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Dave Chappelle’s reportedly contentious visit to his high school last week has received clarification in a statement from Duke Ellington, and it’s a pretty lengthy statement that also follows up on Chappelle’s donation-poll, so we’ll get there momentarily.

To briefly recap, Chappelle’s The Closer controversy still continues unresolved as he cracks trans jokes onstage while touring for his documentary film, after backlash over his trans jokes in Netflix’s The Closer. His high school alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown, has been stuck in the middle of this mess while responding to student concerns and beefing up security over student-focused threats, which Chappelle reportedly addressed during his surprise visit to the school shortly before Thanksgiving.

A Politico report detailed exchanges during that Q&A session, in which Chappelle reportedly responded to boos and being called a “bigot” by declaring, “I’m better than all of you.” The report also quoted multiple students who were unhappy with Chappelle responding to concerns with more jokes, and Politico also alleged that Chappelle called attention to a female student who walked out of the auditorium. Well, Duke Ellington’s statement on the matter reveals that the school will proceed with renaming the theater after Chappelle (despite postponing a fundraiser), no matter the outcome of Dave’s poll that asks people to donate for-or-against the renaming.

Via Hollywood Reporter, the school expresses gratitude for how Dave is raising funds for the theater and reveals that, no matter the outcome of his poll, the decision for the renaming is set in stone:

“While we appreciate Dave’s impromptu and spirited fundraising initiative, we stand behind our decision to honor the wishes of our co-founder, the late Peggy Cooper Cafritz, to name the theatre after Chappelle. All donations will go towards arts programming and every donor, irrespective of their support or opposition to the theater naming, will receive an official thank you from our team.”

In addition to sticking with the decision of its late co-founder on the theater-renaming issue, the school pushed back at what they’re calling “inaccurate” stories that “neglected to include the nuances of art” while reporting on Dave’s visit to Duke Ellington. The school’s also stressing that a large number of students remain in favor of the theater being named after the comedian:

“While there has been extensive media coverage about the theatre naming and Chappelle’s most recent visit to the school, the source stories that have gone viral have been inaccurate, devoid of context, and neglected to include the nuances of art. As an art institution, we educate our students on the importance of media literacy and art as a free and open form of expression to both reflect and challenge society. Although it appears that the clear majority of students at Ellington favor naming the theater for Dave Chappelle, we are seizing this moment to demonstrate the importance of carefully listening to every voice within our diverse and inclusive community.”

You can read the rest of the Duke Ellington statement here.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

For months now, it has been rumored that Adele was planning a Las Vegas residency. Rumors first surfaced this summer, and in October, it was reported that she was deciding between two locations for the run of shows. Now, we’re done with rumors and moving into confirmed news: Today, Adele officially announced that she is fact doing a Vegas residency, dubbed “Weekends With Adele.”

Starting on January 21, Adele will take the stage at Caesers Palace’s Colosseum every Friday and Saturday through to April 16, save for a weekend off on February 18 and 19, which seems to be due to the run of shows Van Morrison is set to perform at the venue that weekend.

Check out the full list of Weekends With Adele dates below.

01/21/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
01/22/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
01/28/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
01/29/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
02/04/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
02/05/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
02/11/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
02/12/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
02/25/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
02/26/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/04/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/05/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/11/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/12/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/18/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/19/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/25/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
03/26/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
04/01/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
04/02/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
04/08/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
04/09/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
04/15/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum
04/16/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ Caesers Palace Colosseum

After remaining uncharacteristically quiet, Marjorie Taylor Greene has finally inserted herself into the Lauren Boebert “Jihad Squad” fracas, and naturally, Greene is backing her fellow congresswoman who also rode into office on a wave of QAnon conspiracy theories. Greene rode to Boebert’s defense after she was called out by South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, who condemned the “Jihad Squad” comments and said there’s no place in Congress for “racist tropes and remarks.”

Greene responded to Mace on Twitter, and in the process, continued to refer to Rep. Ilhan Omar and her progressive colleagues by the same Islamophobic nickname that has Boebert in hot water.

“@NancyMace is the trash in the GOP Conference,” Greene tweeted without a sense of irony. “Never attacked by Democrats or RINO’s (same thing) because she is not conservative, she’s pro-abort. Mace you can back up off of @laurenboebert or just go hang with your real gal pals, the Jihad Squad. Your out of your league.”

As for what suddenly has Greene so fired up, according to Mediaite, Mace also called for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to take a tougher stance on out of control members of Congress.

“Quite frankly, I’m tired of it,” Mace said. “It’s time for us to work together and do something better for our nation.”

