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When Spiritualized, the long-time project of British psychedelic space rock songwriter J. Spaceman (née Jason Pierce), announced the band’s new album last November, they also release the lead single, “Always Together With You.” The epic, sprawling track, buzzed with the nostalgia of Spirtualized’s seminal 1997 album, “Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space.” And now today, Spaceman and Spiritualized have released the second offering from Everything Was Beautiful in the gorgeous folk of “Crazy.”

Highlighted by country strings and the vocal harmony of Spaceman and Americana staple Nikki Lane, it definitely continues to build the anticipation for the album due out next month. The video was directed by Spaceman and was partly inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1963 film, Kiss. On the album, Spaceman played 16 different instruments and laid down tracks at 11 different studios, including his London home.

Made in the thick of the pandemic, Spaceman embraced the isolation and said that “I felt like I’d been in training for this my whole life.” He also noted of recording with a variety of collaborators in a variety of locations, “There was so much information on it that the slightest move would unbalance it, but going around in circles is important to me. Not like you’re spiraling out of control but you’re going around and around and on each revolution you hold onto the good each time. Sure, you get mistakes as well, but you hold on to some of those too and that’s how you kind of… achieve. Well, you get there.”

Watch the video for “Crazy” above.

Everything Was Beautiful is out 2/25 via Fat Possum. Pre-order it here.

It was been well over 30 years since Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest said, “Rap is not pop if you call it that then stop” on the pioneering quartet’s seminal 1991 single “Check The Rhime.” In the years since hip-hop has grown far beyond its underground block party roots to become one of the most popular genres worldwide. Thanks to the efforts of groups like A Tribe Called Quest and their successors, rap music more or less defines modern-day pop music which borrows beats, slang, vocal deliveries, and more from the musical form that was once considered sacred by insiders and a fad by outsiders.

Those binary distinctions no longer apply as much as they used to. Rap is topping the Hot 100 chart, changing the face of contemporary pop culture, and moving the world with its biggest hits. Apart from ruling the airwaves and dance floors of not just the US but every corner of the globe, hip-hop has upended the music hierarchy that once held rock’n’roll as the most influential American genre. Hip-hop hits don’t just make us dance or soundtrack the most memorable moments of our lives, they change the world in ways both big and small. I don’t know if Phife Dawg would be disappointed by the relatively short shelf life of his “Check The Rhime” closer, but I do think he’d be proud of how far it’s come (the ha, the ha).

Migos — “Bad N Boujee” feat. Lil Uzi Vert (2017)

Not only did the Atlanta trio’s 2017 breakthrough hit take them and feature artist, Lil Uzi Vert, from being burgeoning underground talents to bona fide superstars but it also introduced the world to a whole new way to spell “bourgeoise.” Migos have had hits since but none as ubiquitous or as catchy. As an added bonus, the video also introduced a future XXL Freshman in Rubi Rose, who modeled in the video before launching her own rap career a couple of years later.

Wiz Khalifa — “Black And Yellow” (2010)

It’s ironic that Wiz Khalifa’s hometown anthem became such a monster hit that other artists began doing their own takes on the color-combining chorus to shout out their own home teams. If you want proof that “Black And Yellow” was a pop smash, look no further than the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers actually adopted the track as their unofficial theme song and during the 2011 Super Bowl, their opponent, the Green Bay Packers, used one of the many knockoffs (Lil Wayne’s “Green And Yellow”) as their own fight song.

Cardi B — “Bodak Yellow” (2018)

In 2022, Cardi B is a brand unto herself, a one-woman buzzword that sends visions of Monopoly money bags flying through marketing execs’ imaginations. But before she was tearing up the streets with the Fast & Furious crew or officiating weddings as part of her own television show, “Bodak Yellow” launched her from relative obscurity on the New York mixtape circuit to daily name-checks on Ellen in front of an audience of millions of soccer moms.

Soulja Boy — “Crank That” (2007)

It’s hard to believe now, but at one point, the gatekeepers of the hip-hop establishment (such as it was) were tearing their hair out over Soulja Boy’s insanely viral, self-produced single. Seemingly every kid in America was hitting the Superman dance from his video and the very fabric of the genre seemed to be coming apart at the seams. In hindsight, well… they were right. “Crank That” broke every expectation of what hip-hop was supposed to be (nearly singlehandedly creating “ringtone rap” as a genre), how it could be promoted (the video — shot by Soulja himself and uploaded to YouTube — was among the first viral videos ever), and what it would look and sound like for the next generation.

