pepper sharpness that leads chocolate-cherry note on the slow yet warm fade out.

I feel like this is the fifth or sixth pour where I’ve said, “yup, that’s sure nice. We’re deep in this tasting and this is a solid entry.

Taste 12

Tasting Notes:

The nose of this feels lush with creamy vanilla, soft Christmas cake, gentle candied fruity, soft nuts, and a whisper of old cedar. The palate brightens the fruit toward a red berry with floral notes leading to soft marzipan and a hint of an old leather boot. The end lets the cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg merge into soft pipe tobacco that’s just touched with vanilla and red berry with a twinge of sourness lurking underneath it all.

Damn, this really is good. This is top tier for sure.

Taste 13

Tasting Notes:

Dark fruit leather and vanilla wafers mingle with applewood and a good dose of salted caramel on the nose. The taste adds to that with layers of dark cherry tobacco, sharp winter spices, suede, and a hint of cotton candy with cedar bark lingering in between. The end comes around with notes of Blackberry Hostess Pies, soft leather, chewy yet fruity tobacco, and moldy wicker furniture.

Damnit, this is going to be impossible to rank. This is so damn good too.

Taste 14

Tasting Notes:

Honey and apple break out on the nose with a bit of the apple core, vanilla pod, and caramel. There’s a warm spicy note to the taste that leads to walnuts dipped in maple syrup with a buttery apple pie crust next t some sweetgrass. The end has a woodiness to it that’s part wintry spice and part sweet oak with an underlying cherry tobacco vibe.

This is very good but feels a little more middle of the pack than “OMFG!”

Taste 15

Tasting Notes:

This is all fruit on the nose with tropical fruits really popping next to a hint of vanilla and caramel. The palate feels like a pineapple-forward and slightly spicy rum drink with a hint of sticky toffee pudding next to a dried apricot. The finish is pretty sweet with a cotton candy vibe next to more sweet fruit and a hint of dark chocolate.

This reminded me of a hazy IPA. That’s fine, I guess.

Part 2: The Ranking

15. Boulder Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon — Taste 15

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $90

The Whiskey:

This Colorado bourbon is a bit of an outlier. The juice is made from a mash bill of 51 percent corn, 44 percent malted barley, and only five percent rye. That makes this one almost closer to a grain whiskey from Ireland or Scotland than a standard bourbon. The whiskey ages for four years before blending, proofing, and bottling in the Rocky Mountains.

Bottom Line:

That fruity nose and body just aren’t for me in this one, especially on this panel. Had this been up against other crafty bourbons with little barrel time, it would probably rise to the top. But that’s not why we’re here today.

Awards:

Double Gold 2022 SFWSC

14. Blue Note Juke Joint Uncut — Taste 9

ABV: 62.25%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

This sourced whiskey comes from Kentucky. The juice is a blend of 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and nine percent malted barley whiskey that’s aged for up to four years before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was good, fine, well-made. It just didn’t grab me as a great sipper. I’d mix a killer cocktail with this in a heartbeat though.

Awards:

Double Platinum 2022 Ascot Awards, Double Gold 2022 SFWSC

13. Smooth Ambler Old Scout — Taste 4

ABV: 49.5%

Average Price: $48

The Whiskey:

Old Scout is MGP’s classic high rye bourbon — 60 percent corn, 36 percent rye, and four percent malt barley — that’s aged for five years. The juice is batched in small quantities and proofed down with West Virginia’s Appalachian water.

Bottom Line:

This was good, albeit it was a little funky. I liked the funk but it didn’t propel the pour to any heights against this lineup.

Awards:

Double Platinum 2022 Ascot Awards

12. Kentucky Owl Wiseman — Taste 2

ABV: 45.4%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

This new-ish release from Kentucky Owl is meant to be an affordable and accessible Kentucky Owl from the otherwise elite brand. The juice is a blend of contract distilled whiskey from Bardstown Bourbon Company and sourced barrels from around Kentucky that are four to eight years old.

Bottom Line:

This was a little funky, which helped it stand out but didn’t really elevate it amongst the pours in this particular tasting.