UPDATE: Mace didn’t waste any time firing back at Greene, who she called either “batsh*t crazy” or a “batsh*t clown,” depending on how you interpret Mace’s use of emoji:

(Via Marjorie Taylor Greene on Twitter, Mediaite)

In a sea of blue and black writing utensils, Pen15 is an actual rainbow gel pen of a TV show. And if that sentence makes absolutely no sense to you, you’ve clearly been missing out on what is one of the most original comedies on television right now. But when the second half of Pen15’s second season drops on Hulu on December 3, it will be a bittersweet moment for fans of the series, as The Wrap reports that the upcoming seven episodes will indeed be the show’s last.

On Monday, The Wrap confirmed that Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle—co-creators (along with Sam Zvibleman) and stars of the middle school-set series—have mutually decided to end the show with its highly anticipated second season.

“Anna and Maya are the stewards of Pen15 and Hulu is extremely supportive of their vision and decisions around the series,” a source with knowledge of the discussions told The Wrap. “While they feel the story they wanted to tell has come to an end with the upcoming second half of season 2, Hulu will continue to leave the door open for more Pen15 in the future and look forward to working with them again!”

In the series, which kicks off in the year 2000, Erskine and Konkle play themselves as 13-year-olds while surrounded by a cast of actual 13-year-olds. Which is both part of the show’s charm, and what makes it painfully awkward to watch at times, as Erskine and Konkle revisit their teenage years in all its gawky angst. While it tackles all of the typical tween tropes likes first kisses and sibling rivalries, Erskine and Konkle also mined their own teenage years in order to go deeper, as Erskine deals with racism and Konkle revisits the painfulness of her parents’ divorce. The series earned three Emmy nominations in 2021, including a nod for Erskine for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for “Play,” plus Outstanding Comedy Series.

Shortly after the series premiere in 2019, Erskine told The Wrap that while making the series could be cathartic, it could also be painful.

“It wasn’t fun in some moments… To go back to some of those traumatic memories,” Erskine said. “And we didn’t anticipate that fully when we were writing it, but it ended up being cathartic and strangely healing because other people, after this show came out, would reach out and say, ‘Yeah, that happened to me too,’ or, ‘I felt that same way.’ So, we felt less alone. I felt like I got some closure from sharing the things that I felt so scared to share.”

The final seven episodes of Pen15 will arrive on Hulu on Friday.

(Via The Wrap)

Year after year, hip-hop continues to grow in variety and breadth of content and styles. We’ve long grown used to the melodic and trap-based offerings of the mainstream, but even those genres have kept pushing their boundaries, as has the underground, where adherents are burrowing down further and further into strange sounds and deconstructed rhythms to get their points across. Of course, with the increased variety and volume, it becomes more and more challenging to hit everything on a year-end list like this one. With that said, we believe these are the best representatives of that diversity, showing everything that hip-hop can be, should be, will be, and stubbornly remains in the face of massive cultural upheaval and growth.

Boldy James & The Alchemist — Bo Jackson

In much the same vein as his Griselda compatriots, Boldy stacks syllables like Jenga blocks, building precariously teetering constructs of assonant vowel sounds to the point you wonder how the whole thing supports its weight. But it does, and Boldy sticks the landing as well as most — perhaps even better — delivering whirlwind tours of trap houses and Detroit city blocks in which he did dirt and learned to survive. On Bo Jackson, he pairs once again with The Alchemist, whose elaborate production offers a smooth-playing counterpoint to the grit of Boldy’s street tales. While many of both artists’ frequent collaborators (Earl Sweatshirt, Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs) pop up throughout, the focus remains fixed on Boldy’s dazzling displays of verbal acrobatics. – Aaron Williams

D Smoke — War & Wonders

The follow-up to D Smoke’s excellent 2020 debut, Black Habits, is far less insular and self-centered; whereas its predecessor focused on telling the story of the Inglewood native’s family and upbringing, War & Wonders is instead concerned with the impact D Smoke looks to have on the world around him. He warns of the dangers of gang life on “Crossover,” admonishes listeners to make the most of their opportunities on “Stay True,” and sets lofty goals on “Better Half.” Employing hard-hitting production and a percussive vocal delivery to make his points, each word lands like a blow on the heavy bag at the boxing gym he recently opened in his hometown. – A.W.

