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Over the last year or so EST Gee and 42 Dugg have grown to be two of rap’s newest and most promising names. Gee’s Bigger Than Life Or Death and Dugg’s Free Dem Boyz projects, which both arrived last year, helped to give them a strong boost in their respective careers. They’ve also collaborated on several occasions on tracks like “5500 Degrees” and “Rose Gold,” and it’s most likely a result of them both being signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group imprint. That connection aled to last month’s announcement of a joint album between Gee and Dugg, which is set to arrive sooner or later.

The rappers initially said their project, titled Last Ones Left, would touch down on February 18, but that day came and went without the project. However, the duo didn’t leave their fans high and dry and an example of that comes with their latest song, “Everybody Shooters Too.” The new track arrives with a focused video that captures Gee and Dugg rapping beside their crew as they flex their diamonds, cars, and high-end clothing.

The new song and video arrive after Gee and Dugg dropped off “Free The Shiners” to kick off the campaign for Last Ones Left.

You can watch the video for “Everybody Shooters Too” above.

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

Bruce Arians, who coached the Tampa Buccaneers to a Super Bowl LV win just over a year ago, is stepping down as the team’s head coach. Todd Bowles, the ex-New York Jets head coach and current Tampa Bay defensive coordinator, is going to take over for Arians.

Arians’ decision, first reported by NBC’s Peter King, means he’s going to move into into what he told King was a “senior consultant for football” in the Buccaneers organization. He told King he was stepping away now because he wanted a clean line of succession with the job.

“I’d rather see Todd in position to be successful and not have to take some [crappy] job,” Arians said. “I’m probably retiring next year anyway, in February. So, I control the narrative right now. I don’t control it next February because [Tom] Brady gets hurt, we go 10-7, and it’s an open interview for the job … I got 31 [coaches and their] families that depend on me. My wife is big on not letting all those families down.”

The 69-year-old Arians also said that Brady’s decision to unretire did not have an impact on his decision.

“No,” Arians said, per King. “No. Tom was very in favor of what I’m doing. I mean, I had conflicts with every player I coached because I cussed them all out, including him. Great relationship off the field.”

Bowles, 58, becomes the sixth NFL head coach of color along with Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Washington’s Ron Rivera, New York’s Robert Saleh, Miami’s Mike McDaniel and and Houston’s Lovie Smith. He was 24-40 as the New York Jets’ head coach, but was considered among the top candidates for jobs this offseason around the NFL before returning to Tampa as defensive coordinator.

In the days since Will Smith slapped and cursed at Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony, many have expressed their distaste with what the former did to the latter. Among them was one of the night’s three hosts. Amy Schumer, who tried to milk jokes out of the incident shortly after it happened, said she’s “still triggered and traumatized” by it. Now another host not only agrees with her but shared a strange and endearing story about her run-in with Rock himself.

On Wednesday, Wanda Sykes appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. There, she discussed how she “felt so awful for my friend Chris.” (Sykes first gained recognition for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show in the ‘90s, even winning an Emmy.) She also told a story about running into him and finding him weirdly, if predictably self-deprecating about it:

“I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but I saw Chris at [Guy Oseary’s after party] and as soon as I walked up to him, the first thing he said is, ‘I’m so sorry.’ I was like, ‘Why are you apologizing?’ He was like, ‘It was supposed to be your night. You and Amy and Regina were doing such a great job. I’m so sorry this is now gonna be about this.’ ”

Sykes added, “Because that’s who Chris is.”

The performer also took time to slam Smith for his behavior. “It was sickening. It was absolutely— I physically felt ill, and I’m still a little traumatized by it,” Sykes said. “And for them to let [Will] stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like, ‘How gross is this?’ This sends the wrong message. If you assault somebody, you get escorted out the building and that’s it. But for them to let him continue, I thought it was gross.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who puts on the Oscars, announced Wednesday that they’ve begun a formal investigation into the incident. They also claimed that after his attack, they asked Smith to leave but he “refused.”

You can watch Sykes’ Ellen appearance in the video above.