Jay-Z — “Empire State Of Mind” feat. Alicia Keys (2009)

I must admit, as a native of the West Coast of the United States, this song got on my nerves. It wasn’t just that BET, MTV, and VH1 ran the video into the ground (back when they all still ran videos at all). It was on every radio station, it was played in every public video, and it became the hip-hop equivalent of elevator music — and all this was in LA! The song is about New York! It just felt wrong on every level. But Jay-Z might never have had a No. 1 record without it, falling off like so many of his contemporaries. Also — and I can’t stress this enough — Black Twitter as we know it would likely not exist were it not for that platform’s early adopters coming together to roast Lil Mama for crashing Jay and Alicia’s performance at the 2009 VMAs.

Drake — “Hotline Bling” (2016)

I know, I know. Technically, nobody is rapping on this track… but this was the moment it felt like Drake figured it out. He had risen to prominence behind his rapping (or rather, his talent for switching between rap and catchy singsong melodies) but he had never come so close to the top of the chart. Suddenly, a No.1 wasn’t just attainable — it was inevitable. “Hotline Bling” was everywhere: In phone commercials, on SNL, and all over our respective social media feeds. It blurred the line between parody and sincerity because even the satires acknowledged that it was just too big to fail.

50 Cent — “In Da Club” (2003)

One of the biggest rap songs ever introduced the world to one of the biggest brands in rap. “In Da Club” arrived like a hurricane or an earthquake, rearranging the landscape seemingly overnight. One minute, there was the world before 50 Cent and the next, a rap album selling 11x platinum didn’t seem all that unreasonable. Vitamin Water was something people cared about in a very real sense. Guys wore, as Joe Budden once so colorfully put it, “wife beaters with bra straps.” 50 went from a guy who Jay-Z once casually dismissed on a throwaway Timbaland beat to a guy you would gladly throw a couple of million dollars to produce a TV universe. Why not? You could find him in the club, but this song saturated the very atmosphere.

The Notorious B.I.G. — “Juicy” (1994)

“It was all a dream.” That really was all it took to take The Notorious B.I.G. from obscurity to become an icon. Sure, he has a lot of contemporaries from the mid-90s who have as much or more rap clout. But there’s just something different about “Juicy.” It transcends regions, chart performance, generations, and genre allegiances. Everybody knows “Juicy.” It was the song that kick-started the jiggy era, that signaled rap’s arrival on the grand stage when it became undeniable. It was the first time someone in the genre could look back at all that had been accomplished before and confidently note that it had reached a whole new level.

Nicki Minaj — “Super Bass” (2011)

“Anaconda” might technically be a bigger hit than “Super Bass,” but Nicki hates it and it’s a clear goof. The people who helped make it the Queens rapper’s highest-charting song for half a decade should be ashamed of themselves. “Super Bass” defined Nicki’s run as the first female rap star to actively court pop fame. From its cotton candy colorful music video to its infectious hook, “Super Bass,” more than any other song in Nicki’s repertoire, became the blueprint (alright, fine — pinkprint) for how nearly every other female rapper since would chart a course to the top of the charts.

Roddy Ricch — “The Box” (2019)

The catchiest song of the last two years and the last real pre-pandemic smash, “The Box” was able to block pop radio mainstays like Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and yes, even Drake (with Future via “Life Is Good”) from taking a spot that was previously considered reserved for them. There’s really nothing else left to say there. It was another case of a relatively unknown rapper becoming one of the most famous and accomplished human beings for the next year, and it was all due to this song.

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

In Gunna’s new video for “Livin Wild,” the rapper ends up with the ICU, from which his friends abruptly remove him against the advice of the attending physician. The video declares that it’s “based on a true story” — which is eerily close to that of Gunna’s rap game mentor Young Thug, who was hospitalized for liver and kidney failure and recounted the harrowing experience in April of 2020.

“Livin Wild” is the second video from Gunna’s new album, DS4EVER, after the “Too Easy” remix featuring Future and Roddy Ricch. Gunna released the album this past Friday after announcing its arrival on New Year’s Day. The project was the buzz of social media after two of its standout songs drew attention for different reasons. While “Pushin P” intrigued fans with its newfangled slang, “Thought I Was Playing” sparked a mini-debate about the trigger for Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s recent divorce thanks to 21 Savage’s insistence that he dumped her.

Speaking of romantic entanglements, Gunna himself is at the center of speculation after he was seen holding hands with Beyonce protege Chloe — just after denying that the two were ever dating in the first place.

Watch Gunna’s “Livin Wild” video above.

DS4EVER is out now on 300 and Atlantic. Stream it here.

Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade can’t seem to stop sparring, even if one such instance was a truly unfortunate one. Kilmeade came for Steve Doocy on the subject of his family’s Omicron outbreak and boosters, but Kilmeade’s also being a bit of an equal-opportunity sparrer lately. To that end, he actually took aim at former President Trump for his continued insistence that the Big Lie isn’t a lie; and Trump still insists that he won the 2020 election.

This resurrected Big Lie (which never died, by the way) got a re-up from Trump because he’s been so very angry about Biden’s fiery January 6 anniversary address. Well, Kilmeade is no longer here for the big lie. On Sunday, he visited with Howard Kurtz on MediaBuzz and effectively told Trump to shush on the subject, for good. In other words, at least some Fox News hosts are growing weary of Trump’s continued insistence that he’s not a loser. Here’s what Kilmeade said:

“In life, you have to learn to lose. Hillary Clinton has to learn that, Al Gore pretty much did learn that, Stacey Abrams didn’t learn that… If you did, in fact, get screwed out of this election, put together an A-team list of lawyers, not the ones we witnessed, show us the districts and show us how.”

It’ll be interesting to see whether the MAGA leader will push back at Kilmeade, who used to be a massive Trump cheerleader. Kilmeade even looked aghast (a few years ago) when Steve Doocy declared that Trump was not automatically welcome to call into Fox and Friends whenever he liked. Imagine that! Well, maybe (just maybe) the magic has worn off for Kilmeade, too.

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 a cinematic new album from The Weeknd and Gunna adding to his own growing legacy with a third LP. 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.

The Weeknd — “Sacrifice”

While The Weeknd is used to traditional lengthy album lead-ups, but he didn’t go that route this time: He officially announced Dawn FM last Monday, and a work week later, it arrived. On release day, he supplemented the album with a cinematic visual for the dancefloor-ready single “Sacrifice.”

Gunna and Future — “Pushin P” Feat. Young Thug

While The Weeknd had the headlining release of the week, don’t sleep on Gunna, who just dropped his third album, DS4Ever. While Dawn FM may end up preventing the Gunna LP from topping the charts, there’s a lot going on here, including the Future and Young Thug collaboration “Pushin P,” which Uproxx’s Wongo Okon described as “a braggadocios anthem that captures the three Atlanta-based rap stars in confident spirits thanks to their success in rap, their wealth, and their large collection of lavish items.”

The Smile — “You Will Never Work In Television Again’”

Radiohead fans ate last week, but they weren’t feasting on new Radiohead music. Rather, the band’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood teamed up with Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner for the first official release from their side project group, The Smile. The song is “You Will Never Work In Television Again,” a sub-three-minute effort that’s as straightforward of a guitar-driven rocker that Yorke’s voice has been heard on in years.

Earl Sweatshirt — “Titanic”

As fans eagerly await Sick!, Earl Sweatshirt’s first album in a few years, he’s given them a taste of it with “Titanic.” He dropped the song last week and it’s no-frills, as it features a single verse from Earl on a woozy instrumental over the course of under two minutes.

Father John Misty — “Funny Girl”

Father John Misty has mostly laid low over the past couple years, and it appears that’s because he’s been working on new material. After a cryptic teaser to close 2021, Misty started the new year by announcing an album, Chloë And The Next 20th Century. Furthermore, he shared “Funny Girl,” which Uproxx’s Adrian Spinelli notes “is chock full of the FJM whimsy, with a throwback ballroom vibe.”

MICHELLE — “Expiration Date”

MICHELLE put themselves on the indie world’s radar with their 2018 debut album Heatwave, and they have the major task of following that up later this month with their sophomore album, AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS. Pre-album singles have shown they’re doing a fine job at that, though, like their latest, “Expiration Date.” Uproxx’s Carolyn Droke observes, “Over twinkling keys and R&B-inspired percussion, MICHELLE’s three singers deliver swirling melodies about enjoying a relationship while it still lasts.”

Spoon — “I Can’t Give Everything Away” (David Bowie cover)

It would have been David Bowie’s 75th birthday over the weekend, and all month, Amazon is marking the occasion all this month with their [RE]DISCOVER campaign. As part of that, Spoon delivered a rendition of a Bowie tune they’ve been covering for a few years now, “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” Britt Daniel said of the recording, “It’s just a fantastic song, and as the last song on Bowie’s final album, it doesn’t disappoint. We recorded this version live in December 2021.”

2 Chainz — “Million Dollars Worth Of Game” Feat. 42 Dugg

At some point between now and the end of January, 2 Chainz plans to unleash Dope Don’t Sell Itself onto the world. While the album’s exact release date remains a mystery for now, he has still pulled back the curtain some on the project, like he did last week with “Million Dollars Worth Of Game.” 42 Dugg delivers the hook and handles a verse of his own when 2 Chainz isn’t waxing poetic about his veteran status.