DDG — Die 4 Respect

DDG’s 2021 mixtape Die 4 Respect with the Grammy Award-nominated producer OG Parker of Quality Control is everything the project’s title implies. “I really feel passionate about it to the point where I’d die about this shit like you gonna respect me at the end of this,” the Pontiac, Michigan raised artist told us earlier this year in reference to his transition from being a bonafide YouTube star to a full-fledged artist. In turn, DDG saw several hits off Die 4 Respect. Among them is the platinum-selling hit “Moonwalking In Calabasas” featuring Blueface, “Impatient” featuring Coi Leray, and “Money Long” with 42 Dugg. His heartfelt opener, “Hood Melody” with Youngboy Never Broke Again, tells the story of how he lost his brother to gun violence and is a true display of his abilities as a lyrical storyteller. OG Parker and our July 2021 cover star came through with a project that was both cohesive and offered music that was clearly set out to prove the mixtape’s Die 4 Respect title. – Cherise Johnson

Don Toliver — Life Of A Don

Don Toliver’s Life Of A Don deserves to be played in its entirety starting from the project’s glowing opener “Xscape” to its buoyant closer “Bogus.” Though the loving “What You Need” and “Drugs N Hella Melodies” were the album’s supporting singles, even more desirable songs await for anyone who takes a dive into the full collection of 16. If you have never been to Houston before, “Double Standards” takes you right to the center of the city and its follow-up “Swangin On Westheimer” keeps you there. It’s one of the most beautiful transitions that serenely introduces a side of the H that is palpable for anyone who has never been. “Outerspace” featuring Baby Keem is another standout track off Life Of A Don (more Don and Keem collabs please) and “You” with Travis Scott is a sleeper for sure. H-Town OG Mike Dean’s presence is all over this as well as help from Hit-Boy, Sonny Digital, Mustard and Metro Boomin — yet it all still sounds like it came from the same planet. Donny is devotedly opening a new paradigm for melodic rap and what it means to be an artist with Life Of A Don, it’s just up for the rest of the world to catch up. – C.J.

Guapdad 4000 & Illmind — 1176

There were many, many projects that were bigger than Guapdad’s collaborative effort with Illmind this year. None of them were as personal, as vulnerable, or as real as 1176, which is all of the things hip-hop is supposed to be. As he exorcises his demons, Guapdad showcases his storytelling skills (“Uncle Ricky”), his devilish sense of humor (“She Wanna”), tender regard for his Filipino roots (“Chicken Adobo“), and a gift for personal exegesis (“Stoop Kid”), all while Illmind stretches his sonic palette in unexpected ways (the Alice Deejay flip on “How Many” is a favorite). Guapdad 4000 may be known as a scammer but in 1176, he’s as authentic as it gets. – A.W.

Huey Briss — Grace Park Legend

If Vince Staples holds an arm’s length disdain/acceptance of his tormented past in Long Beach, Huey Briss‘ sophomore effort is like a reporter standing in a hurricane, describing the events happening around him. Detailing his harrowing hood narratives with an unrattled placidity, there is a sense that, unlike his fellow citizen, Briss hasn’t quite lost hope — or maybe that he’s found the same sort of sardonic fatalism with a slightly more upbeat sense of humor. Entirely produced by Nikobeats (the son of the legendary DJ Babu of Dilated Peoples fame), the Grace Park marries smooth backpack beats with Huey’s densely-packed witticisms for a project that rides from beginning to end. – A.W.

IDK — USee4Yourself

For IDK, following up his excellent debut album, the existentially inquisitive Is He Real?, presented something of a challenge. After all, once you’ve set the bar that high, it’s hard to clear it — and even if you do, there will be plenty of naysayers who will almost certainly dispute the results. However, in not succumbing to the pressure to cater to those naysayers by sticking to emotionally and sonically safe material, IDK manages to not only clear the bar he set but raise it as well. Eclectic and wide-ranging both conceptually and musically, IDK bares his flaws, insecurities, and epiphanies with rare panache. – A.W.

Isaiah Rashad — The House Is Burning

If you’re going to take a damn-near five-year hiatus between albums to get your life right, your return project has to justify that wait for ravenous (and fickle) fans, or you may as well have retired. Fortunately for the TDE hotshot, his comeback feels every bit as electric as his debut. It’s more weathered and in some places, he sounds weary (“Darkseid,” “THIB“), but he also sounds revitalized and recentered (“From The Garden,” “Wat U Sed“), issuing hard-won observations and heavy-hearted moments of clarity. – A.W.

J. Cole — The Off-Season

J. Cole has received a lot of flak over the years for a lot of reasons, but one thing no one can take away from him: The boy can rap his all-American ass off. By restricting the aims of his latest album to simply proving that, he accomplished the unlikely goal of turning all the “J. Cole is boring” doubters into believers. That makes The Off-Season a triumph, a testament to the benefits of hard work, practice, and stubborn dedication. – A.W.

