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Nas announced the follow-up to his last album, King’s Disease will be dropping in just a few days. The New York rapper let fans know that the second part of his Hit Boy-produced project would be dropping on August 6th, and astute fans of hip-hop will notice that’s the rumored date for Kanye to complete his new album, Donda, which may or may not be a hint of competitive energy in the air… or maybe synergy?

While Kanye is camped out in a stadium in Atlanta, nailing down the details of his latest work, an old diss tracks where Nas may or may not be dissing Tupac has surfaced. It’s unclear if that song is going to be a part of King’s Disease II, but considering the first installment won Nas a Grammy and functioned as a comeback album of sorts for the legendary MC, this follow up might be an equally impactful album.

Some may argue that Nas’ real comeback began with the Kanye-produced Nasir, which dropped during Ye’s rushed run of releases from 2018, and Nas later admitted was a bit rushed. Check out the album artwork for the project below, and look for it out on Mass Appeal Records on August 6th.

Sometime around 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday night, James Bouknight will hear his name called by Adam Silver and his NBA career will begin in earnest. When that happens, Bouknight will enter the league in a unique position, both because of the skill set he brings to the NBA and the valuation teams are putting on that particular ability today. Bucket-getters have always mattered, but Bouknight’s talent combined with the league’s increasing penchant for perimeter scoring has him in the fascinating position of being projected just outside the top-5 by many draft experts, which is unfamiliar territory for players like him.

Bouknight’s skill set — a combination of creativity, toughness, and raw skill — has to be alluring for any of the teams at the top of the Draft. He has the ability to score from all three levels, and having that type of scorer has become invaluable for teams in the postseason.

Dropping 40 points in a college game is enormously difficult, especially against a solid program like Creighton. That’s exactly what Bouknight did last December in a game that really put him on the map as a high-level prospect after he stayed in college rather than declaring for the 2020 Draft. The highlights from that game alone show what makes him such a dazzling talent.

There’s a little bit of everything going on there. Bouknight has a crossover pull-up move that is hard to guard, and he can pull it off going either direction. Few college defenders have feet quick enough to stay in front of him, and once he enters the paint, he has solid touch and is able to absorb contact nicely (he had a solid 37 percent free throw rate at UConn).

But like many college players on teams without a ton of pro-level talent, Bouknight was often allowed to freelance without structure around him. As a result, the framing of him as a modern NBA scorer gets more complicated. Bouknight typically got the ball at the top of the arc and then either isolated or used a high screen to go to work, at which point he could comfortably get to his pull-up three, leading to easy comparisons to Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson.

Hidden beneath Bouknight’s shiny scoring average is the fact that he posted just a 54.6 true shooting percentage, which took a dip in 2021 due to his 29.3 percent shooting from deep as a sophomore. Bouknight also had just 27 assists in 15 games compared to 42 turnovers, a poor ratio for someone who, ideally, has the ball in his hands as a creator at the next level. And despite standing 6’5, Bouknight ought not to be thought of as a wing physically, not when he weighs just 190 pounds with a solid-yet-unspectacular 6’8 wingspan.

That doesn’t necessarily bode well for a lead perimeter scoring option, but Mitchell is the perfect example of someone who became more polished when he landed in a smart NBA offense and was able to hone his craft. Many have criticized Bouknight’s passing, and while you might catch him picking up his dribble or missing open shooters from time to time, the 11-6 Huskies included just two other double-digit scorers and only one dynamic shooting threat (senior R.J. Cole, who led the team by hitting 38.6 percent of his threes). And considering Bouknight’s ability as a scorer, the baseline he needs to meet as a passer is relatively low.

As for the poor three-point shooting last year, because of his touch around the basket, 80 percent free-throw efficiency, and prolific pull-up shooting, teams seem willing to believe that was an aberration and he’ll be more effective from deep at the next level, which you have to if you’re considering him for a top-10 selection. A somewhat frequent refrain about his pre-Draft workouts hints at this, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN wrote that he was “shooting the lights out” as he went during his pro day.

While his on-ball prowess is his headlining skill, Bouknight showed plenty of flashes as a scorer in simple off-ball sets that NBA teams can rightly be excited about what he could become in a better scheme. His quickness and touch helped him as a cutter, and the same gravity he created as a driver exists when he comes off screens and is able to attack from the second side.

