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Indie eccentric Alex G is back with new music to follow his We’re All Going To The World’s Fair film score that arrived last month. Tracks like “End Song” and “Main Theme” were simultaneously cinematic and in tune with his usual eerie sound. Today, he’s back with a new song called “Blessing,” and as haunting as it is, it’s not for a horror movie this time.

The static-filled, kaleidoscopic track is propelled forward by a collage of whispered voices that are like mirages, discordant guitar chords, and colorful synths. The homemade-appearing music video only contributes to the sense of disorientation.

Along with this track, he has also announced tour dates for this fall, including openers Hatchie, Barrie, and Sadurn at select dates. Check out the full tour below and listen to “Blessing” above.

06/01 — Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J Brady Music Center *
06/02 — Richmond, VA @ Brown’s Island *
06/03 — Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summerstage *
06/04 — New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall*
06/05 — Lafayette, NY @ Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards*
10/06 — Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom ~
10/07 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel ~
10/08 — Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse ~
10/09 — Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl ~
10/10 — St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway ~
10/12 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ~
10/14 — Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell ~
10/16 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox ~
10/17 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom ~
10/19 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ^
10/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ^
10/22 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park ^
10/24 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge ^
10/26 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s ^
10/27 — Fort Worth, TX – Tulips ^
10/29 — Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young
11/01 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^
11/02 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^
11/03 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^
11/04 — Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre ^
11/05 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall ^
11/06 — Montreal, QC – Le Studio TD ^
11/08 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club ^
11/09 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club ^
11/11 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
11/12 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
11/17 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
11/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
11/19 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #

* supporting Bright Eyes
~ with Barrie
^ with Hatchie
# with Sadur

Justin Bieber has a new album on the way and there are very few details out there on when fans can expect it or even an album title. It’s been a year since the release of his Grammy-nominated album Justice and now he’s gearing up for his newest era with his trusted DJ and A&R Taylor James, aka DJ Tay James, by his side.

“He’s really a musician,” Tay told me over the phone from Austin. “He likes tapping in with musicians. He’s really into writing right now. I love this space that he’s in. We’re in the middle of a tour and he’s focused on this in the middle of us doing this tour.”

Just as he did with the eclectic array of sounds living on Justice, Tay is currently helping Justin maintain his vision for what will be the award-winning artist’s seventh studio album, while handling DJ duties as he’s always done.

In fact, Tay has been by Justin’s side since the global pop star’s second show when he was appointed as his official DJ. That was over a decade ago. Today, the pair is still going strong as a musical unit. Most of the collaborations Justin has done were because he was a fan of the song or the artist first, or from the result of casual music banter between him and Tay.

Justin is a certified music maven who loves to dive deep into new sounds and talent, which is how the “Honest” feature with Don Toliver came to be.

“Justin is a mastermind when it comes to this stuff,” Tay said. “He might want to be featured on the project already and he might just reach out himself and just connect with the person and we’ll start sending them records.”

Easy peasy when your name is Justin Bieber. For example, it was JB who was hyped about Wizkid’s 2021 hit “Essence” with Tems, after Tay introduced him to the song. He loved it so much, that he ended up doing a remix to it after enjoying it on repeat during his manager’s birthday weekend. With Omah Lay’s “Attention,” it was Justin who was a fan of him first. He then brought the rising afrobeats artist to Tay’s attention during rehearsals. The natural exchange of new music like trading cards among friends is partly how Tay ended up becoming his official A&R right before the pandemic in March.

“I put him on The Kid Laroi. My cousin Q put me on to Kid Laroi and then I sent his profile off to Justin. The song is still on the charts,” Tay said of the 2021 mega track “Stay,” which has spent over 40 weeks on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and currently sits at No. 13.

“I feel like at this point, for Justin, it is whatever he feels comfortable with or whoever he wants to collab [with] to help bring the music to a certain light,” he said. “If you notice he likes working with new artists, he likes working with up-and-coming artists.”

And the same is true for Tay, so it made sense for Scooter Braun and JB to make that call.

