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Young Thug’s new album Punk drops in just a few hours after months of hyping the project’s fitting, against-the-grain nature. With Thug teasing the new music pretty much everywhere he’s gone, from Paris Fashion Week to Lyft rides from the studio, it’s been clear that he’s taking a non-traditional approach to promoting the project, just like a real punk should. At the album release party in Hollywood earlier this week, the Atlanta trap mad scientist doubled down by doing something completely unexpected: Smashing up a brand-new car with baseball bats. After all, what could be more punk than that?

Video of the celebration hit the internet a day later, catching Young Thug, Gunna, and Metro Boomin swinging baseball bats at the Rolls-Royce’s windows, which were spray-painted with the word “Punk.” Smashing up the luxury car seemed to be their way of embracing punk’s anti-capitalistic philosophy, but some fans didn’t see it that way, with a few pointing out that there would be better uses for the money that went into purchasing the car for the sole purpose of destruction.

However, the video seems to have done its job: Getting people talking about Young Thug and his upcoming album, so… mission accomplished. Wasteful or not, the video’s release ensures that fans know his album’s dropping — which means for Thug, it was well worth the expense.

Punk is out tonight at midnight ET via Atlantic and YSL.

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

As the NBA season approaches and training camps get underway, we’ll be taking a look at the player on each team that holds the key to unlocking their full potential.

In Brooklyn, the real answer here is whether Kyrie Irving comes back, as well as the health of their now Big 2, because it’s pretty hard to see a whole lot of outcomes where they’re anything but great so long as Kevin Durant and James Harden are close to full strength come playoff time. That is certainly not guaranteed, but for a team with championship or bust expectations, the others are still going to be important to just how good they can be. Joe Harris has to knock down shots better than he did in the playoffs against Milwaukee. Bruce Brown continuing to be as impactful as he was as a small-ball center is likewise important.

But I’m most intrigued by Nic Claxton, the third-year center out of Georgia who is, at the moment, the only true center you can be sure of on this team.

In this day and age, and with the collection of talent in Brooklyn, they don’t need to be carrying a bunch of centers. Still, with LaMarcus Aldridge coming back from an irregular heartbeat and Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, and Brown as the other “big” options, Claxton is going to be their defensive anchor in the middle when they aren’t going small, and that’s a pretty important role on a team trying to win a title. Claxton played extremely well last year to usurp DeAndre Jordan as their best center and earn this opportunity, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in just 18.6 minutes per game (in 32 regular season games). His athleticism and timing on the defensive end was incredibly helpful for a Brooklyn team that doesn’t employ a ton of defense-first players, and on offense he is a terrific lob threat on a team filled with great lob tossers.

This season, Claxton’s minutes will likely increase and while the Nets will still look to play small-ball plenty come playoff time, he is, truly, the only real rim protector left on the roster. The improvement of the Nets on the defensive end when Claxton was on the court was very noticeable, as Brooklyn boasted a 102.1 defensive rating and opponents shot just 41.4 percent from the field in the 594 minutes he played in the regular season. That’s not a huge sample, but it’s indicative of how much his presence in the paint bothered opponents.

This year, he is the guy at center and if he can sustain that kind of impact in an expanded role to give Brooklyn a legitimate center on top of the danger they present as a small-ball group, that will only make them more dynamic as the title favorites. We know the Nets have tons of small lineup versatility, but having the ability to go big will only give them more options no matter their opponents in the postseason.

The New Orleans Pelicans turned heads at their media day when the team announced that standout third-year big man Zion Williamson underwent foot surgery during the offseason. While executive David Griffin said “his timeline should get him back on the court in time for regular season,” it turns out Williamson will not be ready in time.

There was plenty of skepticism over that timetable earlier this week when head coach Willie Green said Williamson had not even began running, his inability to take the floor to start the year became official on Thursday, when Griffin said Williamson will get a new round of scans on his foot in the next few weeks.

Unsurprisingly, there were questions for Griffin regarding the timetable he laid out that made it sound like Williams and would be able to play in the season opener. In response, Griffin said that he never said the thing that he said, and then backtracked to say he meant something other than game one.

