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As the Kyle Rittenhouse trial devolved into a full-on circus, people are having strong feelings after Kenosha County Judge Bruce Schroeder unloaded on a prosecutor during the proceedings. While Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger began cross-examining Rittenhouse, the judge stopped the trial and sent the jury out of the room when Binger’s line of questioning delved into Rittenhouse exercising his right to remain silent. That’s when things went off the rails. Via Insider:

“I was astonished when you began your examination by commenting on the defendant’s post-arrest silence,” Schroeder said. “That’s basic law. It’s been basic law in this country for 40 or 50 years. … I don’t know what you’re up to.”

The judge added: “You’re an experienced trial lawyer, and this should not have been gone into.”

When Binger calmly attempted to explain that Rittenhouse’s testimony opened the door to the questioning, Schroeder yelled from the stand, “Don’t get brazen with me.” The phrase quickly started to trend on social media where people couldn’t believe the outburst.

As if that wasn’t enough, later in the trial, the judge’s phone started going off revealing that his ringtone is “God Bless the U.S.A.” which is often played before Donald Trump rallies.

The ringtone incident was definitely an odd moment, which only added more suspicion to the proceedings after the judge was the only one who seemed to believe Rittenhouse’s sobbing was real when he took the stand. Naturally, Rittenhouse’s legal team is reportedly attempting to capitalize on the situation by requesting a mistrial with prejudice, which would essentially prevent Rittenhouse from being retried if the judge approves.

(Via Insider)

Brooklyn four-piece Pom Pom Squad‘s 2021 debut album Death Of A Cheerleader cemented the band as one to watch. It’s been several months since the album’s successful release and since then, the band has been busy touring the US. Even still, they’ve managed to continue writing music, including the new single “Until It Stops,” which they’ve now released exclusively through Spotify.

“Until It Stops” was produced by Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin. It’s a droning track that features lead singer Mia Berrin’s soft vocals over the low hum of electric guitars. Complete with a head-banging guitar solo, the single sees Berrin singing of teetering between extremes like laughing until you’re crying and living until you die.

In a statement about the new track, Berrin said it’s her ode to being an anti-partier:

“[‘Until It Stops’] is my version of a drinking song. I’m not much of a partier but I’m in my early 20s, so whenever I turn down an invite to go out I go through an internal dialogue wondering if I’m missing my youth. Then, when I actually do go out, I get uncomfortable and then I drink too much and put my foot in my mouth and go home with all my makeup under my eyes. At the time I wrote this I was thinking about those super sugary club songs of the 2000s that always seemed to mention dancing and death in the same line — there is this strange morbid connection between partying and mortality.”

Listen to “Until It Stops” above.

These days, it seems being able to clap back at a hater on Twitter is as important a skill for a rapper to have as rapping is — especially for the multitalented women who have come to dominate the game in recent years. While one of those rappers, Saweetie, usually lets the peanut gallery’s comments breeze by her, the icy rapper had the perfect response to one doubtful Twitter troll, showing off a wider range of skills in the process.

After a fan account posted a snippet of her Amazon “Icy Season” special from earlier this week playing the piano before launching into a (holiday) spirited rendition of “Back To The Streets,” a commenter tried to rain on Saweetie’s parade. “I know damn well she wasn’t playing any damn piano,” they wrote. “Ole typewriting faceass.” However, Saweetie clearly had time today, spotting the negative comment and pouncing on the opportunity to not just shut up the troll but also to let followers know that her piano solo wasn’t just a one-off for the cameras.

In the video she posted, it looks like she’s simply noodling to get ready for the performance rather than playing the “Back To The Streets” intro or just rehearsing. She plays a mournful series of chords, proving that she actually has the chops for Chopin — even if she does sound a little bit rusty.

It wasn’t the first time she showed off her skills. Saweetie’s name was set to trending when Snowfall star Damson Idris posted an Instagram Story of his “piano lessons” from the multi-disciplined Bay Area rapper, sparking yet another dating rumor after she was forced to shoot down one involving Roddy Ricch.