“I like looking at new and upcoming artists to see who’s dope, who’s moving the culture,” he told me. “That’s kind of why I’m here, to just give suggestions but it’s still his vision. Whatever he needs me to do to help his vision come true. I’m here to help.”

That vision also includes knowing exactly when Justin is in love with a sound that he hears or a vibe that moves him. If that happens, he may hop on a piano or start playing an acoustic guitar.

“He’s been really writing a lot himself, but just like anyone, if you hear something you really like, you keep playing it back to back,” he revealed of Justin’s in-studio process. “If I’m going through beats and we get stuck on a beat and we’re listening to that beat for more than five minutes, most likely it’s going to get recorded on. I just try to pick the best sounds, something that I know that’s really melodic, something I know he can sing over. He loves chords, he loves gospel music. You know Justin, his first love is R&B, he really loves R&B. Anything that has melodic chords will always attract him. He has a great ear.”

“Justin has always been an artist to experiment with new sounds,” he added. “We always like to do new stuff.” I mean, just listen to “I Feel Funny.”

As for the sonic direction of Justin’s new collection of songs, “You should expect to hear some great things,” Tay assured me — including a tune with John Mayer. “I’m excited about what we’ve been working on. It’s Justin, and Justin is a vessel for so many different fans and his music touches so many different people. Always expect him to have music for everybody.”

As for DJ Tay James, you can catch him behind the DJ booth during one of Bieber’s Justice World Tour stops while also pushing a few other endeavors like the partnership he has with Purple Denim and conscious jewelry brand Polite Worldwide. Music from the Biebs is allegedly coming soon.

For most young artists, traveling is an important part of their livelihood, since hitting the pavement to play shows is primary source of both income and self-promotion. RINI has made some major moves already in his young career: After being born in the Philippines and then cutting his teeth in Australia, he moved halfway around the world to Los Angeles for the next phase of his career.

Now, RINI has taken a moment to look back at his touring life so far for “Stories From The Road,” a video series presented by Songkick and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

He starts by noting how he first started performing, saying, “I started busking on the streets of Melbourne when I was about 17 years old. I was like, ‘I need to find a way where I can get out play some music and earn some money at the same time.’ I got this sh*tty-ass old amp from Facebook Marketplace and I just took my guitar to the city and just started playing.”

RINI offers more from there, including what early tours were like, his first sold-out show, and how he spends downtime on tour, so check out the video above.

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

This past Saturday, Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., would have turned 50 years old. Among the many, many celebrations of the Brooklyn rapper’s life and legacy over the weekend was a Twitter Spaces event hosted by Tidal. Thousands of listeners tuned in to hear B.I.G.’s contemporaries, friends, and peers share their stories and remember the giant-sized footprints he left on hip-hop despite his short reign.

One of those peers was Jay-Z, who said that a void was left behind by the deaths of Biggie and his friend-turned-rival Tupac. “That’s a big void,” he admitted, before allowing, “Others stepped in to fill it as well, not just myself.”

Jay received praise from Sean “Diddy” Combs, Biggie’s benefactor as the founder of Bad Boy Records, who told him, “You filled them shoes, though. You came in and we definitely give thanks. You definitely came, and I just know how much Big really looked up to Jay. They looked up to each other. That is crazy you had to step into the shoes of two people. That’s all it was was those two people. They had things on lock.”

He continued, pointing out how, before the two titans’ deaths, Jay was still something of a neophyte, having only released one album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996. Unfortunately, by the time he’d released its follow-up, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, both Tupac and Big had been gunned down. “Hov was coming,” Diddy explained to the Spaces listeners, “but it was like these two cats was just so big… I think Hov kept the art of it going and took where they was at and took it even higher.”

In addition to the celebration on Twitter, Big’s birthday was honored by the city of New York with commemorative MetroCards, a series of murals throughout the city, and a crown atop the Empire State Building.