Leikeli47 — “Chitty Bang”

Madden NFL 22 players have been enjoying a new Leikeli47 song since the game was released last summer. Last week, though, the rapper finally gave the song an official release, making it her first new track in about a year and a half. The catchy and hard-hitting tune is hopefully a taste of a follow-up to the rapper’s 2018 album Acrylic.

Sasami — “Say It”

On her upcoming album Squeeze, Sasami has vowed to explore a number of genres, and last week showed off her industrial portion of the program with “Say It.” While the track is most immediately identifiable by its heavy guitars and imposing sonic environment, there are glimmers of softer melodic light to be found here.

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

What has quickly become one of the premier festivals on the West Coast, and arguably the premier upscale festival in the country, Napa Valley’s BottleRock festival routinely sells out of tickets. Today, the festival collision of music, wine, and food has announced the full lineup for the 2022 edition, featuring headliners Metallica, Pink, Twenty One Pilots, and Luke Combs.

Following a 2021 edition that saw the dates moved to September due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Napa wine country fest goes back to its usual Memorial Day Weekend date for the three-day affair. Joining the headliners at the top of the BottleRock lineup are psych-rock throwbacks The Black Crowes, tropical house producer Kygo, reggaeton OG Pitbull, electro-pop trio Chvrches, and the Mount Westmore hip-hop supergroup of California rappers E-40, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Too Short.

Fans of the festival can also be sure to stay tuned for the lineup of the artists, chefs, and athletes on BottleRock’s signature Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage. Years past have brought food celebrities like Padma Lakshmi, José Andrés, and Michael Mina, together with athletes like Marshawn Lynch and Charles Woodson, or artists like G-Eazy and Dave Grohl.

The rest of the Bottle Rock Lineup includes Greta Van Fleet, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Bleachers, Spoon, Banks, Alessia Cara, Saint Jhn, Vance Joy, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Silversun Pickups, The Wailers featuring Julian Marley, Yola, Tai Verdes, Bahamas, Grandmaster Flash, Marc E. Bassy, Fantastic Negrito, Skip Marley, Kikagaku Moyo, Aly & AJ, and lots more.

BottleRock 2022 goes down at the Napa Valley Expo from 05/27 – 05/29. 3-day tickets go on sale on January 11 at 10 am PST here.

Thanks to his jam-packed schedule, interviewers had plenty of opportunities to ask Andrew Garfield if the rumors were true that he’s appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and he expertly denied it every single time. As Marvel fans now know, Garfield is in the movie and arguably steals the whole thing, which only further proves the critical consensus that his casting for The Amazing Spider-Man films was never the issue.

In a new interview, Garfield opens up about how much lying he’s had to do over the past few months, and while he admits that it was stressful, he also says it was “weirdly enjoyable” to keep his role a secret from fans. Via The Wrap:

“I placed myself in that position of, Well, what would I want to know? Would I want to be toyed with? Would I want to be lied to? Would I want to be kept on my toes guessing? Would I want to discover it when I went to the theater? Would I want to be guessing, guessing, guessing?”

The answer to those questions, he said, was clear. “I would want the actor to do an incredibly good job at convincing me he wasn’t in it. And then I would want to lose my mind in the theater when my instinct was proven right. That’s what I would want.”

Garfield’s instinct was right. Not only did Spidey fans love his performance in the film, but the movie is absolutely crushing it at the box office. No Way Home is now number eight on the all-time global chart, according to Deadline. After swinging into theaters in America just in time to rack up huge box office receipts before Omicron hit, No Way Home is currently cleaning up in international markets where it’s putting up massive Avengers-worthy numbers.

(Via The Wrap)

Oreos and mustard, eh? While the combination is not quite as classic as coffee and milk or grilled cheese and tomato soup, it is the latest TikTok challenge and last week, Lizzo gave the combo a try. “TikTok made me try mustard and Oreos,” the “Truth Hurts” singer captioned, and embarked on the questionable food pairing in front of her more than 20 million followers on the app.

It wasn’t long before she drew the ire of Lil Yachty, who then posted his own TikTok #stitch clip, where he cuts away from Lizzo’s original video swiping the mustard away. “Gimme the goddamn mustard! You know this don’t go on that,” he says to his more than 8 million followers. “Gimme these too, you dead wrong,” he says, as he takes away the Oreos in an attempt to preserve the purity of the time-honored cookie.