Lakeyah & DJ Drama — My Time: Gangsta Grillz Special Edition

The second Gangsta Grillz tape produced by DJ Drama in the span of a year (the first being Tyler The Creator’s also-excellent album, Call Me If You Get Lost, which you’ll find further down this list), this one has the special distinction of being one of the very few granted to a female rapper. Given hip-hop’s regrettable relationship to the female gender and Drama’s well-earned reputation, you can rest assured of at least one fact: Lakeyah is a rapper’s rapper. The Milwaukee native followed up her impressive showing in the rollout of XXL’s 2021 Freshman Class with this tape, which is a strategy that must certainly pay dividends with her rap credibility as she works her way up the Quality Control priority list. – A.W.

Lil Baby & Lil Durk — Voice Of The Heroes

Each year, some corner of the music world grants us collaborative projects between artists who were able to fine-tune their chemistry for a full-length project. In 2021, that came about through Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s Voice Of The Heroes. The project came through the rappers’, and their respective fan bases, realization that their vision and artistry fell in line enough for a full body of work. Propelled by highlights like “2040” and “That’s Facts,” Durk and Baby delivered on expectations for the project that flaunts what two of today’s best hip-hop acts have to offer. – Wongo Okon

Lil Nas X — Montero

The quintessential pop star for 2021, Lil Nas X’s Montero is the ultimate wink and a smile to anyone who doubted him as an industry one-hit-wonder. On “Dead Right Now,” he sings: “Left school, then my dad and I had a face-to-face in Atlanta / He said, ‘It’s one in a million chance, son,’ I told him, ‘Daddy, I am that one.’” It’s pensive moments like this tucked within an album of tongue-in-cheek mega-hits like “Industry Baby” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” that flash true dynamic artistry across pop and hip-hop. When the dust settles, this will go down as the year of Lil Nas X, after all, who else can claim that they gave Satan a lap-dance, had a track with Elton John on their album (“One Of Me”), and was named The Trevor Project’s Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year? – Adrian Spinelli

Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Talk about a breakthrough album. London’s Little Simz emerged as one of the best newly established voices in hip-hop on the Inflo-produced Sometimes I Am Introvert. She tackles the album in complete fashion, showing that no subject is too difficult for her to master as a songwriter. She extols the mind and presence of Black women on “Woman,” flaunts her panache with fellow British-Nigerian Obongjayar on “Point And Kill,” and unapologetically opens up about the toll her relationship with her estranged father has taken on her in “I Love You, I Hate You.” In the latter, she rises above the pain, emerging triumphantly as a person and an artist, flawlessly sliding in between every note of the beat and leaving a lasting mark in the process. – A.S.

Lute — Gold Mouf

For those artists who are fortunate enough to be signed to more established artists’ labels, as Lute is on J. Cole’s Dreamville imprint, life can be something of a struggle to stand out enough to earn fans’ approval separate from their benefactors. Fortunately for Lute, he does enough well on Gold Mouf to prove he deserves to be seen every bit as much as his label peers (JID, Earthgang, Bas). Executive produced and sequenced by Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte Coleman of Little Brother, respectively, the album is an emotive experience that recounts Lute’s relatable insecurities, anxieties, and victories. – A.W.

Mach-Hommy — Pray For Haiti

Rapping like a waterfall over deconstructed samples and muted drums, Mach-Hommy has found a niche over the past few years — the same niche occupied by contemporaries such as Griselda Records rappers Westside Gunn and Benny The Butcher, as well as longtime New York underground stalwarts like Roc Marciano. Incidentally, it was in linking up with the Griselda gang that Mach-Hommy’s profile shot up, and Westside Gunn executive produces here, once again demonstrating his gift for pairing bar-heavy rappers with just the right production and collaborators to best offset their crowded writing with the contrast that only a drum-less jazz sample can provide. – A.W.

Moneybagg Yo — A Gangsta’s Pain

Moneybagg Yo’s hustle over the decade paid off in the highest form in 2021. The Memphis rapper’s fourth album A Gangsta’s Pain grew to be his most successful project to date as it spent multiple weeks atop the album charts. The success behind this project can be credited to a well-orchestrated blend. A hit single (“Wokesha”), highlight guest appearances from Future, Jhene Aiko, Lil Durk and more, as well as a story to tell proved to be the perfect concoction for Moneybagg’s latest project. Best of all, he was able to avoid sounding repetitive on A Gangsta’s Pain, an underrated quality that helped boost the album’s overall experience. – W.O.