Awards:

Double Gold 2022 SFWSC

11. Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion #6 — Taste 14

ABV: 48.95%

Average Price: $64

The Whiskey:

Bardstown Bourbon Company is one of the best blenders/distillers around. Their Fusion Series #6 release marries 56 percent three-year-old high-ish rye bourbon with 30 percent 11-year-old low-rye bourbon and 14 percent three-year-old low-rye bourbon to create this mix. Both three-year-olds are from Bardstown’s own still with the 11-year-old being sourced juice.

Bottom Line:

I hate to say it, but this felt a little basic today. Not bad, at all. It was just very “this is damn good whiskey, so… who’s next?”

Awards:

Double Gold 2022 SFWSC

10. Redemption High Rye Bourbon — Taste 11

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

These bottles are the masterwork of chef-turned-master-blender David Carpenter. The juice is hand-selected MGP single barrels that provide a classic bourbon base that then leans a little softer on the palate.

Bottom Line:

I felt like this could have been anywhere between 12 and five on this list. It is quality juice that really depends on my mood where I’d place it. On one hand, I’d really love this over a single rock to let it bloom a little. On another hand, I can see using this for a great Manhattan.

So.. here we are.

Awards:

Double Platinum 2022 Ascot Awards

9. George Dickel Bottled In Bond Spring 2007 — Taste 7

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This year’s release is a whiskey that was warehoused in spring 2007. 13 years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the law) and sent out to the wide world where it received much adoration.

Bottom Line:

I knew this was Dickel. That said, today it landed a bit like an outlier. It was 100 percent solid but didn’t grab my attention like some of the others on this list.

Awards:

Double Gold 2022 SFWSC

8. Stellum Bourbon — Taste 6

ABV: 57.49%

Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

The juice in that bottle is a cask-strength blend of whiskeys from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This whiskey is all about the blending process that Stellum (part of Barrell Spirit Company) employs to make this special and award-winning juice. Basically, the process is a sort of hybrid reverse solera technique where the blend gets more juice to keep the proof high and the blend consistent in flavor as the batch is drained off.

Bottom Line:

This was the perfect “middle of the road” bourbon for this list. It’s refined and tastes great but hits very classic notes and that’s about it.

Awards:

Double Platinum 2022 Ascot Awards

7. Barrell Bourbon Batch 030 — Taste 8

ABV: 57.94%

Average Price: $93

The Whiskey:

2021’s Barrell Batch 030 launched the brand’s awesome blends into a new direction by adding Wyoming bourbon alongside Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee whiskeys. The final mix ended up being a blend of five, six, nine, ten, eleven, and 15-year-old bourbons that were bottled at barrel proof.

Bottom Line:

This is another great outing from Barrell Craft Spirits. This pour was well-rounded and engaging. There was also a lot going on and I was starting to look more for comforting than challenging in this tasting.

Awards:

Double Platinum 2022 Ascot Awards, Double Gold 2022 SFWSC

6. Pursuit United Batch 2 — Taste 1

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

As mentioned above, this is a vatted from 40 total barrels from three different states. While the team at Pursuit United doesn’t release the Tennessee distillery name, we know the juices from Kentucky and New York are from Bardstown Bourbon Company and Finger Lakes Distilling, respectively. This final release of 2021 from Pursuit United put 9,342 bottles on the market in six states (Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, and Kentucky).

Bottom Line:

This was a pretty easy whiskey to rank high on this list. It’s complex yet 100 percent approachable as an everyday sipper.

Awards:

Best Bourbon 2022 John Barleycorn Awards

5. Penelope Barrel Strength — Taste 3

ABV: 59.1%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from Penelope really helps solidify the brand as a powerhouse in blending. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of three bourbon mash bills (one is 21 percent rye, another 90 percent corn, and a 45 percent wheated bourbon — all from MGP), which create a four-grain (corn, wheat, rye, and barley) bourbon. All of this is to say that this is a masterful blend of four to five-year-old barrels into something bigger than the individual parts.