But as she tends to do, Lizzo gets the last laugh here. In a video posted on Friday, she mashes up Lil Yachty’s mash up, reclaiming the mustard and immediately putting it on a juicy green apple. “Gimme the mustard back b*itch! You play too much…you wrong!,” she says as she proceeds to take a very focused bite of the errr…snack.

As disgusting as these combinations might seem, the Lizzo and Lil Yachty back and forth is gold. Somehow, Lizzo found time to even try ranch dressing on spaghetti in between videos? (That ain’t right!) Regardless, she wins this round and all Lil Yachty can do is breathe heavily while admitting defeat the only way he can:

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

Rappers and weed go hand-in-hand in the public imagination but there’s at least one hip-hop artist who’s questioning that relationship — or, at least, his own relationship with the devil’s lettuce. Returning to Twitter to share another of his potentially controversial views, Meek Mill revealed that he’d rather be sober than fit the stereotype — although that hasn’t stopped him yet. “I smoke weed everyday and get depressed as soon as I get high,” he wrote. “I be happy as hell sober lol it just helps me think deeper and more realistic lol.”

As usual, Meek’s observation sparked a wide variety of reactions, from those expressing agreement to those who suggested he try a different strain. “Weed is a downer,” one commenter offered. “If your already depressed it does nothing but amplify that.” “Stop smoking the wrong weed,” another said. “Find the Terpene profile that agrees with your body.”

Meek is three months removed from his most recent album, Expensive Pain, which featured appearances from A$AP Ferg, Brent Faiyaz, Giggs, Kehlani, Lil Baby & Lil Durk, Moneybagg Yo, Vory, and Young Thug and garnered praise from his former rival Drake. In November, he said he was working on the final Dreamchasers mixtape, which he planned to release as an NFT.

The Atlanta Hawks entered this season thinking they had the roster necessary to replicate last year’s stunning run to the Eastern Conference Finals and expected to once again be lurking in the top-4 in the East come playoff time. However, midway through the season, the Hawks are 12th in the East at 17-22, 4.5 games out of the 6-seed and the final guaranteed playoff position.

Their plan of running it back has not panned out, and plenty within the organization seem to realize they need a course change at the trade deadline. The question is how significant of a deal do the Hawks need to make, as Travis Schlenk has admitted he thinks it was a mistake bringing everyone back last summer and will be looking for upgrades at the deadline. Is it simply shuffling the deck on some of their role players on the wing, like Cam Reddish who has been available to other teams since this past summer or veteran Danilo Gallinari who has not had the same impact this season as last? Or do the Hawks want to make a bigger move that would reshape their foundation?

Based on rumored talks, Atlanta is exploring both options, and the latter could come in the form of a Ben Simmons trade. As to what they could offer that would make the Sixers willing to part with the star guard, the only player that is not Trae Young that would seem to fit their desire for an All-Star caliber player is John Collins, who just so happens to be upset with his role with the Hawks despite inking a 5-year, $125 million deal with the team this offseason, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Collins, however, has grown increasingly frustrated over his role in Atlanta, multiple sources have told The Athletic. His shot attempts per game and usage rate have decreased in each of the past three seasons — even as the athletic, energetic Collins has improved his offensive repertoire. The 6-foot-9 big man has challenged the Hawks locker room on multiple occasions to play team basketball and commit to one another this season. Oftentimes, Collins has felt his voice go unheard.

“I’ve banged my head on the wall a couple of times trying to figure it out myself, there’s really no excuse,” Collins said Friday night after the Hawks’ 134-118 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles. “All I can say is it’s unacceptable and we have to dig down and do the things necessary to win or this is going to be the result every night.”

It is important to note that Shams says it’s “unclear” if the Hawks would put a Collins-Reddish centered package on the table for Simmons (and he can’t be dealt until January 15), but given Philadelphia’s asking price and the list of teams reported as involved in talks not changing, Atlanta certainly seems to be the team that has the most to offer as of now. Whether that is enough to make a trade happen now remains to be seen, but it would be a fascinating shakeup for all parties involved and you could see how both would benefit from it. Collins has become a terrific stretch big and his fit next to Joel Embiid in the frontcourt would not be difficult to envision working snugly. Simmons, meanwhile, would be the defensive counterbalance to Trae Young in the backcourt who could operate more like a point-forward in the halfcourt with the Hawks — and would need to with Collins gone.

The Hawks situation is not one many GMs would be envious of, as Schlenk must decide whether last year’s post-All Star run was more of a mirage than this season’s stop-start mess due to COVID. The future success of the franchise hinges on, effectively, guessing right on which small sample size is more representative of the truth.