George R.R. Martin isn’t a fan of his new Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, being pitted against Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series. But, if a clash has to go down, Martin hopes House of the Dragon does just a little bit better. Both shows will arrive within days of each other at the end of summer, so naturally, it didn’t take long for that to set the stage for an epic conflict that Martin would rather do without. He just wants to see good sci-fi and fantasy on TV, and he genuinely hopes both shows do well. However, Martin does admit he hopes his baby comes out slightly ahead.

The Game of Thrones author’s remarks appeared in a preview for a much longer interview with The Independent, which will arrive later this week:

“I know a lot of articles, the minute the dates were announced, it’s: ‘Oh, the battle for fantasy supremacy. It’s Rings of Power versus House of Dragon, who will win?’ I don’t know why they always have to do that.”

He added: “I hope both shows succeed. I’m competitive enough. I hope we succeed more. If they win six Emmys, and I hope they do, I hope we win seven. But nonetheless, it’s good for fantasy. I love fantasy. I love science fiction. I want more shows on television.”

Despite his congenial view of the clash to come, Martin, a lifelong Tolkien fan, did have some concerns about what exactly The Rings of Power will entail given the limited rights Amazon purchased in a “weird deal.”

“They didn’t get Lord of the Rings, they didn’t get The Hobbit, they didn’t even get The Silmarillion,” Martin told The Independent. “I don’t think they got Farmer Giles of Ham or Leaf by Niggle, but they got the appendices, I guess, and they’re constructing a Second Age story about that. There’s a lot of myth about that, so it’ll be interesting to see what they did.”

House of the Dragon premieres August 21 on HBO followed by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on September 2 on Amazon.

(Via The Independent)

Bright Eyes has been touring the United States since the end of March, but apparently, things haven’t been so luminary for select attendees. Last night (May 22), they had a Houston stop at The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall. The show was cut short just two songs in after Conor Oberst walked off the stage, forcing the band to engage the crowd in karaoke which eventually stopped as well. The venue declared they would issue refunds, Jezebel Senior Reporter Caitlin Cruz live-tweeted.

Another attendee shared this footage of the karaoke, where fans were actually brought on stage:

Here’s what others had to say:

This situation drew a revelation from a past tour stop attendee that Oberst exhibited concerning behaviors at the indie rock band’s Nashville stop and shared accounts of his Cleveland show. Oberst was noted as making obscene comments and admitting he injured himself by falling off a stage in Detroit. The attendee cited he appeared inebriated.

None of the band members have made any comments about the situation. Bright Eyes is set to be in New Orleans this evening at Orpheum Theater and Stone Pony Summer Stage in New York City on June 3. They last released a companion version of St. Ides Heaven back in March, featuring the title track and “Contrast and Compare.” Stay tuned for more updates on Oberst and the band.

The Eastern Conference Finals have become something of a war of attrition, as both the Celtics and Heat have dealt with considerable injury absences since the start of the series, when Boston was down Marcus Smart and Al Horford and Miami was without Kyle Lowry in Game 1. In every game since, each team has been without a rotation piece for at least a portion of the game, whether that be Robert Williams and Derrick White for the Celtics, or Jimmy Butler and PJ Tucker for the Heat.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting these two teams at full strength for Game 4 either, as Sixth Man of the Year winner Tyler Herro was announced as out for Game 4 with a groin injury suffered in Game 3, which was why he sat out the fourth quarter as Miami clung to their lead to take a 2-1 series lead.

Herro had an ice pack on his thigh down the stretch on the bench, but most of the concern in the moment was on Jimmy Butler, who sat out the second half with knee soreness. Butler is expected to play, although still listed as questionable, which is critical for the Heat given how much he’s provided them offensively, but Herro’s absence is considerable as well since he is one of three players (including Lowry who certainly doesn’t seem at 100 percent with his own muscle issue) that can create for themselves on the Miami roster.

According to Billboard, Atlanta rapper Gunna is being accused of directing gang members to commit violent acts in the ongoing racketeering case against Gunna’s label, YSL Records. Prosecutors have called the label part of a hybrid street gang, blaming dozens of incidents of violence on the gang’s activity.

