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In 2018, Ariana Grande delivered one of the year’s musical highlights with her album Sweetener. It was released on August 17 of that year, which makes today its third anniversary. Grande has decided to observe the occasion by reflecting on the album with some behind-the-scenes photos. Sharing a gallery of them on social media (in the form of a video), Grande wrote simply, “thank you.”

Grande previously said of the album in a 2018 interview, “Sonically, also where I’m using my voice is very different this time. I feel like everyone’s heard me do all the gymnastic stuff and it’s fun, I love to sing, you know and like, prove a point when I’m like, ‘Look what I can do,’ but also it’s cool that this is a way more about like, the lyrical content and it’s like a sweeter more mature side of my voice. I feel like it’s like using newer parts of my range that I don’t get to showcase on my radio ones.” She also noted, “I feel I’m gonna look back at life and like instead of having kept diaries, I would have made albums and be like, ‘Oh, I remember exactly what was happening when we made this, I remember exactly what’s happening.’ So it’s just another dope chapter closed.”

Revisit our review of Sweetener here.

During a new interview with Steve Bannon, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene kept her conspiratorial brand strong by making a nonsensical argument about American gun ownership and the Taliban. While using the chaos in Afghanistan as a backdrop, Greene accused the Biden administration of “paying the Taliban” by gifting them with “weapons, vehicles, Blackhawk helicopters.” In reality, the Afghanistan national army abandoned their weapons and vehicles, which the Taliban immediately seized as soon as U.S. forces left the country, but Greene isn’t one to let a few facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory.

According to Greene’s illogical rant, Biden’s “gifting” of weapons to the Taliban makes any attempt to enact gun control in America null and void. Never mind that there’s a massive difference between having weaponry in a war zone and on American soil, if the Taliban have assault weapons, then goshdarnit, Americans should have them, too.

Via The Independent:

“Anytime any Democrat ever speaks to America about gun control again, and they want to talk to you about your AR-15, you tell them right now how many weapons and how many semi-automatic weapons did you hand over to terrorists in Afghanistan, to the Taliban, ISIS and possible Al-Qaeda before you ever talk to Americans about gun control,” she told Mr Bannon’s Real America’s Voice podcast.

Naturally, Greene also praised Trump and called him “more presidential” than Biden will ever be while conveniently ignoring the fact that Trump negotiated the withdrawal deal with the Taliban that set the stage for the calamity in Afghanistan.

(Via The Independent)

Just a couple of weeks out from releasing her forthcoming LP Before I Die, South Korean multi-hyphenate Park Hye Jin has shared a mellow new single, “I Need You,” which follows earlier tracks “Whatchu Doin Later” and “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance.” Similar to the aforementioned singles, “I Need You” is sung in both Korean and English. Over light, jazzy piano and a skittering hi-hat, the DJ, singer, rapper, and producer expresses a near-universal wish to get closer to a potential love. Meanwhile, Park Hye Jin’s chilled-out vocals stay cucumber-cool.

Earlier in the summer, Park Hye Jin announced plans to release her debut LP, Before I Die, in the fall via Ninja Tune. The album is entirely written, produced, and performed by Park Hye Jin and follows a lengthy list of high-profile collaborations with artists like Clams Casino and Take A Daytrip (“Y Don’t U”), Blood Orange (“Call Me (Freestyle)”), Nosaj Thing (“Clouds”), and Galcher Lustwerk. Along with the album news, Park Hye Jin announced that she’s hitting the road in the fall; her upcoming US tour dates kick off in Toronto in October.

Listen to “I Need You” above.

Before I Die is out 9/10 via Ninja Tune. Pre-order it here.

If there’s one thing Tucker Carlson is good at, it’s being one of the world’s most loathsome humans. If there are two things he’s good at (and that’s a stretch), it’s stirring up fear and anxiety where none need exist. Case in point: As Daily Beast notes, on Monday night’s show, Fox News’s resident fearmonger no doubt scared the sh*t out of lots of viewers when he warned them that while Afghanistan might be more than 11,000 miles and an enormous ocean away, the violent Taliban takeover happening there right now will affect them—Tucker’s corncob viewers—in deeply personal ways.

In true Tucker (a.k.a. Trucker) style, the scariest situation he could come up with to petrify his audience had nothing to do with the American troops being sent overseas to help quell the situation. Nope, Tucker’s biggest fear is that an Afghan refugee could soon be living in your neighborhood—or his! Oh, the horror!