Bottom Line:

This was pretty damn good today. It stood out. It was complex and delicious. The only reason it’s a little lower is that I could have used a single cube to calm it down and let it bloom a little.

Awards:

Best of Class Small Batch Bourbon Up to 5 Years 2022 SFWSC, Best Blend of Straight Bourbon 2022 Ascot Awards

4. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A122 — Taste 10

ABV: 60.4%

Average Price: $130

The Whiskey:

This year’s first drop is a 12-year-old whiskey made from Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash of 78 percent corn, 12 percent malted barley, and a mere ten percent rye. Those barrels are masterfully blended into this Barrel Proof expression with no cutting or fussing. This is as-is bourbon from the barrel.

Bottom Line:

This felt both classic and bold. Moreover, it was just really good juice from top to bottom.

Awards:

Double Platinum 2022 Ascot Awards

3. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit — Taste 12

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $64

The Whiskey:

Jimmy Russell hand selects eight to nine-year-old barrels from his warehouses for their individual taste and quality. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location.

Bottom Line:

Buy this bottle. It’s great. Plus, it’s actually fairly available still. That won’t last forever.

Awards:

Double Platinum 2022 Ascot Awards

2. Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel — Taste 13

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $132

The Whiskey:

These whiskeys for E.H. Taylor, Jr. are aged in the famed Warehouse C at Buffalo Trace from their mash bill no. 1. While the exact parameters of that bill are undisclosed, this is the same recipe as Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and Stagg. In this case, the barrels are picked for their Taylor flavor profile and bottled one at a time with a slight touch of water to bring them down to bottled-in-bond proof.

Bottom Line:

I flipped back and forth on this and the next entry for a while. Both are pretty fantastic all around. I think this feels a tad more classic and that’s it. Otherwise, this is pretty much perfect whiskey.

Awards:

Double Gold 2022 SFWSC

1. Nashville Barrel Company Single Barrel — Taste 5

ABV: Varies

Average Price: $90

The Whiskey:

Nashville Barrel Co. is doing some of the best work in the bottling game, full stop. They’re sourcing incredible barrels (a lot from MGP) and bottling them as-is without any cutting, filtering, or fussing — they let the whiskey speak for itself and it’s kind of magical. This expression tends to be five to eight-year-old barrels that will vary slightly in the flavor profile while always leaning into bold and distinct flavors.

Bottom Line:

This was both a surprise and kind of not one at all. These single-barrel picks from the team at Nashville Barrel Company are some of the most revered in the industry right now. Why? They always taste great. This was both an instant classic and took me somewhere new.

Awards:

Best in Class Single Barrel Bourbon Up to 10 Years 2022 SFWSC

Part 3: Final Thoughts

This was way harder than I thought. While there were bottles that appealed more to my palate than others, a lot of it was great. Honestly, 14 through 6 all could have been a tie.

That said, I stand by the top five on this list. Those bottles all have a great flavor and depth that are worth seeking out. Obviously, some of them will be harder to get than others, but it’s worth hunting a few expressions down to a) have a great bottle on your bar and b) enjoy something really, really good, 3) see what resonates with award voters.

Enjoy!

Over the last handful of years, the term “Florida Man” has become a fixture of memes and the news, and with good reason: There are so many Florida Men. Defined as an eccentric who commits some outside-the-box deed in the Sunshine State, it’s been used to describe everything from criminals to oddballs. It can be a Florida man who calls 911 to brag about his muscles, or it can be a Florida man who sees Spider-Man: No Way Home nearly 300 times. It can also be a Florida man who steals an R2D2 statue for a creatively bonkers reason.

As per South Florida Sun-Sentinel (as picked up by The Daily Beast), a Florida man named David Proudfoot was busted stealing a grab bag of items from Disney resorts, among them a $10,000 statue for one of Star Wars’ most beloved droids. When questioned as to why he stole so many items, he had an unpredictable reason: He had a pending application to be a Disney security guard and he wanted to locate gaps in their security system.