Playboi Carti — Whole Lotta Red

For many Playboi Carti fans, the wait for Whole Lotta Red was a grueling one. However, to their delight, the project arrived beside their holiday presents on Christmas in 2020. Carti’s entire brand is unharnessed energy, and while Whole Lotta Red attempts to reel in that that energy, unintentional room for that to thrive appears in various pockets of the album. Through 24 songs and contributions from Ye, Future, and Kid Cudi, Whole Lotta Red adds another chapter to Carti’s thrilling story as one of hip-hop’s biggest rockstars. – W.O.

Polo G — Hall Of Fame

With every project that Chicago rapper Polo G releases, his stock in the rap game increases. His debut Die A Legend made him a young name in hip-hop worth paying attention to. His sophomore effort The GOAT solidified his presence in music for years to come. Now, his third album Hall Of Fame presents a rapper who can stick to his roots and present himself as a top-selling rap product. Through 20 songs, Polo G not only shows that his pen has improved but also his awareness towards records that will pop and bring a bigger spotlight to him. – W.O.

Rico Nasty — Nightmare Vacation

When Rico Nasty first roared onto the SoundCloud rap scene in 2016, her rawness was part of the appeal. Now, five years, seven mixtapes, and a debut studio album later, she’s one of mainstream hip-hop’s most interesting figures, as much — more — of an innovator than any of her punk-rock-influenced peers. On Nightmare Vacation, she justifies every ounce of hype while utilizing every tool on her belt. There are her signature yell-rap anthems (“STFU,” “Smack A Bitch Remix”), hyperpop experiments (“iPhone”), and dreamy trap bangers (“Don’t Like Me”), all utterly saturated in her uniquely rebellious spirit. – A.W.

Skyzoo — All The Brilliant Things

Being independent in the rap game is both a supreme gift and a withering curse. Take, for instance, Skyzoo’s latest album. Untethered to the limits of the major-label system, Sky was able to craft one of the most inspiring and intricately-constructed rap albums of the year. However, without those major-label resources, it went largely overlooked — which is a shame, because there were few projects this year as consistently… well, brilliant as this one, on which tracks like “I Was Supposed To Be A Trap Rapper” turn staid hip-hop tropes on their ears and “Bodega Flowers” implores us all to salute our greats before they’re pushing up daisies. Well, salute, Skyzoo, one of the best out today. – A.W.

Topaz Jones — Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma

It’s not every day that one of the best albums of the year also picks up a short film jury award for non-fiction at Sundance Film Festival but that’s what Topaz’s latest managed at the top of the year. A stunningly executed concept album in its own right, Don’t Go Tellin’ is an incredible rap genealogy project, following the Montclair, New Jersey native as he explores his family’s history, then shares it with the world. Awash in the influences of funk mainstays such as Sly And The Family Stone, peppered with jazz intonations and marked by Jones’ deft recollections, Don’t Go Tellin’ shows what a refined version of the artform can look like when crafted with care. – A.W.

Tyler The Creator — Call Me If You Get Lost

Pound for pound, one of the most impressive studio releases of the year, Call Me If You Get Lost finds rebellious Tyler taking a nostalgic step back to redeem the blog era credit from which he was either barred or that he himself spurned (depending on which version of him you ask). Tapping mixtape maestro DJ Drama and emblazoning his latest with the Gangsta Grillz label is deceptive, though; as much as he revels in the sheer art of rhyme (“Lumberjack,” “Juggernaut“), he also finally gets more vulnerable and expansive than he’s ever been (“Massa,” “Manifesto”), pushing the series beyond mere mixtapes into something richer and much more vital. – A.W.

Vince Staples — Vince Staples

Call me biased (Long Beach, stand up), but I don’t think a single rap project this year came close to touching Vince Staples’ eponymous fourth studio album. Clocking in at just ten tracks — as many of the great albums do — Vince’s new approach strips away bells, whistles, and several layers of anything resembling varnish to expose the gritty truths he bares throughout its harrowing narratives. Trading in his frantic yelps for a laconic, resigned incantation, Vince invites listeners to not just watch the movie but inhabit his point of view. If you don’t get it, that’s on you. – A.W.

Wale — Folarin 2

For years, Wale has not only believed his own hype but also been its main proponent. While he’s never exactly labored in obscurity, he’s unfortunately been regarded as something less than what he actually is by hip-hop fans at large, which is one of the best bar-for-bar rappers the game has ever seen. He came by that assessment honestly too, via a deep, abiding, and near-obsessive love for the art form. Here, he displays that love, culling samples from across the breadth of the genre (Q-Tip on “Poke It Out“). As a result, it looks like that love is finally being reciprocated as fans learn to appreciate just what he brings to the game. – A.W.