Unsurprisingly, Carlson has never made any secret of his stance on immigration (he’s against it). In fact, Carlson is so painfully Xenophobic that even Geraldo Rivera once called him out on it! But Tucker and facts—or even reason—are a toxic combination, so he shared his own version of a history lesson on why we should all be worried:

“[I]f history is any guide—and it’s always a guide—we will see many refugees from Afghanistan resettle in our country in coming months, probably in your neighborhood. And over the next decade, that number may swell to the millions. So first we invade, and then we’re invaded. It is always the same.”

So what current pressing matter does Carlson think would be a better use of the government’s time than attempting to step in to help a country that is under siege from a group the UN-designated a terrorist organization more than 20 years ago? “Fentanyl ODs.”

(Via Daily Beast)

To most people, an invitation to Barack Obama’s birthday party would be a life highlight. To Larry David, it was a nuisance.

The Curb Your Enthusiasm creator was invited then disinvited to the former-president’s potential-superspreader birthday bash after the guest list was slimmed down to “only family and close friends.” David was happy to be left off, however, because he assumed he would have to perform at the birthday party. He went “into a tailspin,” according to the New York Times, “trying to think of what routine he could come up with in three days.”

But then David spoke to Obama’s assistant:

“I was pretty glum when I finally called back his assistant,” David said in an email. “When he told me I was eighty-sixed from the party, I was so relieved, I screamed, ‘Thank you! Thank you!’ He must have thought I was insane. Then I hung up the phone, poured myself a drink, and finished my crossword puzzle.”

That’s good advice from Larry. Have you spent the last five hours yelling at a robot when all you want to do is cancel your cable service? Hang up the phone, pour yourself a drink, and finish your crossword puzzle. This applies to all kinds of scenarios, not only when the former-president crosses you off the guest list for his birthday party (relatable).

(Via the New York Times)

With the constant churn of new music these days, it’s easy to overlook gems, which is why D Smoke‘s latest is worth taking a listen to. “Shame On You,” which he dropped on Friday, deserves a little space of its own for its defiant and motivational message praising the independent, righteous rebels of the music industry. He also advocates switching up the usual shootouts that many of his rap peers propagate in favor of good, old-fashioned fisticuffs: “Put the Glock away and sock on they face / Show your pain if you brave,” he challenges in verse two.

The Rhythm+Flow champion from the City of Champions has kept a relatively low profile in 2021 as he works on the follow-up to his Grammy-nominated 2020 debut Black Habits, but that hasn’t stopped him from poking his head out to deliver a few choice shots of his hard-won Inglewood wisdom. After opening the year with the motivational “It’s OK” and its accompanying video, in March, he joined Nigeria’s Fireboy DML for an inspiring track titled — what else? — “Champion,” and contributed to another Netflix project in the form of the “Basketball” theme song from the basketball-themed Last Chance U reboot.

Listen to “Shame On You” above.

Patrick Beverley’s hectic week continues. Days after the Los Angeles Clippers flipped the veteran guard to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a package that led to a reunion with Eric Bledsoe in Tinseltown, the Grizzlies have decided to take Beverley and send him to Minnesota in a deal with the Timberwolves.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Beverley will become teammates with Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and co., while the Grizzlies will take a flier on former Lottery pick Jarrett Culver and 25-year-old big man Juancho Hernangomez.

Minnesota seems poised to push for a playoff berth for the first time since 2017-18, and while it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to get there, Beverley gives them a steady hand in the backcourt and some defensive bite on the perimeter that they did lack. As for the Timberwolves, they managed to acquire a pair of younger players — Hernangomez has been a productive big man off the bench during his career, while Culver appears to be a pure bet on the talent that made him the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft despite the struggles that he’s had with the Timberwolves through his first two seasons in the league.

An amped-up Don Jr. can’t stop furiously tweeting, even after receiving comeuppance after gloating about the Fall of Kabul on Biden’s watch. Granted, yes, the situation in Afghanistan is a disaster. Biden’s speech didn’t help in a lot of people’s eyes, and the withdrawal’s execution (following the swift Fall of Kabul) has put forth a look that’s, well, not good. Footage of Afghan citizens clinging to a U.S. military plane has been (and will endlessly be) compared to the Fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Yes, the war has been ongoing for two full decades, starting on George W. Bush’s watch in the wake of 9/11 and through the Trump Administration, which did the dealmaking for “peace” that ultimately wasn’t honored.