Billboard‘s Jewel Wicker reported on the case from the Fulton County court via Twitter, writing that a judge denied Gunna’s bond request as prosecutors described his alleged role in the suspected gang as a “command” role in which he’d “direct their troops” to commit violent acts. Wickers reports, “The judge said his biggest concern was witness tampering.”

In addition to denying Gunna’s bond request, the judge also set the rapper’s trial date: January 9, 2023.

Gunna, real name Sergio Kitchens, was one of 28 suspected gang members arrested, along with fellow rapper and YSL Records founder Young Thug. The 88-page indictment against YSL cites 56 counts of various offenses ranging from armed robbery to murder, with both big-name rappers accused of conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, explicitly using lyrics from their records to show their ties to the group.

The case has been criticized by YSL associates like Metro Boomin, who insisted that “YSL is not a gang and never been a gang.” The arrests came weeks before New York’s State Senate passed a bill that would limit the use of lyrics in criminal trials. The bill is currently awaiting approval of the State Assembly before going to the state’s Governor to be signed into law.

A new level of reggaetón music festival is hitting Grant Park in Chicago for the first time next month. On May 28 and 29, the Sueños Festival is bringing together acts who represent the genre’s legacy, present, and future. Among the heavy-hitters on the line-up are reggaetón legends Wisin y Yandel, Colombian superstar J Balvin, and Puerto Rican hit-maker Ozuna. There’s also a new wave of artists who are refreshing the genre and pushing it to new places like Jhay Cortez, Sech, and Blessd. It’s a massive undertaking, but not something totally new for founder Aaron Ampudia.

Ampudia is also one of the founders of Baja Beach Fest, one of the biggest reggaetón music festivals happening on Mexico’s Rosarito shores. After a few years of success with that event, he decided to bring the genre into the states with Sueños Festival. Sueños translates to “dreams” in English, something reflected in this lineup for reggaetón music fans.

“I feel super proud to be able to put on a Latin festival like Sueños in Chicago for all the Latinos and everyone else who enjoys our culture and music,” Ampudia says. “To my knowledge, Chicago has not seen anything like this in the Latin space yet, so it’s an honor to make this one happen with all our partners. It wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Sueños Festival will be one of the last times that reggaetón fans will be able to see Wisin y Yandel live as a duo. After nearly 20 years of hits together and helping put the genre on the map, they’re taking a final victory lap this year with La Última Misión (The Final Mission) Tour. Growing up in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, singer Jhay Cortez was a child of the genre who has seen artists like Wisin y Yandel, Daddy Yankee, and Don Omar break the mold for reggaetón.

“Imagine that you’re a kid listening to Wisin y Yandel’s music, seeing their work and their trajectory,” Cortez says. “To be in the same place as them, performing on the same stage, and in front of the same audience, for me that’s major. Like the name of the event, it’s a dream for me to be a headliner.”

Two artists who were instrumental in ushering the second wind of reggaetón’s success in the past decade are also on the lineup: J Balvin and Ozuna. Ozuna has proudly represented reggaetón’s Caribbean roots and has managed crossover success with reggaetón fusion tracks with acts like Selena Gomez, Cardi B, DJ Snake, Megan Thee Stallion, and Blackpink’s Lisa. Likewise, J Balvin has led the Colombian wave of reggaetón stars that further globalized the genre like Maluma and Karol G. With his albums, 2016’s Energia and 2018’s Vibras, Balvin gave the genre an alluring electronic glow. The latter LP featured the global hit “Mi Gente” with French Producer Willy William that Beyoncé eventually jumped on. Balvin also helped jump-start Cortez’s career by featuring on a remix of his breakthrough hit “No Me Conoce” with Bad Bunny.

“It’s great to be on a line-up with my friends, like Balvin, who I vibe with and is like a brother to me for life, and like Sech, who I respect so much. It’s like a family,” Cortez adds. “The genre is like a family.”