(Via People)

It’s unfortunate that humans are wired to notice everything bad going on in the world and to ignore the things that are going right. Our collective negativity bias was illustrated in a 2016 survey that asked people in 17 countries “Do you think the world is getting better or worse, or neither getting better nor worse?”

Fifty‐eight percent of respondents thought that the world is getting worse, and 30% said that it is doing neither. Only 11% thought that things are getting better.

However, there is a wealth of data to support the idea that the world is only improving when it comes to the hallmarks of human progress: education, freedom, poverty and health.

In a recent interview with Upworthy, Chelsea Follett, the managing editor at Human Progress, explained why humans have a bias toward negativity, and the media isn’t doing us any favors.

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“Historically, obviously our ancestors in a primitive environment who overreacted to danger were more likely to survive than those who underreacted,” Follett told Upworthy. “But there is a point where unwarranted panic can actually be detrimental to your survival if you abandon policies or institutions that are actually working, or that have allowed you to make tremendous progress in the past.

“There’s also the nature of the media,” she added. “Obviously sudden, noteworthy and rare events are the ones that make headlines, whereas long-term slow, steady, incremental progress is just not as interesting.”

Our World in Data, an organization that performs “research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems” has created a revealing document that shows just how far humanity has come over the past 200 years. The graphs show how life has changed for a random sampling of 100 people over the past two centuries.

The graph covers six topics that are cornerstones of human progress: poverty, basic education, literacy, democracy, vaccination and child mortality.

Poverty

In 1820, 84 out of 100 people lived in extreme poverty, and over 200 years that number has dropped more than nine times to just 9 in 100. “The headline could be ‘The number of people in extreme poverty fell by 130,000 since yesterday’ and they wouldn’t have this headline once, but every single day since 1990, since, on average, there were 130,000 people fewer in extreme poverty every day,” Our World in Data wrote.

Basic Education

Two hundred years ago, 83 out of 100 people had no education at all. That number has been reduced to just 14 over the past 200 years.

Our World In Data says that number is only going to get better. “Focusing on the educational breakdown the projection suggests that by 2100, there will be almost no one without formal education and there will be more than 7 billion minds who will have received at least secondary education,” Our World in Data said.

Literacy

In 1820, only 12 people out of 100 could read. In 2019, that number has risen more than seven times to 86. These numbers will continue to rise because a large portion of the world’s illiterate population is older.

Democracy

Only 1 out of 100 people lived in a democracy back in 1820. Now, 56 out of 100 people live in a country where they can select their elected officials. This was a big change that came after World War II.

“In the second half of the 20th century, the world has changed significantly: Colonial empires ended, and more and more countries turned democratic,” Our World in Data wrote. “The share of the world population living in democracies increased continuously–particularly important was the breakdown of the Soviet Union which allowed more countries to democratize.”

Vaccination

Over the past 60 years, the number of people out of 100 that would have been vaccinated against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus has risen from 0 to 86.

Child Mortality

Can you imagine living at a time when almost half of all children born never lived to kindergarten age? “In 1800 the health conditions were such that around 43% of the world’s newborns died before their 5th birthday,” Our World In Data wrote. “In 2017 child mortality was down to 3.9% – 10-fold lower than 2 centuries ago.”

The influence of both Future Classic and PC Music labels on electronic music and pop is undeniable. Now Flume and Caroline Polachek’s latest track, “Sirens,” co-written and produced by PC Music’s Danny L.Harle, represents the glorious union of the two. Polacheck indeed sounds like a siren, humming through Flume’s thumping progression that feels nothing short of heavenly; the type of music that’d be playing while you relax on a pillowy cloud.

“I was living by myself in London, and it was the darkest time in the pandemic,” Polachek said in a statement. “I was really going through it, feeling so small, unable to control anything in the world, and the lyric ‘sirens’ was in reference to constant ambulances I was hearing.” Polachek soon left London, but the lyric stayed with her when she moved to L.A. and bumped into Flume, who she already knew, but was now living down the street from.