You can watch Saweetie’s full performance for the Amazon special “Icy Season” here.

When Lucy Dacus was touring in 2019, she ended half of her shows with the unreleased song “Thumbs.” The emotional and subdued song was was clearly a vulnerable number for her to perform, so much so that she would even go as far as to ask fans to not record it. Earlier this year, it was finally released as the lead single Dacus’ excellent new album, Home Video, which came out this summer. And now, Dacus has doubled down and released the full band arrangement version, which she titled “Thumbs Again.”

The new version seemingly represents how Dacus has leaned into the song — a fulcrum on an album about her formative experiences growing up in Virginia. It’s definitely a more approachable take on the track, almost as if the additional instrumentation is holding up Dacus and any reservations she might have felt in the past about the moments painted in the song. With the release, also comes a wave of North American tour dates (with support from Indigo De Souza) announced for February and March, in addition to her already-announced European tour.

Listen to “Thumbs Again” above, check out Lucy Dacus’s 2022 North American tour dates below, and get tickets here.

02/09/2022 — Pitts, PA @ Stage AE *
02/10/2022 — Detroit, MI @ Majestic *
02/11/2022 — Newport, KY @ Ovation *
02/12/2022 — Indy, IN @ Egyptian Room *
02/14/2022 — Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom Valentine’s Day *
02/15/2022 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (rescheduled date) * – SOLD OUT
02/17/2022 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave (rescheduled date * – SOLD OUT
02/18/2022 — Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theatre (rescheduled date) * – SOLD OUT
02/19/2022 — Lawrence, KS @ Liberty *
02/20/2022 — OK City, OK @ Tower Theatre *
02/23/2022 — Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre *
02/24/2022 — Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel *
02/25/2022 — C-Ville, VA @ Jefferson *
02/26/2022 — Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony *
03/01/2022 — Toronto, ONT @ Danforth Music Hall (rescheduled date) *
03/02/2022 — Montreal, QUE @ Corona Theatre (rescheduled date) *
03/03/2022 — Providence, RI @ The Strand
03/05/2022 — Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head

* with support from Indigo De Souza

It looks like Freddie Gibbs finally got those Chicago Bulls tickets he wanted — and he walked away with a player’s jersey as a bonus. And, as it turns out, the person he has to thank for it all is the one who was blocking him from getting the tickets in the first place: Chance The Rapper.

Last week, the Gary, Indiana MC lamented his inability to secure tickets to a home game (Gary is much closer to Chicago than Indianapolis, where the Pacers play, despite Chicago’s location in a different state), tweeting, “Can’t get no f*ckin bulls tickets cuz they give em all to Chance the Rapper.” He pointedly reminded the Bulls account of his longtime fandom and needled the Windy City native, joking that “Chance a bucks fan and y’all give him 30 tickets.”

However, earlier this week, Gibbs did manage to make it out to the Bulls’ home game against the Brooklyn Nets, where he met up with Chance himself after taking in the game from some courtside seats. “Chance took my tickets, but he gave me a couple,” he goofed in a video posted from the lounge, where he hung out with The Rapper. However, Chance had a different story for fans: “I don’t got no tickets, so please don’t let n****s tell you I got your tickets,” he pled. “Keep it straight they didn’t have no tickets for Freddie and they blamed it on me.” Gibbs piled on the pressure, though, referring to Chance sharing the tickets as one of his many acts of charity. “He do good for the community,” he teased. “He gave a n**** two. I appreciate it.”

To commemorate the occasion, Gibbs came away with one hell of a souvenir of the event as well: Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan‘s jersey, which the Comptonite shared with Freddie after the game.

A week ago, James Blake dropped a new video for “Famous Last Words,” and it’s a cinematic visual that features Blake flexing his acting chops. Now, Blake’s girlfriend Jameela Jamil has revealed that she actually directed the clip and explained why she hadn’t shared that info until now.

