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This Friday, the most anticipated album in the world is coming out: Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Lamar has been dropping hints every step of the way in the lead-up, including a recently posted image of two CDs, indicating that the album might very well be a double album. On Sunday, we were introduced to the album’s first single, “The Heart Part 5,” along with its eye-popping video. Now, Kendrick has posted what appears to be the album cover artwork.

Posted to both his social media platforms, as well as showing up as a new icon on the oklama.com website where every update in the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers lead up has been posted, the cover photograph might very well be the first time we’ve seen the “Alright” rapper picture with his two children. He wears a christ-like crown of thorns and holds his three-year-old daughter while his fiancée nurses a newborn child on a bed in the background.

This is interesting because Kendrick is famously private about his personal life. In fact, it has only been known that he and Alford have one daughter, so the second child in the background would be a new addition to the family that the world previously did not know about. Regardless, the album is out in two days and everyone is on the edge of their seat.

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers will be out on Friday 05/13 via TDE Records.

It has been a good five years since we last got a full-length project from Brooklyn rapper Joey Badass — not including, of course, the long-awaited addition of his breakthrough mixtape 1999 to DSPs in 2018. In the years since, he’s ghostwritten for Post Malone; become a father; built an impressive filmography with roles on Mr. Robot, Boomerang, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and Power Book III: Raising Kanan (although he did turn down a role in The Harder They Fall); and dropped a three-song EP, but fans naturally have wondered all along whether (or rather when) he’d ever make a return to rap full-time.

He may have given the answer today on Twitter. He posted a video of him cruising at a skate park, soundtracked by what sounds like an all-new track. Backed by the sort of nostalgic, throwback beat he used to make his debut in rap back in 2012, he rhymes, “Back on the set like I never left / I’m taking steps to be the best ’til they lay me to rest.” At the end of the 30-second clip, the number 2000 appears — an obvious but still oblique reference to his debut mixtape — and the date June 17 flashes across the screen.

While it’s possible that this could just be a track announcement, the date being so far out plus the tie-in to his fan-favorite full-length suggest that it’s more likely to be an LP. We’re sure to receive more details as June 17 nears, and for those of use who’ve been impatiently waiting, the next month might well be the hardest part of them all.

You can always count on Gwyneth Paltrow to read the room.

As millions of parents worry about not being able to feed their baby during a nationwide shortage of formula, Paltrow’s $piritual emporium Goop decided now was a good time to introduce The Diapér, a “disposable diaper lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with amber gemstones, known for their ancient emotional-cleansing properties. Infused with a scent of jasmine and bergamot for a revitalized baby.” And how much will it cost to revitalize your little poop machine? Only $120 for 12 diapers, I mean, Diapérs.

A baby goes through approximately 2,200 diapers every year. At 10 bucks a pop, a parent would have to spend $22,000/annually to keep their baby in Diapérs, because you can’t spell “Goop” without “poop.” Or you can buy a 136-pack of diapers at Target for $42.99 (NOTE: this is not sponsored content for Target; this is anti-Goop content).

Let’s check in with the response to The Diapér on Instagram:

As moms struggle to find formula good timing

This can’t be real

I’m sorry but whaaaaat??!!

This is not April 1 guys!

Dear gawd why

It’s not much kinder on Twitter. “$10 per disposable diaper… maybe Goop should make baby formulas instead because that’s actually what is in shortage and needed,” @ChinHuaLu tweeted, while @ALutkin shared a theory: “I have a theory that goop mostly makes money off ads which means they need lots of engagement so they purposefully release stuff that makes people shit themselves with rage and click.” A lot of people are wondering if it’s real, but considering Goop also sells $66 vagina eggs, I wouldn’t put anything past ol’ Paltrow. We’ll find out tomorrow at 11 am EST.

As Elizabeth Olsen continues to make the interview rounds to promote her surprisingly prominent role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the actress opened up to The New York Times about the frustration she experienced during the early days of her Marvel career. Olsen made her MCU debut as Wanda Maximoff in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but stepping into the superhero role came with a price. Olsen had to pass on Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster because of a conflict with her Marvel contract, and she soon began to see more indie roles slip away.