Now the song will appear on Flume’s upcoming album, Palaces, out on May 20th. “We started playing weekly games of Magic The Gathering with A.G. Cook and a few friends,” Flume explains of his new neighborly activities. “We started doing a session, and Danny L Harle showed me a voice note from Caroline with some very early stages of vocals. I loved it and went back in on it during the pandemic.”

Listen to “Sirens” above and check out Flume’s newly announced tour dates below.

Palaces comes out on 05/20 via Future Classic/Transgressive. Pre-order it here.

Pusha T’s been having a great 2022 year so far. He kicked it off by releasing “Diet Coke,” his first official single since the summer of 2019. The track was co-produced by Kanye West and 88 Keys and it also arrived with a black and white video that featured Pusha and Kanye dancing together. The song was the presumed lead single from his upcoming fourth solo album It’s Not Dry Yet, but before giving us more music from that project, Pusha teamed up with DJ and fashion designer Nigo for their song “Hear Me Clearly,” which they just released a music video for.

The new visual for “Hear Me Clearly” is led by Pusha and it kicks off with him walking onto what seems like a normal construction site. Soon, we see that the site is actually a drug operation center and it’s one that Pusha seems to be in charge of. For the remainder of the video, Pusha stacks his collections of drugs high while enjoying his time with friends and a cast of women.

“Hear Me Clearly” was one of four singles that was released prior to the arrival of Nigo’s sophomore album I Know Nigo! The project dropped with 11 songs and features from Tyler The Creator, ASAP Rocky, Gunna, Pharrell, Lil Uzi Vert, Kid Cudi, and more.

You can watch the video for “Hear Me Clearly” above.

I Know NIGO! is out now via Republic Records. You can stream it here.

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

There have been a number of medically dubious “alternatives” in the fight against COVID, some of them touted by a certain former American president. But one was perhaps more infamous than them all. That would be ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug used on humans and livestock alike. Its professed ability to combat a virus that has killed millions has been touted by far right commentators and belittled by others. And now, after a major study, it appears that, when it comes to the novel coronavirus, it doesn’t really do diddly-squat.

As per The New York Times, a large clinical study published on Wednesday revealed that it showed “no sign of alleviating the disease,” effectively ruling it out as a form of COVID treatment. The study looked at more than 1,300 people infected with the virus in Brazil, leading experts to conclude that there’s “really no sign of any benefit” of taking the drug, often used to de-worm horses, to treat humans suffering from the highly transmissible disease.

In the early days of the pandemic, ivermectin was one of thousands of drugs researchers experimented on to combat COVID, and some studies suggested it might block the coronavirus. Some of those tests proved to be flawed and the Food and Drug Administration never claimed it could be used to treat those afflicted. Some doctors began prescribing it anyway and, by last summer, it was gaining steam among vaccine skeptics. Among them was Rogan, who casually mentioned using ivermectin among a dense cocktail of drugs he took after testing positive, leading to much backlash.

Even with the new study’s findings, testing into ivermectin’s COVID efficacy remains ongoing. But one infectious-disease expert isn’t holding his breath. “I welcome the results of the other clinical trials and will view them with an open mind,” Dr. Paul Sax, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told NYT, “but at some point it will become a waste of resources to continue studying an unpromising approach.”

In other words, if you still somehow haven’t gotten your free, safe, and effective COVID vaccine — to say nothing of a booster — maybe now’s the time to do so before the next wave hits.

(Via NYT)

The fallout from Will Smith’s Oscars slap continues apace, and there’s word that it may take weeks, if not longer, for the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences to figure how to reprimand the star, if at all. But while the Board of Governors on Wednesday revealed they’ve “initiated disciplinary proceedings” against Smith, they also claimed they tried, and failed, to take steps earlier.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy released a statement in which they tried to clarify something about Sunday night’s proceedings. Earlier it was claimed that by the time that ceremony administrators tried to do something after Smith struck presenter Chris Rock, who had made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith had already won his Oscar and started giving his speech.

But now they’re claiming that’s not true. Now they’re saying Smith was “asked to leave the ceremony and refused.” They added that they “could have handled the situation differently.”