On Twitter today, she wrote, “Because the internet is so much harsher on women, we held back on saying I directed James’ last video. But now that people like the video on its own I can say that I loved dreaming up this idea and then directing it, with my friend Chris, and an amazing crew for @jamesblake.” Blake responded simply, “You killed it.”

Jamil also commented on the video when it was released by praising Blake’s acting performance in it, tweeting, “James’ performance in this video makes me feel like he might have to come for my job. He’s so good. This song is so good. He also has a really great bum.”

Blake previously told Apple Music of the song, “It is kind of a love song. It’s kind of a breakup song. It’s weird. I think it blurs the line between friendship and romance. With friendships, it’s not necessarily that the feelings are romantic, but you can genuinely love someone and it hurt like that.”

Friends That Will Break Your Heart is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.

With the resurgence of Y2K culture and early aughts pop-punk over the past few years, it’s only fitting that Avril Lavigne is stepping back into the spotlight. After officially signing to Travis Barker’s DTA Records, Lavigne is back and unf*ckwithable on “Bite Me,” her first new single since 2019.

“Bite Me” is a reminder of what Lavigne does best. The upbeat harmonies and hallow electric guitars mixed are mixed with the singer’s kiss-off attitude and she sings lyrics like, “Hey you / You should’ve known better than to f*ck with someone like me.” The energetic track brings her classic pop-punk sound into the new decade while drumming up excitement for what she has in store next.

In a statement alongside the release of “Bite Me,” Lavigne shared how excited she is to join Barker’s DTA label:

“I’ve always admired Travis and his work. The first time we worked together was 15 years ago on my album ‘The Best Damn Thing’ and I have really enjoyed watching him develop into the producer that he is today. We spent a lot of time writing songs and working on this record together, and signing to his record label, DTA felt like the perfect home for me and my new music. Travis understands my vision as a musician, my creative process as an artist, and my goals at this stage of my career. I am excited to be dropping ‘Bite Me.’ It’s an anthem about knowing your worth, what you deserve, and not giving someone a second chance who doesn’t deserve you.”

Watch Lavigne’s “Bite Me” video above.

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

Welsh singer Jamie Miller’s music career took off after he came in at third place on The Voice UK in 2017. Since then, he has gone on to build a massive following, sign a major record deal, and tour the globe. Miller is currently working on music for his highly anticipated debut album but before its release, the singer stopped by Uproxx studios to react to his favorite videos from his musical idol: Bruno Mars.

For the latest segment in Uproxx’s React Like You Know series, Miller sat down to show his love to Mars’ Silk Sonic track “Leave The Door Open,” as well as “When I Was Your Man” and “Versace On The Floor.” Miller admits he’s a little biased when it comes to his opinion on Mars’ music. He even successfully auditioned for The Voice by giving a rendition of Mars’ track, “When I Was Your Man.” “He’s like my god, so I was just thinking that anything that comes out of his mouth — he’s incredible,” Miller said.

Of course, it would be hard to speak about Mars’ music without discussion his new duo with Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic. Miller loved their debut single “Leave The Door Open,” and has the perfect way to describe why .Paak and Mars work so well together. “They’re both so talented in two different ways. I feel like [.Paak] brings the sauce while Bruno brings the flavor,” he said.

Watch Miller react to Mars’ videos above and check out more of Uproxx’s React Like You Know series here.

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

Early in Alexandre Moratto’s new film, 7 Prisoners, 18-year-old Mateus attends a small going away party thrown for him by his family. He scolds his mother for buying him a new shirt worth “a month of groceries.” He’s about to leave their poverty-stricken corrugated shack in the sticks for a new life in the big city. Soon a smiling man with a gold watch hands Mateus’s mother a wad of cash and congratulates Mateus for the big opportunity upon which he’s about to embark.

Would you believe, that what Mateus finds isn’t exactly what he was promised?