Young Thug — Punk

Young Thug’s career is filled with individual eras. There are the rapper’s red-haired and blonde eras as well as that for Slime Season and Jeffery. Thug’s second album Punk issues another chapter for the rapper’s extremely unique career. Falling on the opposite side of the spectrum from his debut So Much Fun, Punk finds Thug going against the grain of his own career and the expectations of his fans. Vulnerability, honesty, and a story to tell all stand at the forefront of Punk. However, just like Thug’s previous projects, it serves as another example of the rapper doing what he wants. – W.O.

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

Last week, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert chatted with Peter Jackson about his new documentary, The Beatles: Get Back. On last night’s episode of the show, Colbert aired more of the conversation, in which Jackson talks about a moment from the documentary that he believes shows how The Beatles could have avoided breaking up.

Colbert asked Jackson about how the band reacted to the documentary and if they learned anything from it, and Jackson responded with a story about George Harrison and John Lennon:

“There’s actually a moment where Paul McCartney leaves the room… it’s lunch time, Ringo and Paul leave the room, and John and George are left there. George very nervously says to John, ‘John, I’ve got all these songs I’ve written, I got 20 songs I’ve written. My normal quota being two songs per album…,’ that The Beatles let George do. He says, ‘It will take me ten years to get these songs out, so I’m thinking I might just like to do an album on my own, just get my songs out of the way.’

And John says, ‘You mean all by yourself?’ He said, ‘Yeah, it would be great to do an album with all my songs, I could hear what that’s like.’ And John says, ‘Yeah, that would be great, that’s fantastic.’ He says, ‘We’ll still do the Beatles thing.’ And John says, ‘Yeah yeah, it can be George does a solo album then the Beatles do an album.’”

Jackson continued, “So that to me was a picture of how The Beatles could have survived going forward: Do their solo work and still come together every now and again to do The Beatles. Now Paul didn’t hear that conversation in 1969 and he didn’t know that even happened. He sees the film and I ask him, ‘What do you think about that conversation that you would have seen for the first time where George and John talk about the solo album? That sort of paints a picture of how The Beatles could have carried on in the future.’ You know what Paul said to me? He said, ‘I wish I knew they said that at the time.’”

Watch the new Jackson interview clips above and below.

Nearly two years after first being identified, the COVID-19 virus is still spreading at an alarming rate, and mutating new variants around the world. While we still don’t know much about the omicron variant, scientists are working quickly to figure out just how effective our current vaccines will be in fighting against it. Meanwhile, a couple of Fox News pundits and some seriously unhinged conspiracy theorists think this new strain of the virus is just a scare tactic invented by the Democrats in order to scare up some more votes.

Jimmy Kimmel laid into these “right wingnuts” on Monday night’s show, as he noted that:

“Omicron has been declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. Experts are hoping it ends up being like the second season of Tiger King, where everybody talks about it, but no one actually experiences it. But, of course, the right wingnuts have a theory on this: Their theory is that this variant is some kind of ploy concocted by the Democrats to help them win elections.”

It doesn’t help that people like Ronny Jackson, who served as the White House Doctor to both Barack Obama and Donald Trump and is now a Texas congressman, is fueling these wild conspiracy theories by dubbing what could be a deadly new strain of COVID the “Midterm Election Variant,” recklessly tweeting that Democrats “NEED a reason to push unsolicited nationwide mail-in ballots” and “will do anything to CHEAT during an election.”

Kimmel couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi getting together to develop omicron, and pointed out that it seemed like Jackson “was maybe giving them too much credit. Do you think Democrats are that organized? I mean, they can’t even get Joe Manchin to support maternity leave. I don’t think they’re creating viruses.”

Kimmel was particularly bothered by the fact that these ideas were being spun into the public consciousness by a former White House physician—“a man who had Obama and Trump’s testicles in the palms of his hands. He’s just making up crazy stuff; that’s our world now.”

You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 3:20 mark.

Fox News has said some, um, interesting things about Dr. Anthony Fauci since the beginning of the pandemic. Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade claimed that he “doesn’t take into account the psychological damage done by not going to school” and demanded that he “let America get back to being America,” while “performatively outraged wedge salad” Tucker Carlson thinks Fauci “created COVID” (Fauci’s response: “The people who weaponize lies are killing people”).

But if you think that’s wild, wait until you hear from Lara Logan.