Given how much he stole, Proudfoot probably did them a good service. In fact, it sounds almost like the plot of the 1992 movie Sneakers, in which Robert Redford leads a group of professional thieves who loan themselves out to businesses to do exactly what Proudfoot did. Maybe they should hire him.

Meanwhile, the Florida man running the state, Ron DeSantis, was the subject of a new, damning ad from California governor Gavin Newsom, pointing out that residents are losing civil rights left and right.

(Via South Florida Sun-Sentinel and The Daily Beast)

Summer League can be a bit hit or miss when it comes to star power, as it’s not always a guarantee that top picks will participate, but this year’s rosters seem to house more potential rotation players than in seasons past — both incoming rookies and more established young players. So many players who could be future stars or factor in prominently to a team’s 2022-23 success seem like they’ll be gracing the hardwood in Nevada.

Analyzing the results of Summer League is always a precarious endeavor, yet the intrigue surrounding a handful of rosters is rather enticing. The vibes will always reign supreme during Sin City’s mid-summer tournament, of course. Nonetheless, let’s hit on some rosters that should be a delight to watch bound up and down the hardwoods of Thomas & Mack and Cox Pavilion later this week.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are an essential inclusion to this list. The No. 2 overall pick, Chet Holmgren, will suit up. Fellow top-20 picks of prior years in Josh Giddey and Aleskej Pokusevski are slated to appear in the Utah portion of Oklahoma City’s Summer League runs. Other alluring young dudes like Aaron Wiggins, Tre Mann and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are on the roster.

Joining Holmgren as members of the Thunder’s 2022 Draft class are Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams (cue the Spiderman meme) and Ousmane Dieng, who will take the court alongside the domineering 7-footer. Oklahoma City is entering Year 3 of its rebuild without much clarity of its core beyond Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey, and (almost assuredly) Holmgren.

Summer League won’t answer those questions necessarily, yet a smattering of contenders to entrench themselves in that core will be present in Vegas to try and lay the initial groundwork for that possibility. Plus, these dudes are just fun to watch hoop and joy is integral to the Vegas experience.

San Antonio Spurs

Over the past 11 months, San Antonio has dealt away DeMar DeRozan, Derrick White and Dejounte Murray, a trio of players whose contributions were essential to the Spurs making playoff and play-in appearances. Entering 2022-23, a true rebuilding season seems to be in the cards after two decades of competitiveness and championships.

Among those who the Spurs look to be leaning on to shepherd a new era of prosperity are Josh Primo, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley, a quartet of youngsters who were selected in the top 25 of the past two drafts. All of them will don the San Antonio black and silver at Summer League.

Primo, Branham, and Wesley are all shot creators, while Sochan is a defensive-minded forward with offensive questions. Getting a glimpse of how the 2022 draftees translate to an NBA-adjacent environment and seeing how Primo applies the lessons of his rookie season should be a treat. It’s rare to bank on prospects to hammer home the Spurs’ appeal, but that’s precisely the case for this next season and starts in Vegas.

Golden State Warriors

With the departures of Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II, Nemanja Bjelica, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damion Lee this summer, Golden State’s veteran depth suffered a substantial hit over the past week. While Lee and Toscano-Anderson were not mainstays in the playoff rotation, the other three all saw key minutes in the Finals (especially Porter and Payton) and helped propel the Warriors to their fourth title in eight seasons.

To replace those services, Golden State will likely lean on its trio of lottery picks in Moses Moody, James Wiseman, and Jonathan Kuminga. Moody and Kuminga saw spot minutes throughout the playoffs last year and their rookie seasons were fairly encouraging. Wiseman’s 2020-21 rookie year was tumultuous, though filled with flashes of promise to maintain the optimism of his proponents.

They are all scheduled to play together in Vegas and begin their efforts to make good on the faith the Warriors are extending them. For Wiseman, it’ll be his first NBA action since early April 2021. Golden State nabbed him second overall in 2020 and deems him a pillar of its future. Moody and Kuminga are reportedly thought fondly of within the organization as well. Watching them connect and aim to bring the Warriors their second title in as many months could be quite the show.