Cortez, Sech, Myke Towers, and Blessd are among the new wave of reggaetón stars who are keeping the genre going strong, each with their own unique spin. Sech hails from Panama, another Caribbean country where reggaetón is rooted. With his soulful voice, he’s given the genre a fresh R&B spin in his global hits like “Otro Trago” and “Relación.” Myke Towers from Puerto Rico is giving reggaetón and Latin trap music an edgier sound with his fierce rapping skills and cool flow. Like J Balvin’s beginnings, Blessd is another Medellín native who is leaving his Colombian touch on reggaetón. Then there’s Cortez who is pushing reggaetón into a more electronica-infused direction. In 2020, his song “Dákiti” with Bad Bunny hit No. 5 on Billboard‘s all-genre Hot 100 chart. On his latest album Timelezz, he collaborated with Skrillex in “En Mi Cuarto.”

“I’m a loyal lover of deep house, so for me it was easy to combine those genres,” Cortez says. “We’re only getting started with that. I love to evolve. My set will be very active, very energetic. It’s for dancing. It’s going to include all my hits like ‘Sensual Bebé’ and ‘Dákiti,’ that whole rundown.”

Outside of reggaetón, Sueños Festival is including more Latin genres that are starting to make noise around the world. Among the top headliners is Dominican powerhouse El Alfa, who is helping globalize his country’s dembow sound. The rapper recently released his album Sabiduria, in which he’s got artists like French Montana featuring in “Máquina de Dinero” and Lil Pump in “El Jablador.” Tokisha is another rising star from the Dominican Republic who is extending dembow’s reach. Spanish pop star Rosalía tapped her for “La Combi Versace” on her MOTOMAMI album and J Balvin featured her on “Perra” on his Jose album. Mexico is represented on the line-up as well with Natanael Cano and Fuerza Regida, who are pioneers in corridos tumbados, a movement that’s giving traditional Mexican corridos a hip-hop update and edge.

“People can expect a true, authentic Latin festival,” Ampudia adds. “This includes everything from the drinks and music to the activations, food, and, of course, lots of perreo! We take a lot of pride in making our festivals extremely unique for the fans, so I hope everyone in Chicago loves Sueños as much as we do already.”

Sueños Festival is one of the many Latin music festivals that have sprung up this year. With Latin music festivals happening all over the country now, it’s reflective of how music in Spanish and reggaetón, in particular, have captured a global audience, regardless of language or cultural boundaries.

“It’s been like 30 years and reggaetón won’t stop,” Cortez says. “It’s impressive. I want it to keep growing. It’s the youth who are keeping the genre alive by dancing to it in the clubs or going to events like this one [Sueños Festival].”

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

Stephen Curry scored 31 points and dished out 11 assists in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals to lead the Warriors to a 3-0 stranglehold on the series against the Mavericks, but the talk of the NBA world afterwards was not about the future Hall of Famer but instead Andrew Wiggins, who continues to impress this series, playing as arguably the Warriors second best player.

Wiggins had 27 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3, including six on the offensive glass as he led the way for another big night of second chance opportunities for Golden State, who are just outworking the small-ball Mavs on the offensive boards through three games. His defensive effort as the primary defender for Luka Doncic has been noted, making it at least hard work for Doncic to put up a 40-point night, but he’s really shined offensively as the most consistent secondary scorer to Curry, as Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson have been a bit streaky in this series.

On Sunday night, Wiggins put forth his best game and punctuated it with one of the best dunks of the season when he threw down the hammer on Luka Doncic — who fell to the floor to accentuate Wiggins off arm hitting him slightly on his way by.

That initially drew a foul, but Steve Kerr wisely challenged it and won, reinstating Wiggins dunk and kindly giving us an excuse to watch it over and over again on the broadcast. It was an exclamation point in the fourth quarter, albeit not the dagger as that belonged to Jordan Poole in the final minute after the Mavs cut the lead to five, and after the game even Doncic had to give Wiggins his props.

Doncic notes that he did get hit, trying to dodge the flopping allegations, but notes it was an incredible dunk and, like all of us, notes that “I wish I had those bunnies.” We all do, Luka. We all do.