It would seem Bouknight might do well under the kind of coach who is big on initial action that creates advantages for players prior to receiving the ball. Young combo guards like Mitchell, Devin Booker, Zach LaVine, and Tyler Herro have thrived in this sort of situation in recent years, all players to whom Bouknight could be compared. But if we’re using those players as tentpoles in the NBA, we return to Bouknight’s physical profile. He is not as big and strong as Booker, nor is he as much of an athletic marvel as LaVine, one of the most explosive in the NBA. Those two already were billed as poor defenders early on, and though they have each improved (Booker more so), their tools were more refined. They also came into the league extremely young, whereas Bouknight will be 21 by opening night of the 2021-22 season. This also is true of Herro, a baby-faced killer as a rookie who played more physically and was a much better shooter and team offensive player than Bouknight.

Perhaps the most hopeful comparison for Bouknight’s upper range as he develops is someone like C.J. McCollum. Neither guy is particularly big (McCollum has added strength as all players do in an NBA conditioning program), and though Bouknight has a few inches on Portland’s high-scoring No. 2 option, they have similar games in that their games are predicated on toughness and shot-making on the offensive end. It should be mentioned that Bouknight competes on defense, can make the occasional turnover-creating play while rotating or helping his teammates, and locks in when he’s feeling good as a scorer. Still, like McCollum, Bouknight would be best in a situation with other wing defenders around him in addition to a perimeter ball-handler who can initiate the offense.

Historically, players that have profiles like Bouknight rarely get drafted in the top-7 or so, where he is being projected. All of the players we’ve mentioned were drafted 10th or lower — Booker, Herro, Mitchell and LaVine were all the 13th overall selections in their Drafts. While Bouknight is indeed interesting as a backcourt mate for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, he is consistently projected over wings with fewer question marks.

Bouknight is set to benefit from the success of those young score-first guards who have blossomed in recent years, as the league’s perception of that archetype has shifted to giving a player like Bouknight the benefit of the doubt for his strengths rather than looking at his weaknesses as a reason to push him further down in the Draft. NBA teams rightly feel confident they can get the most out of a player like Bouknight, especially one who is known for hard work as he is, because many of the offensive systems in place now have such a tremendous need for someone with his scoring abilities.

Going to the right situation is critical for all players in the Draft, but Bouknight in particular seems like he’ll need to land in a comfortable fit in order to have a chance at reaching his full potential. The right system and roster fit can sometimes be the difference in a player shining or underwhelming, and it’s not just with young players entering the league. The differences in how a player is used and who they play with can create a situation where Lou Williams is cast aside from the Clippers after seeming unplayable and then morph back into a key bench scorer for the Hawks when he gets to play with better space and structure around him.

The intricacies of how you use the gravity your scoring creates to make teammates better, what context is most comfortable for you as a shooter, and whether you have the skill to consistently take advantage of what the defense gives you are where scouting and team-building philosophy become vital. Bouknight will score wherever he goes, but being more than that and becoming a great player is likely to depend on the situation. Oklahoma City is intriguing, as is Golden State, but a team like Orlando or Sacramento that might look to him as a go-to scoring option immediately would be putting Bouknight in a bad position.

As he enters the NBA, Bouknight faces the same development challenges as the other combo guards who came before him in that he must improve as a playmaker and off-ball scorer while also adjusting to the size and strength of NBA perimeter talent. More than many of the other players at the top of this draft, Bouknight’s ultimate success in the pros will hinge largely on the situation he lands in early in his career. Should his shooting prove to be real in spot-up situations and his hard work and energy can be channeled into improved defense and team ball, NBA teams’ excitement about him will be well-founded — and could continue to lead to more faith in young scoring guards going forward.

Lorde is gearing up to release her new album, Solar Power, which means she’s been on a press blitz of late. After the release of the first two singles, “Solar Power,” and later, “Stoned At The Nail Salon,” she’s spoken with Vogue, she explained why she takes such long breaks between her albums, and also let people know that she’s very interested in collaborating with Harry Styles.

Now, she’s headed to the wing-eating-show Hot Ones, where along with a discussion about what makes the best onion rings, she answered the host’s great question about what makes pop music sacred to her. “Ever since I was a kid even before I made anything, I had a sneaking suspicion it was more difficult to speak to a lot of people than it was to speak to a small amount,” she began. “There’s something really special about that. And I love writing a pop melody, there’s nothing better. For it to be simple but secretly complex and to kind of trick the brain. You can’t fake it, it’s a real experience. That’s kind of what it is for me, that feeling of being able to talk to a lot of people, and to make something that’s kind of highbrow but can be enjoyed in really simple ways.

Watch her full interview above.

While attending an official engagement on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson struggled to maintain control of his umbrella to the amusement of Prince Charles, who was sitting next to him. The comedic moment was caught on video, which prompted numerous reactions on social media comparing Johnson’s blunder to a Mr. Bean sketch. There were also some pointed quips about how his umbrella handling skills are almost as bad as his attempts to run a country. The blunder also brought back memories of America’s own bumbling politician, former president Donald Trump, who was often prone to umbrella mishaps.