“I started to feel frustrated,” Olsen said via Comic Book. “I had this job security but I was losing these pieces that I felt were more part of my being. And the further I got away from that, the less I became considered for it.”

However, the situation started to improve when Marvel pitched her on WandaVision, which allowed her far more creative freedom than she ever imagined as Wanda:

“I mean, it’s been a ride that I didn’t expect,” Olsen shared. “I got comfortable just taking up a lane and showing just a couple colors of her and it just helping the story and this film as a whole. And then WandaVision, I got to be all the colors of all the rainbows. That was an amazing opportunity, but also an amazing opportunity to remember playfulness and being able to fail and there’s such a freedom that we had while filming that has informed me now in how I approach her.”

Now, Olsen is ready to throw down whenever directors like Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola take a swing at the MCU. “Throwing Marvel under the bus takes away from the hundreds of very talented crew people,” Olsen recently told The Independent. “That’s where I get a little feisty about that.”

(Via The New York Times)

Young Thug, already facing several felonies in the racketeering indictment against him and YSL Records, was charged with seven additional felonies after police raided his home. According to WSBTV reporter Michael Seiden, Thug was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a dangerous weapon or silencer, which could include sawed-off-shotguns, sawed-off rifles, or machine guns.

He was also charged with three counts of unlawful participation in criminal gang activity while employed by/associated with a criminal street gang, which is at the root of the case against YSL. According to prosecutors, Young Slime Life, the crew from which Young Stoner Life Records takes its name, is a “hybrid” criminal street gang associated with the larger Bloods organization (insomuch as the Bloods are an actual organization, which… nah). 28 people from the crew, including Young Thug and his artist Gunna, were named in the 88-page indictment and initially charged with 56 felonies, including armed robbery, murder, and conspiracy to violate The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

The additional charges are lousy news for Thug. Initially, the evidence against him seemed to mainly focus on using his lyrics to prove his affiliation with the “gang.” Now, though, he could face larger consequences from the illegal firearms and drugs.

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

Elden Ring is not only a game of the year contender for 2022, but it’s also a surprise success. Anyone who paid attention to the lead-up will argue that a game involving Hidetaka Miyazaki, From Software, and George R.R. Martin was going to be a smash hit, but even the game’s biggest optimists likely didn’t expect Elden Ring to become one of the biggest games we’ve seen in years. Despite the name, this was in every way just an open world Souls game. The Souls series, while popular, have always held something of a niche status: Extremely popular among its fans, but not always approachable to newcomers.

While you could argue that Elden Ring still isn’t the most approachable game ever made, that didn’t seem to matter much when it came to sales numbers. People went out and bought Elden Ring in droves, and soon, the internet was filled with comments, memes, and videos about the game. It was an obvious hit, and after a recent sales call from Bandai Namco, we now know just how large the game ended up being.

What is it that made Elden Ring so successful? There are plenty of things you can point to, like the open world format, the few but very necessary quality of life changes, or just how beautiful this game can look sometimes. It’s likely a mix of all three, plus some more details we haven’t even mentioned or thought of.

At the end of the day, it’s just a really fun video game. Despite how challenging it can be sometimes, there is enough in there to keep the player pushing forward for sometimes hundreds of hours. We can spend all day thinking about why it is that Elden Ring sold 13 million copies in a month, and is still being played by many players today, but sometimes the simple solution is the best one.

Action Bronson wears many hats — rapper, chef, television personality, and actor. For the lattermost of the four, he’s auditioned and even been offered several roles that may have been different from how we know them had he accepted the offer to play these characters.

Upon the release of his most recent album, Cocodrillo Turbo, Bronson spoke with Complex about his acting prospects, one of which included HBO’s hit teen drama, Euphoria. Bronson auditioned and was even offered a role on the show, however, he ultimately turned it down.

“They wanted me to play a drug dealer that was getting with the high school girls,” Bronson said. “Action Bronson ain’t doing that, bro.”

The role in question mostly matches the description of Fezco, who is played by Angus Cloud.

Additionally, Bronson revealed he auditioned for Uncut Gems, but admitted he didn’t feel confident about his audition.

“They wanted me to be the guy next to the main goon, the Russian,” Bronson said. “But I bombed at the audition, bro.”