Detroit Pistons

So, I’m not sure if Detroit knows this is Summer League, not the regular season? The Pistons are sending virtually their entire core to Vegas. Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey, Killian Hayes, Saben Lee, Isaiah Livers, and Jaden Ivey are all on the roster. Once the trade that renders Jalen Duren a Piston finalizes, I’d imagine he’ll be there too.

To be clear: I don’t have any issue with Detroit bringing everyone to Sin City; the freedom Summer League grants players can be a worthwhile breeding ground for important experimentation. It’s merely funny for Cunningham, Stewart, and Bey to be there, given they’ve established some reasonable footing in the NBA, especially Cunningham, who was a Rookie of the Year finalist three months ago and is soon to be a star.

Their inclusion is our gain, though. Cunningham, Stewart, and Bey might resemble the ‘96 Bulls in Las Vegas. Ivey’s electric nature will light up the gym. Predicting the Summer League champions is a futile game, but Detroit hoisting that trophy would not be a surprise. Although, I’d be shocked if Cunningham plays more than a couple games. Even so, this roster is loaded.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland’s quintet of Damian Lillard, Josh Hart, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, and Jusuf Nurkic is pretty dang good. Its depth, however, raises eyebrows. Maybe, some combination of Nassir Little, Eric Bledsoe, and Justise Winslow offer consistency. The upside play rests in its youth, though.

Greg Brown III, Shaedon Sharpe, Keon Johnson, Brandon Williams, Jabari Walker, Trendon Watford, and Didi Louzada all carry some level of fascination that could help them wiggle into the Blazers’ nightly rotation and supplement their top five.

While the Lillard-Hart-Simons-Grant-Nurkic grouping is good, it’s certainly not enough to guarantee anything in a deep, daunting Western Conference. The chance of actualizing a playoff series victory necessitates a leap or surprise from these young dudes — Simons included. Everyone aside from Simons will take the court in Vegas and kick off their 2022-23 seasons, one that looms large for Portland.

Assuming Lillard is back to proper health, he could regain his superstar title. Pairing that talent with postseason success cannot stem from him alone. He needs reinforcements. Portland’s Summer League roster may not headline those reinforcements. Regardless, they undoubtedly have a chance to be part of them.

Independence Day weekend is always a big one at the movies, and this year was ruled by one group in particular: Minions. (Meanwhile, Top Gun: Maverick is still raking in the dough in its sixth weekend.) The yellow semi-baddies’ second film broke box office records over its first four days of release, but some did more than simply go see it. Indeed, it spawned a new TikTok trend that got so out-of-control that some theaters on the other side of the pond have taken action.

According to the BBC, a trend called “#gentleminions has taken control of a good chunk of the Minions sequel’s audience. It involves teenagers, raised on the Despicable Me franchise, going to see the movie en masse, all of them jokingly dressed up in two-piece suits, complete with ties.

Both the Minion and Universal Pictures Twitter accounts approved of the trend.

Not everyone, though, was very gentlemanly.

In fact, some of the #gentleminion crowds have been causing a ruckus, making loud noises, even throwing things. That’s led to families fleeing theaters and demanding refunds. In the U.K., some theaters have responded by cancelling screenings, others banning “unaccompanied children” from the movie, which was made for children.

One chain in the U.K. banned anyone with “formal attire” from buying Minions tickets.

The Minions first appeared in the original Despicable Me, as the Oompa-Loompa-esque henchcreatures of Steve Carell’s Gru. They provded so popular that they got their own prequel in 2015. The sequel to that was originally supposed to be released in the summer of 2020, but instead of dumping it on a streamer, Universal waited things out, just as Paramount and Tom Cruise did with Top Gun 2.

(Via BBC)

Next year would’ve been the 15th anniversary of Kid Cudi’s debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. He released the project back in the summer of 2008 and it helped launch him into the rap spotlight thanks to its highlight track, “Day N Nite.” Last year, Kid Cudi announced that the project would be brought onto streaming platforms in the future, and at long last, we finally know when that will happen. In a tweet Cudi shared on Independence Day, he revealed that A Kid Named Cudi will land on streaming platforms in just a couple of weeks on July 15.