In the days since the incident, many have come out against Smith’s actions. Co-host Amy Schumer has said she’s “still triggered and traumatized” by the sudden outburst, while Zoë Kravitz, who was present, joked, with deep and angry sarcasm, that people at the Oscars are “apparently assaulting people on stage now.” Others, like Joe Rogan, are worried about how Smith’s antics could inspire others to attack comedians for jokes.

(Via THR)

Going rogue since 2005, a flamingo named Pink Floyd has been spotted in Texas of all places. Wading in the shallow waters of Cox Bay near Port Lavaca, NPR reported that a man named David Foreman took a video that was posted by the Coastal Fisheries – Texas Parks and Wildlife Facebook page. “Looks like Pink Floyd has returned from the dark side of the moon!,” the agency commented.

You see, flamingos can’t be found anywhere in the wild in the US besides South Florida, but this particular flamingo has an incredible story: Pink Floyd — also known as “No. 492” — came to Wichita’s Sedgwick County Zoo in 2003 as part of a 40 flamingo flock. The flamingos are kept from flying away by routinely having their wings clipped — basically like a haircut. But in a momentary lapse of reason, when Pink Floyd and another bird, named No. 347, had missed their scheduled final cut appointments, they escaped the zoo and flew out into the wild (no word on whether they were charged for cancelling with less than 24 hours advance notice.)

Pink Floyd was actually first brought into public consciousness when they were spotted in Texas for the first time in 2018, according to The New York Times. “I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure flamingos aren’t native to Texas,” an intern for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said back then. But just like in 2018, Pink Floyd was sporting an uncanny tag above their knees, making it an easy to spot this past month on March 10th. Pink Floyd is said to be 27 years old and Pink’s preferred pronouns are they/them, as there is no way to tell what sex they are.

Flamingos are said to be able to live for 30 years in the wild, so it looks as though Pink Floyd will be touring for at least another few years. As for No. 347, they were spotted flying North in 2005, was never seen again, but Pink wishes they were here.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the market. This week we’ve got another big one before us with Nike heavily dominating our picks by bringing the air — Air Force 1s, Air Jordans, and Air Max 90s — so if you like to get high… it’s a good week. Aside from the Air family, we have the latest Dunks, including Union LA’s highly anticipated Argon and Court Purple colorways but Nike isn’t the only brand bringing the heat. Adidas is hitting us with the latest sneaker from pro-skater and fashionista Blondey McCoy and Asics is dropping a brand new collaboration with Kiko Kostadinov.

If you’re looking for a fit to complete the look (it’s spring, after all, time to get out there!) be sure to hit one of our Euphoria style round-ups or check out the latest from our current crop of favorite streetwear brands.

Let’s dive in!

Kiko Kostadinov x Asics UB3-S Gel-Nimbus 9

Asics has just announced that it will be continuing its collaboration with the Kiko Kostadinov studio, and for the duo’s latest collaboration we’re getting a brand new UB3-S Gel-Nimbus 9.

Featuring patent leather overlays atop mesh underlays and synthetic paneling, the Asics UB3-S Gel-Nimbus 9 features design touchtones from the typical Gel-Nimbus 9 with some elements borrowed from archival silhouettes.

It’s a significant step up from the previous Kiko Kostadinov collars, so here is to a fruitful collaboration that brings us even better kicks in the future.

The Kiko Kostadinov x Asics UB3-S Gel-Nimbus 9 is out now for a retail price of $166. Pick up a pair via select sneaker retailers like Wood Wood or Sneaker District.

Nike Air Force 1 Off Noir

Black Air Force 1s are a classic look, but if you’ve already owned a pair, it’s a little hard to get excited about buying another. Enter the Off Noir colorway, which paints a nubuck leather upper in a matte black finish with a matching all-black swoosh and sits atop a Summit White midsole.

Now you can buy another pair of black Air Force 1s without feeling like you’re retreading old ground. Plus, and I’m going to explode a lot of sneakerhead brains here — the Off Noir looks even better than a classic black AF-1. I said it!