Bronson has appeared in films like The King Of Staten Island and The Irishman, however, has not yet played a lead role in any film project. He is, however, accustomed to the cameras by way of his restaurant exploration show, F*ck, That’s Delicious.

Piers Morgan was so freaking happy after Trump lost his mind over their recently disastrous interview. This was, to be certain, a celebration in Piers’ head, and he ended up delivering blow-by-blows in the days leading up to the talk where Trump huffily stormed out of their combative on-camera meeting. Unfortunately for Piers, however, reports indicate that followup installments of his new talkTV show (Piers Morgan Uncensored) have tanked in the ratings, so it was time to drum up more controversy.

That effort’s looking a bit desperate since Piers decided to interview Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, and Mediaite reports that the general perception in the British press has been to label this a “disgusting” stunt. An undaunted Piers merrily posted a clip of himself attempting to take a hard line with his subject.

It’s really something to give a platform to a Taliban talking head, and this display led a Twitter user to ask Ricky Gervais what he thought of the “disgusting” decision to do so.

Gervais didn’t miss a beat. He swung hard while feigning a belief that it was the Taliban, not Piers, who stooped too low in agreeing to the talk: “I’ve lost all respect for them.”

Asked and answered! Gervais couldn’t help himself, and Piers will be so mad when he gets a whiff of this.

With their explosive 2020 debut album Who Are The Girls?, Nova Twins quickly emerged as refreshing and unapologetic voices in punk rock music. Named “the best band you’ve never heard of” by Tom Morello, Nova Twins make in-your-face metal packed with ripping electric guitar and distorted bass. After a successful tour run, Nova Twins are bringing the same energy to their upcoming sophomore album Supernova, which they’ve already previewed with a handful of frenetic tracks.

Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South, the UK duo have been close friends since childhood and played in bands that circulated the same scene. They both grew up listening to R&B greats like Toni Braxton and now inject the same defiant sensuality to their music, pairing it with propulsive guitars rather than laid-back beats.

To celebrate the release of their new single “Puzzles” and upcoming LP Supernova, which is due out in June, Nova Twins sat down with Uproxx to talk amazing fan artwork, fluffy cats, and their love of R&B in the latest Indie Mixtape Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Amy: Metal in neon blender.. haha

Georgia: Fuzzy, NOVA, beastly, spiky

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Georgia: I’d love it if the music we made now sounds like it could still be released in 2050! All the artists we love from the 90s stand the test of time and those songs could be released today and still sound fresh! Hopefully we’ll still be around to find out.

Amy: By then maybe people will put mp3 chips into their minds and songs would just remain there forever on your brain’s playlist.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Amy: Toronto, Glasgow, Birmingham, Paris, London, LA and New York… the list goes on and it depends day by day but we had a few stand out moments there recently.

Georgia: Agreed, these cities were amazing on tour!

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Amy: The women in our families for sure, they are so strong and wise and shaped the women we are today.

Georgia: 100 percent, they’ve given us so many unforgettable life lessons and the confidence to be our true selves!

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Amy: Omg, my favorite sort of question! I had the most amazing tuna steak in Thessaloniki in Greece, and also had the best Thai food in LA, think it’s called Night Market WeHo, both were mouth watering, mind/mouth blowing, it lives on in my memories and hands down some of the best food I have ever had.

Georgia: That Thai restaurant in LA was something special! Also we went to a great vegan restaurant in LA. I had carbonara for the first time and it was tastyyy. My brother’s banoffee pies are next to none as well, so good!

What album do you know every word to?

Amy: There are a few, but Toni Braxton’s Secrets was on repeat in my household from morning till night, when I was growing up. My mom loved her, so it’s forever ingrained in my mind. She would blare it so loud in the morning and wake me up!

Georgia: I love so many albums, as I love to listen to a whole body of work but these come to mind — Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox, Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, The Internet’s Ego Death, N*E*R*D’s Seeing Sounds, Mariah Carey’s MTV Unplugged Live Album 1996, Kanye West’s Late Registration.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Amy: Beyoncé’s show is spectacular. No one can say anything, she is a wonder woman.