On Monday, the once-respected reporter appeared on Fox News Primetime, where she compared Fauci to Josef Mengel, the so-called “Angel of Death” doctor for the Nazis. “What you see on Dr. Fauci, this is what people say to me, that he doesn’t represent science to them,” she said (that’s some grade-A Trump speak right there). “He represents Josef Mengele. Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor who did experiments on Jews during the Second World War and in the concentration camps.”

Logan continued, “Because the response from COVID. What it has done to countries everywhere. What it has done to civil liberties. The suicide rates. The poverty. It has obliterated economies. The level of suffering that has been created because of this disease is now being seen in cold light of day, i.e. the truth, and people see there is no justification for what is being done.” With this ridiculous (and dangerous) comparison, Logan is essentially endorsing the violent threats that have been made against Fauci, including one man who was arrested for sending graphic emails to the doctor.

And that’s i.e. the truth. You can watch the clip below.

(Via the Daily Beast)

Amy Schneider achieved ‘Jeopardy!’ champ status during Trans Awareness Week, and she’s already knocked out a historic milestone.

Schneider, a transgender woman who hails from Oakland, California, ejected a five-time champ and has kept her own winning streak going for nine games (so far) while gathering over $342,000 in winnings. In the process, she’s revealed that there’s only one thing that really “sucks” about winning (and that thing makes her a pretty awesome winner), and she’s also made an on-screen subtle gesture to the trans community (on the Thanksgiving day episode). Her victories continue, and she’s already knocked out some history in the process.

Following up on Kate Freeman’s status as the first openly transgender champ (in 2020), Amy has become the first trans contestant to qualify for the show’s annual “Tournament Of Champions.” So even if Amy’s winning streak ends, she’ll be back to go head-to-head with other champs in the future. Via ABC 7 News in Los Angeles, Schneider reflected on that milestone and revealed one reason why she was inspired to keep aiming for contestant status (and she nailed it on the third interview):

“Once I got to episodes three and four, I knew the fifth one was in sight,” she said. “Once I got it, it was a great feeling, mostly because I was having fun and I didn’t want to stop. By qualifying for the fifth one, I knew I would come back.

“I am from Ohio where the only trans people I thought of were drag queens or prostitutes,” she said. “Seeing other trans women in a good spotlight inspired me to not be afraid of trying to compete in the thing I have always loved.”

Amy added that she grew up watching Jeopardy!, and she hopes that she can set an example for future contestants/champs. “I am so incredibly grateful,” she told ABC 7. “Hopefully I can send a positive message to the nerdy trans girl who wants to be on the show too.” Her post-game tweets might be slower for a few days, though, since Amy (unfortunately) burned her hand in the kitchen. Best wishes for some speedy healing.

(Via ABC 7 News)

Every month, Uproxx cultural critic Steven Hyden makes an unranked list of his favorite music-related items released during this period — songs, albums, books, films, you name it.

1. The Beatles: Get Back

I’m glad I wasn’t tasked with reviewing Peter Jackson’s eight-hour Lords Of The Rock documentary. How do you quickly assess a movie in which there’s twice as many hours as Fab Four’s? I feel like I’ll be regularly dipping in and out of this for as long as I keep my Disney+ subscription. (I assume a Blu-Ray with — dare I say it — additional previously unseen footage will soon be made available for certifiable Beatles lunatics like yours truly?) But here’s my immediate impression: This is the greatest depiction of a band’s inner life — how they work, how they interact, how they grow apart while always feeling like a tight-knit family — ever put on film. It’s hard for me to think of another film that even comes close. Maybe Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster? Though that 2004 film by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky is “only” 141 minutes and documents the making of a minor album. In Get Back, we see the creation of future rock classics like “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Let It Be” unfold in real time — the initial flash of inspiration, the lyrical dead ends, the arrangement choices not taken, the moment when the songs we all know by heart appear to suddenly (miraculously!) fall into place. (And then there’s the film director who won’t shut up already about Libya. Michael Lindsay-Hogg, you come off like a dope!) Most incredibly, there’s the scene from Part 1 in which Paul McCartney aimlessly strums his bass until he slowly discovers the skeleton of “Get Back,” one of the most illuminating depictions of the creative process I’ve ever seen. As it is, I can’t relate to anyone who feels this is “too much” Beatles. John and George are gone now, forever. Paul and Ringo are deep into their twilight years. In that context, eight hours of an immersive “hangout” experience with the greatest rock band ever feels, if anything, rapidly fleeting, like the most beautiful sunset in mankind’s history sinking too fast into the horizon. Even now, I’m left wanting more.