In other words, the withdrawal date was set before Biden came to town, but his efforts to point fingers won’t go well no matter what. And Don Jr. is having an absolute ball with the fallout. After he ranted about Biden being at Camp David, and Hunter Biden, and “white rage”-focused Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and even a Pride Flag outside the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Don Jr. kept on going. In his latest frenzied round of social media posts, he’s taking more shots at Biden, including complaints that he dared to attempt a vacation (after his dad spent several COVID weekends on the golf course), including as the following tweet.

Over on Instagram, Jr. served up a real doozy: his dad’s silhouette in a Bat Signal. The message here, although erroneous, is that Don Jr. believes that his dad would save the Afghan people if he was still in office. “Just think Biden has another 3.5 years to go. What could go wrong?” Kimberly Guilfoyle’s boyfriend wrote.

Even discounting politics, it’s hard to imagine how any Trump wouldn’t automatically be the worst Batman ever. That means instant elevation for the Batfleck and George Clooney’s Bat Nips, but still, let’s not go there. It’s all so absurd that it’s not even worth discussing on a nerd level, but more to the point of Don Jr.’s frenzy, he is off the hook. Here he is tweeting out a video and claiming that it’s from present-day Afghanistan, although it’s really from Iraq in 2007. He’s attempting to make the point that “we’ve been lied to by a lot of people in government” while spreading a lie.

As Vox’s Aaron Rupar points out, Jr. also kept repeating himself while talking about how much he misses his dad.

The tirade only continued on Twitter from there while firing shots at Biden for various reasons, including possibly needing to rest for a few moments every now and then.

Whew, Don Jr. is exhausting! He needs a nap, too.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Wizkid and Tems’ remix of “Essence” with Justin Bieber leads this past week’s highlights. The pop star received a warm welcome by Wizkid to try his hand at the Made In Lagos highlight. Elsewhere, VanJess arrives with Lucky Daye by their sides for a remix of their own through an updated take of “Slow Down,” a fan-favorite from their 2021 EP Homegrown. Lastly, Nao continues to impress listeners ahead of her upcoming third album with her latest single, “Wait.”

Wizkid — “Essence (Remix)” Feat. Justin Bieber & Tems

Wizkid and Tems’ “Essence” is without a doubt an eligible contender for song of the summer in 2021. Since the release of Wizkid’s fourth album, Made In Lagos last fall, the song has naturally grown in appeal and in popularity as its entry into the Billboard Hot 100 serves as proof of it. Now, it gets a commercial boost thanks to a remix with Bieber that will also appear on the deluxe version of Made In Lagos out August 27.

VanJess — “Slow Down (Remix)” Feat. Lucky Daye

Nearly three years after gracing the world with their debut album, Silk Canvas, VanJess made their long-awaited return at the beginning of the year with the release of their Homegrown EP. The project delivered a number of collaborations with the likes of Garren, Kaytranada, Devin Morrison, and more, but the highlight from it was the duo’s solo effort, “Slow Down.” Months after the EP’s arrival, the track gets a warm upgrade with help from Lucky Daye, who shares the same label as VanJess and undoubtedly comes through on the remix.

Nao — “Wait”

The R&B world is a little over a month away from being blessed as British singer Nao is preparing the release of her third album, And Then Life Was Beautiful. The 13-track project is lining up to be a strong follow-up to her 2018 release, Saturn. Laying off what amounts to her fifth single from the upcoming album, Nao steps forth with “Wait.” The tender single tackles a low within a relationship as the singer begs her partner to work with her through their problems rather than running away from them.

Che Ecru — “Do What You Gotta Do”

Last year, Boston native Che Ecru absolutely unloaded on the music side of things by releasing not one, not two, but three projects: Still Single, Projection, and Til Death. After stepping out with a single earlier this year, Ecru is back with more thanks to his “Do What You Gotta Do” track. His latest is a dancehall-inspired single that places the ball in the court of a seemingly indecisive lover. The singer appears to be nonchalant to his flip-flopping companion as he insists that their decision, no matter what it is, will be understood in the end.

Salaam Remi — “All I Need Is You” Feat. Claudette Ortiz

After concluding 2020 with his Black On Purpose project, Salaam Remi is back in action with former City High member Claudette Ortiz for their new single, “All I Need Is You.” The climactic track finds the singer confessing that she’s found all she needs and more in a new lover. “I have many songs I love in my vaults and Claudette Ortiz has always been one of my favorite people,” Remi said about the track. “This song still feels as great as when we recorded it many years ago. So happy to be sharing it.“ The single will also appear on Remi’s upcoming project.