The Pelicans have tended to take a very conservative approach to injuries when they are suffered by their young All-Star. /he team will start its regular season schedule at home on October 20 when they play host to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Emerging R&B star Nevaeh Jolie has come out as transgender after being encouraged by others’ coming-out stories on National Coming Out Day (this past Monday, October 11). The singer, best known for the single “Screwed Up” featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, announced coming out in an Instagram post, writing in the caption, “Even though I never felt like I wasn’t myself, engaging with ppl, I just knew nobody knew what I thought of myself when I looked in the mirror. And why I was so sad. I saw a boy. In a girl’s body.”

Nevaeh also explained that he would begin hormone therapy this week to begin the transition, explaining that with the help of therapy and the support of a loving circle, he was able to find the courage to make the announcement and share the change with the world.

“There would also be times I just felt like everyone around me knew my secret,” he wrote. “”I created a version of myself that was toxic, I demonized myself, and convinced myself I’d never be able to love. After moving away from home and just experiencing the world and how my dysphoria (before I even knew what that was) worsened, I finally did what I was dreading … I looked up the word ‘transgender.’” After reading others’ stories, Nevaeh realized that it was possible to accept himself, come out, and receive acceptance from others as well.

Since Sept 1st, abortions past the 6-week mark of pregnancy are illegal in Texas. Texans seeking abortion care after the 6-week period have had to travel to other states to do so. This is an astonishing development in a post-Roe v. Wade world and the legality of this temporary ban is being fought in the courts — especially when you consider that these types of state-level bans disproportionately affect BIPOC, people living below the poverty line, and in rural areas. Americans are fighting for reproductive rights however they can and artists are using their platforms to help fight this infringement on reproductive freedom.

Bon Iver, Demi Lovato, St. Vincent, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen, IDLES, Tove Lo, and more to come, have joined forces with Noise for Now and Propeller’s Reproductive Freedom Campaign for fundraising and awareness-raising campaign. Noise For Now is an initiative that looks to connect artists to help fundraise for grassroots Reproductive Justice organizations (over 100 artists from Neil Young to Cat Power to G-Eazy have worked with them) and Propeller is a digital marketing platform focused on the intersection of culture and social good.

The elements are present for these artists to make a sizable difference in awareness of the cause and in this first portion of the campaign, each has also put up unique items to be raffled off to donors like vintage signed photos from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and clothes from Demi Lovato’s wardrobe. Here’s all that’s been graciously offered up thus far:

• Bon Iver: Signed Bon Iver (10th Anniversary Edition) Lp + Merch Bundle
• IDLES: Signed test pressing of new album CRAWLER
• Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear: Signed guitar played on the Grizzly Bear “Painted Ruins” tour
• Demi Lovato: Select clothing items from their closet
• St. Vincent: Two music man signed guitars
• Tove Lo: Two signed copies of rare Blue Lips vinyl
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Six signed original photo proofs from an early and classic Spin shoot by Danielle Levitt

Visit the campaign site to learn how you can donate or pick up the sweet “1973 Pro Roe” t-shirts below.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

RINI deserves to be championed for the way he writes about love. The 23-year-old Australian-born singer released his official debut album, Constellations, this past Friday, three years removed from his beautiful 2018 EP, After The Sun. Both projects focus on the dealings that occur after sundown, but Constellations takes an out-of-this-world touch to RINI’s music, offering a beautiful love story that any hopeless romantic would die for 00 even though it seems far too good to be true. The young singer also receives help from Wale, a wordsmith certified to speak about the ups and downs of love, and Maeta, a newcomer who also has a fresh takes on romance to share.

Constellations leans heavily on brute honesty. RINI shows no fear, with the confidence that the woman he desires so much is the one. It’s no surprise that he lays all his cards face-up before her. “Red Lights,” the first song of the album, evokes the hair-pulling wait that occurs en route to a new flame. It’s clear that the relationship is new and fresh as his eagerness makes a routine stop at a red light far more grueling than usual. Backed by production that amplifies RINI’s lusty cries, you can feel his urge to cut corners and break rules to reach his desired destination.

Behind this song’s literal meaning comes a metaphor as well. The “red lights” RINI bemoans also signify the necessary breaks one should take as a relationship grows. RINI obeys these procedures, going from the realization of falling in love on “Over Some Wine” and “Butterflies” — so much so that it even surprises himself — to surefire commitment on “For Days” and “Craving.” RINI trusted the process and it got him all he wanted and more.