In a second tweet, Kid Cudi spoke about A Kid Named Cudi finally arriving on DSPs. “‘A Kid Named Cudi’ dropped July 17th 2008,” he wrote. “This official release is 2 days shy of the 14th anniversary. I am so damn excited u all get to enjoy it again, remastered, w all the jams that made people fans from jump. Also, did a new intro.” One fan asked if A Kid Named Cudi would be pressed on vinyl and Cudi happily replied, “Yes!”

In the initial tweet, Cudi also revealed that a project called The Boy Who Flew To The Moon Vol. 1 will be released on July 8. He added that the project’s artwork will arrive on Tuesday while its tracklist will be shared on Wednesday.

You can read Cudi’s tweets in the posts above.

Playboi Carti was performing at Wireless Festival this past weekend at London’s Crystal Palace Park. Check that, Playboi Carti was completely wrapped up in the moment during his performance at Wireless Fest on Sunday. So much so that when he was wildin’ out to his hit, “Sky,” he fell off the stage. And in what had the potential to be a disastrous situation, Carti averted any crisis by totally sticking the landing.

Wireless Festival is one of — if not the — premier hip-hop festivals in the UK. It’s where line-up chasers come to bask in the glory of it all. Carti (who says his next album will be called Music) wasn’t even the headliner this past weekend, with ASAP Rocky, J. Cole, and Tyler The Creator staking a claim to the top of the bill. But that didn’t stop Playboi Carti from delivering the goods.

As he’s singing the chorus to “Sky,” he starts backpedaling towards the front of the catwalk while singing the chorus. But as he keeps hopping backwards, he fails to notice that he ran out of room and he hit the deck.

Miraculously, Carti took the spill seemingly unfazed and while he fell to the ground, he somehow managed to stay on his feet and pop back up to dap up the crowd with a huge smile on his face.

What can’t he do? Meanwhile, some clever internet person replayed the video in reverse. So instead of falling off, Carti is hopping back on. But it looks more like he’s levitating onto the stage, like some possessed warlock.

It’s Independence Day in America, but what is the nation celebrating? Abortion rights have been stricken away in several states, with more to follow. There’s a new rise in Republican homophobia. Books are being banned by conservatives. Mass shootings are the norm, including one in Highland Park, Illinois during a July 4 parade. And the Supreme Court is working to eradicate the line separating church and state. So on the big holiday this year, Padma Lakshmi decided to keep it real.

The Top Chef and Taste the Nation host took to Instagram to show off her latest culinary creation: a big white cake bearing the words “Separate Church & State.” This thought is illustrated by cleanly separated rows of fruit: cherries on top and blueberries on the bottom.

“Not much to celebrate this 4th, I’m afraid,” Lakshmi wrote in the caption. “Let’s just hope everyone can keep safe and peaceful today and that soon our nation veers away from this precipice. No matter what, we’ll keep fighting for the day where all humans have the same rights, at least of their own person and body, have privacy to make their own choices and to love whom they love and live in peace.”

It’s a somber way to ring in a more-somber-than-usual year. But better that than how former president Donald Trump is celebrating it.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Cardi B drop off a summer banger and Calvin Harris continuing to roll out his new project. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.

Cardi B — “Hot Sh*t” Feat. Kanye West and Lil Durk

It has now been over four years since Cardi B released her first and only album, 2018’s Invasion Of Privacy, but with how well she’s managed to consistently keep herself in the pop culture conversation, it doesn’t feel like it. Part of that has been dropping new singles, which she did last week with “Hot Sh*t,” an in-your-face banger that sees big-time contributions from Kanye West and Lil Durk.

Calvin Harris and 21 Savage — “New Money”

Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 came out all the way back in the summer of 2017 and now Harris is finally following that up with a second volume. Per usual, the tracklist is star-studded and he showed off a bit of it last week with “New Money,” a groovy, relaxed, and summery tune on which 21 Savage’s chilled-out rap is a perfect complement to the aforementioned qualities.