While Johnson’s umbrella antics were seemingly hilarious on the surface, some people (unlike Prince Charles) were not so keen on it happening in the middle of a solemn event. Namely the “unveiling of a memorial to police officers who have died in the line of duty,” according to Reuters. Awkward.

To anyone familiar with Johnson, the umbrella incident is just one in a long line of publicly humiliating events. Just last month, the prime minister was roasted by the Queen herself for being the only one looking lifeless and sullen in a photo of world leaders at the G7 summit. “Are you supposed to be looking as if you’re enjoying yourself?” the Queen asked Johnson in a solid royal dunk.

Johnson even got smacked down by the Hulk one time. After attempting to use the angry Avenger as a metaphor for Brexit, Mark Ruffalo stepped in and schooled Johnson on how the Hulk really rolls.

“Boris Johnson forgets that the Hulk only fights for the good of the whole,” Ruffalo tweeted. “Mad and strong can also be dense and destructive. The Hulk works best when he is in unison with a team, and is a disaster when he is alone.”

This article originally appeared on 01.12.18

It’s not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids’ homework.

Sometimes, it’s just been too long since they’ve done long division for them to be of any help. Or teaching methods have just changed too dramatically since they were in school.

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And other times, kids bring home something truly inexplicable.

Trameka Brown-Berry was looking over her 4th-grade son Jerome’s homework when her jaw hit the floor.

“Give 3 ‘good’ reasons for slavery and 3 bad reasons,” the prompt began.

You read that right. Good reasons … FOR SLAVERY.

Lest anyone think there’s no way a school would actually give an assignment like this, Brown-Berry posted photo proof to Facebook.

The assignment was real. In the year 2018. Unbelievable.

The shockingly offensive assignment deserved to be thrown in the trash. But young Jerome dutifully filled it out anyway.

His response was pretty much perfect.

In the section reserved for “good reasons,” (again, for slavery), Jerome wrote, “I feel there is no good reason for slavery thats why I did not write.”

Yep. That about covers it.

The school assignment was intended to spark debate and discussion — but isn’t that part of the problem?

We’re a country founded on freedom of speech and debating ideas, which often leads us into situations where “both sides” are represented. But it can only go so far.

There’s no meaningful dialogue to be had about the perceived merits of stripping human beings of their basic living rights. No one is required to make an effort to “understand the other side,” when the other side is bigoted and hateful.

In a follow-up post, Brown-Berry writes that the school has since apologized for the assignment and committed to offering better diversity and sensitivity training for its teachers.

But what’s done is done, and the incident illuminates the remarkable racial inequalities that still exist in our country. After all, Brown-Berry told the Chicago Tribune, “You wouldn’t ask someone to list three good reasons for rape or three good reasons for the Holocaust.”

At the very end of the assignment, Jerome brought it home with a bang: “I am proud to be black because we are strong and brave … “

Good for Jerome for shutting down the thoughtless assignment with strength and amazing eloquence.

Just before the pandemic started, one of the most anticipated festivals of the 2020 season was Lovers & Friends, a new but nostalgic festival that popped up out of nowhere and caused mass havoc and confusion on Twitter as fans clamored to figure out if the stacked lineup was real. Furthering the confusion, some of the billed acts, like Lil Kim, claimed to have not been booked, adding a layer of intrigue and attention that had anticipation sky-high when they finally confirmed.

Unfortunately, as we all know, Corona came through hating and we all missed out on seeing every elder Millennial’s favorite artists return to the stage alongside contemporary artists like Jhene Aiko, Megan Thee Stallion, Saweetie, and Summer Walker (all heavily influenced by 2000s-era sounds and aesthetics). It looked like Lovers & Friends was a wrap, a fever dream we all shared for a bit before the world collectively went to hell.

But apparently, Live Nation, Snoop Dogg, and Bobby Dee had to do it again (see what I did there?), bringing the festival back for a new date, May 14, 2022. The venue has changed as well; while the original was scheduled for Carson, CA (a smaller venue that prompted the show’s organizers to add a second day) the 2022 iteration will take place in Las Vegas. Presale begins August 2 at 10 am PT. For more information, check out loversandfriendsfest.com.

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future,” author J.R.R. Tolkien once said. Some big-shot movie producers once tried to change the course of The Lord of the Rings with a ridiculous suggestion. But like Frodo taking the One Ring to Mount Doom, their idea was (figuratively) cast into the fire.