Like White Tiger, another foreign-language exploration of class released on Netflix earlier this year, 7 Prisoners was produced by Ramin Bahrani (along with City of God director Fernando Meirelles and others) and finds a tidy metaphor for capitalism in miniature. Somewhere along the van ride between his hometown and Sao Paulo, Mateus (Christian Malheiros, a pitch-perfect combination of boy and man) and the handful of fellow migrant workers traveling with him essentially become stateless persons. They have their passports and cell phones confiscated, work long hours scrounging scrap metal, and the man with the gold watch disappears, never to be seen again, replaced by a gun-toting, shark-eyed overseer named Luca (Rodrigo Santoro from Westworld). Luca promises retribution if they try to escape.

Movies that are merely about how sad or how brutal poverty is (or, God forbid, how beautiful) are pretty boring. The beauty of 7 Prisoners, written by Thayná Mantesso and Alexandre Moratto, is that it’s much more concerned with how exploitation actually works. 7 Prisoners is at first a prison break narrative, with Mateus and company carefully studying their surroundings and Luca’s behavior searching for the hole in their defense that will allow them to escape. Yet soon it transforms into a story about the process by which the charismatic yet evil Luca tries to convert Mateus from slave to overseer. As Amsterdam says of Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York, “It’s a funny feeling being taken under the wing of a dragon. It’s warmer than you’d think.”

Luca, a hard-drinking misanthrope who does seem to have some humanity buried deep within him, is a wonderfully memorable character. Santoro manages Luca’s push-pull between charity and wrath, sympathy and punishment perfectly. Meanwhile, you can see how this process to turn subjugants into participants in the process of exploitation works diabolically well. Remove all hope, dole out the occasional crumbs of security in exchange for obedience, and provide constant and vivid examples of what life could look like without those crumbs. “Well, I guess it could be worse” is the mantra of the permanent underclass.

7 Prisoners is a bit like Deep Cover for slave capitalism. It maintains constant suspense, as we wait to see what’s more important to Mateus, his personal advancement or his loyalty to his friends and family. White Tiger and, to an even greater extent, Parasite and Sorry To Bother You used artifice and the fantastic to craft endings that were symbolic and true to the material, but also cathartic and edifying. 7 Prisoners, texturally rich, suspense-filled, and strong on memorable characters as it is, doesn’t manage this trick nearly as well. In the end, it doesn’t feel like much of a trick at all, content to be merely insightful rather than exciting.

7 Prisoners refuses to cheat, almost to a fault. (It’s art, you’re allowed to cheat a little). That makes it slightly disappointing in the end, but not enough to undo what an adroit snapshot it is of the way exploitation thwarts organization and dulls its opposition.

‘7 Prisoners’ hits Netflix November 11. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can check out his film review archive here.

After a pandemic-prompted 2020 postponement and more delays in 2021 that saw Downtown Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Festival first production since 2019 moved to this past October, the fest will be back to its usual late-spring/early-summer weekend in 2022. With over 50 bands across four primary stages, it goes down from April 29th to May 1st.

Coming into its ninth year on the festival circuit, Shaky Knees has always been forged on rock and roll and the 2022 lineup totally reflects that. Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, and My Morning Jacket will serve as the headliners for the three-day affair. Tickets go on sale tomorrow and the lineup is filled with tons of buzzy acts that slot in with ease in Atlanta’s sweeping Central Park.

Beyond Green Day, Friday highlights include legacy rocker Billy Idol, flawless Austin staples Spoon, Atlanta stalwart Faye Webster, and Vancouver duo Japandroids, performing their undisputed best album Celebration Rock in full. The lead up to Nine Inch Nails on Saturday will feature the Scottish synth-pop of Chvrches, psych rock mind-melters King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the surging Japanese Breakfast, and the always-excellent Kurt Vile & The Violators. Ahead of My Morning Jacket’s festival closing set on Sunday will be the funk-fusion vibes of Khruangbin, and one of the best festival bands on the planet, Death Cab For Cutie.

Shaky Knees Music Festival’s ninth edition takes place April 29 to May 1 at Central Park in Downtown Atlanta. Three-day passes and one-day general admission, GA+, VIP, and Platinum tickets go on sale tomorrow, November 11th at 10 a.m. ET here.

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