Georgia: Hands down Beyoncé! When I’m feeling low, I put her live shows on YouTube and feel like a bad b*tch within minutes! Once me and Amy went to her show but I had food poisoning and passed out in the standing area, so we got upgraded to £400 seats.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Amy: We make all our stage outfits, simply because we wanted something that sounded like our music and nothing out there quite felt right. Anything that we liked was extortionate, so we made our own. We use materials and design things that are comfortable for shows, we get away with more designs for music videos but it needs to be breathable, light and flexible for our gigs.

Georgia: Yeah, we love making all our stage and video outfits! My favorite at the moment for performing is probably our tie dye bleached Reading & Leeds look, as it’s so comfortable and robust! I like clothes that don’t get in the way, or are too hot or distracting when we’re performing.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Georgia: I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately. It calms me down looking at lots of beautiful aesthetics from fashion to house decor to scenic views!

Amy: I love looking at fluffy cats being all cute and mysterious.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Amy: At the moment, Ariana Grande’s “God Is A Woman” and Limp Bizkit’s “Dad Vibes”

Georgia: Yeah, we often have songs we’ll sesh for a very long time and these are the new additions at the moment! Ho99o9’s “Mega City Nines” is still in there too!

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Amy: Zendaya, she is so awesome!

Georgia: What 1111 Angel number means.. I kept seeing it everywhere!

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Amy: Supernova… hehe.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

Amy: In a creepy cottage in France where there were old style paintings of children crying and looking sad. It gave off super haunted vibes, Georgia and I were scared to fall to sleep.

Georgia: That was hilarious! We recently stayed in another AirBnB in France that had haunted, spider-infested vibes but turned out to have the comfiest bed and silkiest sheets of the whole tour!

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

Amy: I was 16, got a tramp stamp… not the best tattoo in the world but I keep it for the mems.

Georgia: I don’t have any tattoos, as I’m so indecisive but I’ve been drawing and planning some…

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Amy: Any old school R&B playlist keeps G and I buzzing, Timbo/Missy era.

Georgia: All the artists that are on our Voices For The Unheard Playlist!

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Amy: I have a lot of amazing supportive people in my life that I wouldn’t be without, everyday I feel lucky to have them.

Georgia: Our Supernovas always go above and beyond to make us and our community feel special, from incredible artwork, to making jewelry, chatting to us and helping each other online or coming to every show on our tour! They make us so happy and we’re so grateful to have them as our Nova family.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Amy: Drink less, more focus.

Georgia: All through my teens I was super focused on music and felt like I’m missing out on things my friends would do. So I’d say don’t worry about things so much, you’re doing the right thing and hard work always pays off in the end! 18 was one of my favorite years.

What’s the last show you went to?

Amy: Our headline New York show.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Amy: Harry Potter

Georgia: Just Go With It

What’s one of your hidden talents?

Amy: My intuition is scarily accurate, I always feel things before they happen.

Georgia: I have a double jointed knuckle I can move around.

Supernova is out 6/17 via Marshall Records. Pre-order it here.

As the release nears for Blonde, the Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana de Armas that has secured the first NC-17 rating in Netflix’s history, director Andrew Dominik is promising that the unflinching film will have something in it to offend everyone. Dominik made the remarks in a new interview with Vulture, where he reflected on how the movie still fits into the larger #MeToo discussion even though it arrived almost half a decade later.

It’s an interesting time for Blonde to come out. If it had come out a few years ago, it would have come out right when Me Too hit and it would have been an expression of all that stuff. We’re in a time now, I think, where people are really uncertain about where any lines are. It’s a film that definitely has a morality about it. But it swims in very ambiguous waters because I don’t think it will be as cut-and-dried as people want to see it. There’s something in it to offend everyone.

Dominik also opened up about Blonde‘s headline-making NC-17 rating. “I thought we’d colored inside the lines,” the director said. “But I think if you’ve got a bunch of men and women in a boardroom talking about sexual behavior, maybe the men are going to be worried about what the women think. It’s just a weird time. It’s not like depictions of happy sexuality. It’s depictions of situations that are ambiguous.”

Dominik then said Americans are “strange” when it comes to sex even though the country makes “more porn than anyone else in the world,” which is certainly a take. Not necessarily an incorrect take, but certainly… a take.

(Via Vulture)