Jawan — “Cause & Effect”

Back in 2019, Atlanta’s own Jawan shared his debut project Broken. The independently-released project delivered ten songs that found the singer best introducing himself to the world, and two years later, Jawan looks like he’s almost ready to give the world his next body of work. His latest single, “Cause & Effect,” examines his current relationship as he watches it unravel while criticizing his partner for their actions. In his eyes, their wrongs have come right back to bite them where it hurts the most.

Goodboy Noah & Brasstracks — “Backseat”

With his debut EP, Nice, which he released in May, now in his rear-view mirror, Goodboy Noah is already treating the world to more new music. The Los Angeles singer’s latest release pairs him with NY-based producer duo Brasstracks for an infectious new song titled, “Backseat.” Noah described the track as “the start of a new sound for me,” adding, “I tried to make it timeless and classic, while remaining true to myself, sonically and lyrically. And Brasstracks ran it into the end zone with an insane brass section.”

Lonr. — “Read My Mind” Feat. Yung Bleu

At the very minimum, love requires us to give our all, but even then, success within it is not guaranteed. That’s something Grammy-winning singer Lonr. tackles on “Read My Mind” with Yung Bleu. “This is a song about relationships that we want to happen or work out, but might not have a chance,” he says. “Whether it’s being afraid of commitment or the wrong place at the wrong time, these are thoughts we have about someone we can love.” The new single is set to appear on Lonr.’s upcoming EP, Land of Nothing Real 2, which arrives later this fall.

Pip Millett — Motion Sick

At just 23 years old, Pip Millett has found her own voice in UK’s music scene, and her latest project, Motion Sick, is evidence of the singer’s talents. The five-track effort delivers contributions from Ghetts and Gaidaa while addressing the times she “felt lost when things around me have started to change,” as she states in a press release for the project. “My core self is still there but without change there cannot be any growth,” she adds. “Motion Sick is about the various changes in my life. With this change I have tried to find comfort in the simple things.”

Kirby — “Break Her Heart For Me”

Ariana Grande once asked her love interest to “break up with your girlfriend” because “I’m bored,” and on Kirby’s new song, she plays the role of the girlfriend who hopes to make her partner hers and hers only again. The Mississippi singer, who is the main woman in this growing love triangle, notices that her lover’s eyes have gravitated towards another woman. As a result, she requests that they break their mistress’ heart and send them away in order for her and her man to fix their relationship and grow in the right direction.

Hunnah — “Appreciate”

The Ethiopian-Canadian singer arrives with an absolutely ear-pleasing single with “Appreciate.” The lush singer grapples with the struggles of being Black in the world while elevating the beauty within and behind one’s skin. “This song came from conversations with friends about feeling unappreciated and unseen as black women moving through the world and specifically in the realm of dating,” she said about the track. The song is set to appear on her upcoming EP, Unloved, which arrives this fall.

Rashida Briana — “Baby You”

Chicago’s own Rashida Briana is here to make an impression and her debut single, “Baby You,” is certainly a strong enough release to do just that. The track is filled with love that the singer-songwriter has to offer to a special individual in her life and her impressive vocals deliver a message and performance that’s hard to ignore. At 25 years young, Briana is worth the listen and anticipation for more.

One upon a time, CDs overtook vinyl records as the circular physical music format of choice, but in recent years, vinyl has made a comeback. Now, it’s common to see today’s biggest albums get vinyl releases, and that includes Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour. The album was released digitally and in other formats in May, but the vinyl edition is set to arrive this week, on August 20. Ahead of that, Rodrigo has shared a video of herself excitedly getting her hands on a Sour vinyl for the first time.

In the brief clip posted on social media, Rodrigo sits on a bedroom floor with a stack of Sour vinyl. Declaring she’s “so stoked” as she cracks the factory seal on one of them, she lets out an amazed gasp as she opens the case and sees the inside art, which features a collage of images, doodles, and handwritten notes.

She wrote alongside the video, “SOUR vinyl comes out this Friday and I couldn’t be more excited if I tried!!!!!! u can preorder them now on oliviarodrigo.com if ya like! I’ve discovered so many of my favorite albums through vinyl records and it’s the coolest thing in the world to get to hold one with songs I wrote.”

Revisit our review of Sour here.