While discussing their The Friendship Onion podcast with IGN, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, who played Merry and Pippin in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, revealed that director Peter Jackson faced “pressure from above” to kill one of the four main Hobbits.

It didn’t happen, thankfully, but Monaghan thinks he knows who it would have been.

“It’s a good job that didn’t happen, because it would have been me,” he said. “It definitely would have. There’s no way they are killing Frodo and Sam, and the only ones that would be left would be Merry and Pippin. They wouldn’t kill Pippin because Pippin has a really strong story with Gandalf. It would have definitely been me. I think Pete quite rightly was like, ‘This is a luminary piece of written work, and we need to stick close to the text.’ So, he stuck by his guns. Yeah, I’m thankful that didn’t happen.”

Monaghan already has one iconic pop culture death. He didn’t need another.

(Via IGN)

While promoting the upcoming release of The Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie assured fans that she is still very interested in making a Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy romance happen on screen despite admitting that she needs a break from her DC Comics character after making The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey in rapid succession.

When asked about getting Harley and Ivy together in a live-action film (similar to what happened in the Harley Quinn animated series), Robbie told Comic Book said that she’s “enthusiastic about this prospect,” and it’s one of the boxes she wants to check after getting a chance to dip into Harley’s post-Joker love life in The Suicide Squad:

“I mean, I really am quite invested in Harley’s romantic life,” Robbie revealed. “So a box that I did like to check in this one is seeing her try and date new guys because it’s something that I’ve always enjoyed seeing when it’s popped up in the comics and something I would like to explore like you said, Poison Ivy, that is a relationship I’d love to see play out on screen.”

As a fan of the comics herself, Robbie hasn’t been shy about wanting to make Harley and Ivy happen, and she revealed back in May that she’s been relentlessly hounding Warner Bros., going all the way back to the development of Birds of Prey.

“Trust me, I chew their ear off about it all the time,” Robbie told Den of Geek. “They must be sick of hearing it, but I’m like, ‘Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy. Come on, let’s do it.’ I’m very keen to see a Harley-Poison Ivy relationship on screen. It’d be so fun. So I’ll keep pestering them. Don’t worry.”

(Via Comic Book)

Earlier this month, Angel Olsen announced her Aisles EP, which contains a handful of ’80s covers. Now, she has shared her spin on one of the decade’s defining songs: “Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats. As opposed to the jaunty original, Olsen’s rendition of the song slows down the tempo and gives it more of a dark post-punk/new wave feel.

Olsen says of the cover, “I felt this song could be reinterpreted to be about the time of quarantine and the fear of being around anyone or having too much fun. It made me wonder, is it safe to laugh or dance or be free of it all for just a moment?”

She also previously said of the project more broadly, “I know it’s not really in my history to do something unintentional or just for the hell of it, but my connection to these songs is pretty straightforward, I just wanted to have a little fun and be a little more spontaneous, and I think I needed to remember that I could!”

Listen to Olsen’s cover of “Safety Dance” above and revisit Men Without Hats’ original version of the song below.

Aisles is out 8/20 via somethingscosmic. Pre-order it here.

After the Travis Scott and J Balvin meals helped to lift McDonald’s out of a pandemic-induced sales slump, it’s only natural that the fast-food titan would want to continue its collaborations with popular musicians to keep the party going — and it looks like the next choice is one that already gets plenty of attention thanks to her exotic and elaborate snack concoctions. That’s right, Saweetie is getting her own McDonald’s meal, a combination that the phrase “match made in heaven” was coined to describe to a T.

The Saweetie meal goes on sale on August 9 and includes a Big Mac, a four-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium fries, a medium Sprite, and “Saweetie ‘N Sour” and BBQ sauce. The meal will come in new packaging inspired by Saweetie’s “Icy” branding and the restaurant chain wants fans to “remix” the meal by topping the burger with fries, just like the “My Type” star has done on her fan-favorite live streams.

Saweetie’s food concoctions regularly go viral as she combines items that some fans don’t believe go together — like spaghetti and ranch dressing — prompting jokes that the rapper has an “iron stomach.” The McDonald’s meal makes sense, as one of her most infamous combos prominently featured the restaurant’s sandwiches, namely a McChicken and a McDouble put together. She’s also joked about removing her brand new tongue piercing just so she could enjoy a burger.

Saweetie has also been working on her debut album, Pretty B*tch Music, although she’s pushed it back a few times to tweak some things after meeting Cher and having an epiphany. In the meantime, fans can chow down on the Saweetie meal and run back her hits “Back To The Streets,” “Best Friend,” and “Fast (Motion).”

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