The Nike Air Force 1 Off Noir are out now for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Sacai x Nike Blazer Low Black Patent Leather/White Patent Leather

After a constant stream of Vaporwaffle collaborations, Chitose Abe’s Sacai label Sacai is finally taking a crack at a different silhouette and we’re all for it. Featuring exposed foam lingers, stacked tongues, double lacing, and a patent leather upper, Sacai’s low-top Nike Blazer manages to take the classic ‘70s silhouette and make it feel modern and contemporary.

The sneaker is available in both a black and white patent leather colorway. Both are dope, but we’re leaning toward the white pair as the favorite for its monochromatic presentation.

The Sacai x Nike Blazer Low Black Patent Leather and White Patent Leather are set to drop on March 31st for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Union LA x Nike Dunk Passport Pack

Los Angeles-based streetwear retailer and label Union LA is returning this week with a continuation of last year’s “passport pack,” a Dunk collection inspired by rare colorways from around the world. The Court Purple iteration is inspired by a classic Japanese Dunk colorway (dubbed City Pack) and features a bold ripstop upper and design elements by label head Chris Gibbs. The other colorway, Argon, is also inspired by a Japanese Dunk colorway that Gibbs brought back with him to the States.

Both sneakers win our award for worst press shots ever!

The Union LA x Nike Dunk Passport Pack is set to drop on March 31st for a retail price of $150. Pick up both pairs exclusively via at Union’s LA webstore.

Nike Dunk Low Halloween

If you’re a hardcore Nike fan you’ve probably noticed that the brand’s release calendar is all fucked up. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, a few releases will suddenly get delayed for a few months, no big deal. But sometimes this hits the brand’s seasonal kicks, which makes the eventual release date feel out of place.

Enter this week’s Dunk Low Halloween. Yes, the word Halloween is actually in the name, and the sneaker even has a spooky eye graphic at the heel, making the design completely out of step with current seasonal trends.

That doesn’t make it a bad sneaker though, the mix of black, off-white and orange tones looks dope, but we can’t figure out why Nike didn’t just hold this one back 6 more months and give it to us when it’s more seasonally appropriate.

The Nike Dunk Low Halloween is set to drop on April 1st (for some reason) for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Air Force 1 Flax

As dope as the Off-Noir AF-1s are, they lean a bit on the fancy side. If you’re looking for something more rugged and utilitarian that matches your Carhartt fits than the Air Force 1 Flax is for you.

Featuring a suede upper inspired by construction boots, this sneaker features metal grommets and other accents that land the design somewhere between a boot and a classic sneaker.

The Air Force 1 Flax is set to drop on April 1st for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Women’s Air Max 90 Siempre Familia

Seriously Nike, what the hell is going on over there? Yes, those are bone graphics you see on this sneaker’s upper, the Siempre Familia Air Max 90 is inspired by, and clearly intended for, Dio De Los Muertos, a holiday that falls on the 1st and 2nd of November.

And here it is… dropping on April 1st, five months later. Cool. The silhouette is highly textured with embroidered details and a mixed upper inspired by the animal spirit guide Xoloescuincle, who is tasked with guiding people through the mythological Aztec underworld Mictlãn.

It’s a dope and authentic design that was fully authorized by the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico. Would’ve been dope if it dropped any where near Dio De Los Muertos, good job Nike.

The Women’s Air Max 90 Siempre Familia are set to drop on April 1st for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Air Jordan 1 High ’85 College Navy

Few sneaker drops can eclipse the excitement of a Union Nike collaboration, but this high-top ’85 College Navy Air Jordan 1 is our obvious pick of the week. Featuring a premium leather upper with the AJ-1s classic ’85 detailing, this sneaker combines College Navy blue panels over a pristine white upper.

It’s not the flashiest design but it’s just *chef’s kiss* perfect. You don’t need a lot of heavy lifting to make a Jordan 1 look dope, and the College Navy colorway proves that.

The Air Jordan 1 High ’85 College Navy is set to drop on April 2nd for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.