2. Big Thief, “Time Escaping”

The jamband-ification of Big Thief continued this month with this excellent single from their forthcoming double album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, due out Feb. 11. I am, of course, fully on board with one of the best indie bands on the planet sounding like a cross of Blind Melon and Billy Breathes. And I’m, ahem, high on the new bountiful LP, the promo of which I’ve been spinning regularly for the past few weeks. Beyond that, I should keep my mouth shut until closer to the release.

3. Nation Of Language,A Way Forward

I’m still catching up with young bands who had the misfortune of putting out debut albums in the shadow of the pandemic in 2020. One of my fave “Class of 2020” groups is this Brooklyn outfit, who make moody synth-rock in the mold of early Depeche Mode and Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark. Their first album released last year, Introduction, Presence, spotlighted these millennials’ close studying of delectably ancient keyboard tones. But this year’s A Way Forward ups the ante on songwriting, with tracks like “Across That Fine Line” and “The Grey Commute” leaning into their burgeoning pop grandiosity.

4. Neal Francis, In Plain Sight

Here’s an album I’ve enjoyed listening to this month, but I expect to love once barbecue season rolls around again in the spring of 2022. Born Neal Francis O’Hara, Francis is a recovering child prodigy who toured Europe in his teens and then fell into addiction. After cleaning himself up, he re-emerged with a throwback big-band sound that recalls the highs of 1970s funk and swamp rock — lovers of Dr. John, Leon Russell, and The Meters will immediately feel at home amid Francis’ fat-bottomed, bluesy bangers.

5. Snail Mail, Valentine

On the first Snail Mail record, 2018’s Lush, Lindsey Jordan focused almost solely on guitar, to the point of aligning herself with indie “shredders” like Kurt Vile and Steve Gunn. But on Valentine, she’s expanded her musical palate significantly, layering her songs with keyboards and strings in a manner consistent with “mature sophomore efforts” from young indie phenoms. For Jordan, the grown-up, MOR indie of Valentine is a subtle hint that she’s no longer a precocious wunderkind of Lush, and therefore shouldn’t be fetishized solely for her youth or confessional lyrics. And yet Valentine isn’t fully grown up, just as nobody at 22 is fully grown up. Jordan still portrays herself in these latest songs as a person who falls in love a little too hard, and then has to deal with the consequences when things fall apart. This, of course, is the most “young person” subject matter imaginable. (She apparently wrote the songs for Valentine back at her childhood bedroom in Baltimore.)

6. Courtney Barnett, Things Take Time, Take Time

Is she underrated now? At the time of Sometimes I Just Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, Barnett seemed like the next great indie singer-songwriter. But now that indie rock is awash in guitar-slinging memoirists of a slightly younger generational vintage, Barnett seems a little taken for granted. It’s true that Things Take Time, Take Time doesn’t vary radically from her previous work. About half of the songs sound like “Avant Gardner,” and about half of the songs resemble “Depreston.” This is “merely” another collection of witty and winsome mid-tempo rockers with guitar solos that slowly rise from the malaise like a layabout peeling off the couch for a graveyard shift at a dead-end service job. But Barnett is still really, really good at this. In five years, people are going to wonder why this album was slept on.

7. Sonic Youth, Live In Austin 1995

As someone who would gladly buy a box set compiling every live version of “The Diamond Sea” performed by Sonic Youth during the Washing Machine era, I see this new archival release as a step in the right direction. Though, if I have to quibble, a “Sea” that is “only” about 14 minutes feels kinda skimpy. The album version is actually about five minutes longer. Can the powers that be at Sonic Youth HQ work on getting our “Diamond Sea” stats up, please? Fourteen minutes are rookie numbers. We need many more minutes, if not hours, of blissed-out distortion.

8. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts

Only in a month in which an eight-hour Beatles documentary dropped would this incredible new live record and concert film from the Boss be overshadowed on the classic-rock part of my brain. But this really is a momentous release for Bruce heads, capturing him at an absolute sweet spot — one year after the fire-spitting fury of the Darkness On The Edge Of Town era (still my favorite Springsteen tour of all time), and one year before the release of one of his greatest albums, The River. Some of those songs are previewed here, including the desolate title track, which gets its live debut (!) in front of an appropriately stunned audience at Madison Square Garden. But the album (which compiles both No Nukes benefit shows) and film don’t dwell long on doleful ballads. This is Bruce at the height of his arena-rock powers, playing hard and long (though not as long as usual) in front of a band determined to kick as much ass as possible. The back half is especially supercharged, in which the band tears through a Stone Pony-approved collection of rock and soul oldies as well as the unbeatable live war horse “Rosalita.” Whereas Get Back is leavened with an air of melancholy, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts is a blast of pure joy. Play it loud.