An impressive aspect of the album is RINI’s ability to spend so much time on the “cloud nine” period of love without sounding redundant. From “Butterflies” to the outro track of Constellations, RINI falls down a neverending tunnel of love. It helps that he also slightly pivots his focus through each track. “Mimosa” and “Need It” present a warm yearning for his partner’s return during their time apart while “Bedtime Story” begs to make their moments of intimacy last forever. “Talk To Me,” as on “Out Of The Blue,” seeks the reassurance to confirm he’s that he’s not the only one head-over-heels four times over in this relationship. Listeners are given just enough to understand nearly all of RINI’s feelings in romance without becoming suffocating.

It makes perfect sense that RINI named his debut Constellations. The way he presents it through the album’s 12 songs, love is as beautiful as the stars in the sky. In both cases, when you truly fall for it, you’ll crave its return throughout the day, immerse yourself in its beauty at nightfall, and dread its departure as the sun returns to begin the next day. He also believes love’s best moments occur once the sun goes down. Whether it’s the vulnerability that the darkest hours present or the inactive state of the world that allows for uninterrupted intimacy, it’s ironically the time where his romance blooms.

Constellations is out now via Warner Records. Get it here.

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

George Takei and William Shatner’s ongoing feud is boldly going where its never gone before, and it’s sure not anywhere pretty. After hearing about Shatner’s recent voyage into space via Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin capsule, Takei spared no time in slamming his former colleague-turned-rival for taking the trip, going as far as to call him “a specimen that’s unfit.” Takei made the remarks at last night’s opening of Thoughts of a Colored Man, a seven-man Broadway show that “weaves spoken word, slam poetry and rhythm into a mosaic of the inner lives of Black men.” However, turns out that even some moving theater isn’t enough to stop the former Star Trek star from expressing his extreme and ever-lingering distaste with Shatner.

“He’s a guinea pig, 90 years old and it’s important to find out what happens,” Takei reportedly told Page Six. “So 90 years old is going to show a great deal more on the wear and tear on the human body, so he’ll be a good specimen to study. Although he’s not the fittest specimen of 90 years old, so he’ll be a specimen that’s unfit!”

Ultimately, Takei dismissed the trip as a whole, remarking “he’s boldly going where other people have gone before” before moving on from the subject.

Unfortunately, these jabs are just the latest in a string of fights between the two, with Takei calling Shatner “very self-centered” and the “biggest d**k on Star Trek,“ accusing the actor of sabotaging his career on the set by ensuring Takei’s character, Hikaru Sulu, “would not receive command of a spaceship.” In return, Shatner has expressed most confusion and pity toward Takei and his statements, stating:

“There’s a psychosis there … There must be something else inside George that is festering, and it makes him unhappy that he takes it out on me … Why would he go out of his way to denigrate me? It’s sad, I feel nothing but pity for him.”

While some would think Shatner (90) and Takei (84) would attempt to mend things during their golden years, this seems like one feud that’s likely to stick just around as long as the former sci-fi icons do.

Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf has been an instantly recognizable figure ever since he lifted a trophy to signify his status as a Fortnite world champion. Sure, he had his fans on Twitch and he was already a well-known name in the Fortnite community, but winning a championship takes your fame to a new level.

Giersdorf has turned that fame into a number of opportunities away from gaming, with the latest feather in his cap being his own line of clothing with Hollister. Giersdorf, only 18, isn’t too far removed from being one of those people who would head to the mall and pick up some clothes from the store.

“Hollister was a brand that I did wear when I was younger in middle school and early high school,” Giersdorf told Uproxx. “I don’t know, when I just got that opportunity was just kind of something crazy to me. And I was just kind of taken away by that, because it’s one of the biggest clothing brands in the world.”

The only article of clothing available right now is a hoodie, which fitting for Giersdorf, who prefers to wear things that are more relaxed. But there’s potential for this relationship to continue to blossom into something more. Hollister is using this opportunity with Giersdorf to make him their “Chief Gaming Scout,” a role in which he will scout potential up-and-coming streamers for Team Hollister, the brand’s new gamer training program that will launch this November in collaboration with Twitch. The program will include a series of livestreamed training sessions.