Rina Sawayama — “Catch Me In The Air”

Rina Sawayama is a versatile force in pop, which she’s shown, as she has on many occasions, over the past couple weeks. Mid-June brought the pop banger “This Hell” while last week yielded “Catch Me In The Air,” a more ethereal and soaring tune that’s an appealing and delightful bit of pop rock.

City Girls — “Good Love” Feat. Usher

Usher’s had himself a bit of a moment towards the end of last week, first with a terrific (and widely meme’d) Tiny Desk Concert and then with a feature on City Girls’ “Good Love.” Usher provides the hook here, letting JT and Yung Miami crush the rest of the song with braggadocios bars.

Fred Again.. — “Jungle”

Fred has been previewing his latest song at festival sets before its release and indeed, “Jungle” sounds fitting for that environment, as it’s an exciting and anticipation-building number that takes its time teasing a bass-heavy drop made for throwing hands in the air. Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez describes the track as “a wild tune, rife with grimy dance breaks and infectious vocals by Elley Duhé.”

Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”

Steve Lacy has Gemini Rights coming out on the 15th and ahead of that, he offered “Bad Habit” last week, a new tune that further teases what’s shaping up to be a diverse and compelling album. Uproxx’s Adrian Spinelli calls the track a “sweet, groovy love song where Lacy ranges his voice a la Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes” on “the soul-bearing hook.”

Joey Badass — “Where I Belong”

Joey Badass has earned his spot among hip-hop’s favorites, a reality he solidifies on his latest, “Where I Belong.” Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes of the tune, “Joey takes a moment to reaffirm his position in hip-hop, a well-timed decision with his third album on the horizon. He takes a quick trip through time to account for and remind others of all that he’s accomplished.”

Momma — “Motorbike”

In a recent interview with Uproxx, the words Momma chose to describe their music were “loud, personal, shiny, bright,” and they noted of how they want their output to be remembered, “Just hooks that get stuck in your head forever. Clever songwriting and purposeful production.” Those interest and proclivities are super apparent on last week’s “Motorbike,” a nice mid-tempo rocker with just enough edge to it.

Earthgang and Smino — “Ambeyoncé”

Earthgang dropped Ghetto Gods towards the top of the year and in case you had forgotten, the duo just shared a deluxe edition of the album. One of the new tracks is “Ambeyoncé,” on which they and Smino make use of a subtle groove to show love to Beyoncé and even more to themselves, a confidence they’ve clearly earned.

Thundercat — “Fly Like An Eagle”

Minions: The Rise Of Gru is good, clean fun for anybody who’s into watching little yellow dudes say “banana” and other silly things for 90 minutes, but for some, the soundtrack may be a more appealing prospect. A bunch of artists covered ’70s classics for the album, including Thundercat, who put his funky, psychedelic twist on the enduring Steve Miller Band staple “Fly Like An Eagle.”

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

Today marks the country’s 246th year of independence and on this year’s Fourth Of July, people all over the country are finding different ways to spend their holiday. Some are gearing up to fire up the grill to make their assortment of hamburgers, hot dogs, and more while others might take a moment to check out their local parade. Others might prepare their collection of fireworks for a colorful show when the sun goes down. Speaking of fireworks, Katy Perry used a brief moment of her Independence Day to join a popular wave on Twitter but it didn’t really fair well with fans.

In a tweet, Katy Perry wrote, “‘Baby you’re a firework’ is a 10 but women in the US have fewer rights than an actual sparkler smh.” It’s clear that the singer used her 2010 hit “Firework” to make a point about the lack of women’s rights in the country, especially after the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade which guaranteed abortion rights for women all over the country. Despite that, the tweet sparked some boos from her fans as some were not a fan of the post in general while others took a second to point out that she endorsed Rick Caruso for mayor of Los Angeles despite his anti-abortion stance.

You can see Katy’s original post above and reactions from fans below.

https://twitter.com/notcoilerey/status/1544006936907206656?s=20&t=SIjTw3NkZJlnk-HX8VRRnA