“Pretty much what I’m doing is I’m picking three people based on either their skills in Fortnite, or just how they are as creators, and we’re partnering with Twitch for that,” Giersdorf says. “They’re going to receive a sponsorship from Hollister and a monthly mentorship from me. And hopefully, [put them] on the road to the biggest gaming creators … [I’ll be looking at] their dedication to the game how much time they put into their content. That’s what I find super interesting. Definitely, the people that are on there doing, like, 9-10 hours streams a day. That’s pretty much what I was looking for, dedication and commitment.”

It’s a pretty full plate for someone so young, but Giersdorf is someone that Hollister believes will represent their goals of embracing a younger audience.

“We’re always focused on meeting our Gen Z customers where they are, and gaming continues to be a rising area of interest for global teens,” says Kristin Scott, Global Brand President at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. “We’ve recently been successfully and authentically showing up in the gaming world, particularly with our Fortnite tournament earlier this year, so we’re excited to delve even further into this area through our partnership with Bugha and the launch of Team Hollister.”

Maybe in a year, one will be able to walk into a Hollister and find three new designs from the up-and-comers that Giersdorf chose, or an entire section for their gaming partnerships. As Twitch, streaming, and video games become more and more prominent, these kinds of deals are just going to be seen as more normal. Giersdorf’s hoodie, and new role as Chief Gaming Scout, is just the start.

In a new interview on the heavily anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home, which appears to send Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man on a adventure through the multiverse thanks to some magic shenanigans with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, the Peter Parker actor revealed that filming the third installment in the Homecoming trilogy was an emotional experience for himself and cast mates Zendaya and Jacob Batalon. The three have been together since the first movie, and once they realized they were filming their last scene together for No Way Home, Holland described the moment as “heartbreaking, but also really exciting.”

As Holland explains, No Way Home was approached as the culmination of his work together with director Jon Watts, and they approached it like the final installment for this chapter of Peter’s life. Via Entertainment Weekly:

“We were all treating [No Way Home] as the end of a franchise, let’s say,” he adds. “I think if we were lucky enough to dive into these characters again, you’d be seeing a very different version. It would no longer be the Homecoming trilogy. We would give it some time and try to build something different and tonally change the films. Whether that happens or not, I don’t know. But we were definitely treating [No Way Home] like it was coming to an end, and it felt like it.”

While No Way Home may mark the end of this particular brand of adventures for Holland, there’s no way the actor is done as the MCU’s current Spider-Man. As part of the deal that brought an end to the dispute between Marvel and Sony, Holland is still under contract for one more MCU film. More recently, Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis revealed that a Venom/Spider-Man crossover is in the works. So it’s probably going to be a while until Holland hangs up his tights.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

After a year and a half of a global pandemic and domestic upheaval, most of us are feeling some variation of tired, fried, exhausted and generally done with everything. We’ve been swimming through choppy and uncharted waters, and even strong swimmers need a life jacket under such conditions.

We can all use an extra measure of grace and understanding as we navigate these waters, which is why this email from a professor to her English 101 class is so dang heartwarming. This message went out to students the day after their first essay was due, with the subject line, “You need a break today.”

Here’s what it said:

“All,

The pandemic is kicking everyone’s ass. Can I say that? I don’t know, but I did.

woman writing on dry erase board

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

This is just a reminder, based on several guilty-sounding student emails, that you can turn anything in late during the pandemic for no penalty. Yes, you absolutely can do all late work for no penalty by December 7.

Have a great day! You can do this!”

man and woman sitting on chairs

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

The student who shared the email with me says it was a huge relief to get such a message of support and understanding, especially during the pandemic when so many people’s lives have been derailed. “It felt like she cared,” the student said.

Students respond well when they know a teacher cares about them as human beings and not just temporary names on a class list. What’s beautiful about the professor’s message is that she’s clear about having expectations of students—it’s not like she said it doesn’t matter if students do their work. She simply gave them options to work on their own timeline and provided choices for certain assignments so they can learn however they learn best. This gift of empathy and understanding will likely go farther than a hard-nosed approach in gaining students’ respect.

And look at the valuable lessons being taught just in this one email: Your well-being matters. Your unique needs are recognized and honored. Authority doesn’t have to be rigid or uncompromising. There is more than one way to do things. Standards and expectations can be balanced with kindness and understanding. As human beings, we take care of one another.

These are wild and wearying times. Kudos to this professor for offering her students some much-needed, well-balanced grace and encouragement. Here’s hoping some of it comes back her way as well.