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Oprah and Prince Harry very recently announced their Apple TV+ series focused on candid discussions around mental health, The Me You See, after teasing the project during Harry and Meghan’s candid interview with Oprah about their decision to change their relationship to the royal family.

In an episode that will premiere tomorrow, Lady Gaga opens up about her own struggles with PTSD as a result of the rape she suffered at 19. Stefani, as she’s credited in the series, is brutally honest about her depression and experience with cutting herself, explaining: “It’s really hard for me to articulate in a way that I feel like it’s safe for young people to listen, or even older people to listen about why anyone would cut,” and continuing: “I do believe that those urges for me came from a place [where] I need to show the hurt inside.”

Gaga has previously spoken out about her rape, discussing it with Oprah in 2020, telling her she “developed PTSD as a result of being raped and also not processing that trauma,” and clarifying in this interview that her canceled Joanne tour dates back in 2018 were due to a psychotic break from not processing the pain. “For a couple years, I was not the same girl,” she said. Adding: “The way I feel when I feel pain is how I felt after I was raped. But your body remembers.”

Her rape happened at the age of 19, when she was beginning to get her foot in the door in the music industry. A producer, who she refuses to name, threatened to burn all her demos if she wouldn’t take her clothes off for him. At first she wouldn’t do it, but the producer continued prodding her. “Then I just froze and I just… I don’t—don’t even remember,” she said, through tears. “And I will not say his name. I understand this #MeToo movement and I understand people feel real comfortable with this, and I do not. I do not ever want to face that person again.”

Gaga initially shared her PTSD diagnosis in 2016 by sharing it in a letter with her Born This Way Foundation, and she’s done a lot of work already to publicize just how impactful the condition can be — especially if it goes untreated. “I realized it was the same pain I felt when the person who raped me dropped me off pregnant on the corner, at my parents’ house, because I was vomiting and sick. Because I was being abused. Even if I have six brilliant months, all it takes is getting triggered once to feel bad. And when I say I feel bad, I mean I want to cut. Think about dying. Wondering if I’m ever going to do it. I learned all the ways to pull myself out of it.”

She also wants young fans to know that she’s not stuck in it anymore: “I want to be able to tell everyone who’s watching that I dry my tears now and move on.” And that her recovery is a daily process that isn’t a straight line or a one and done fix. “What’s so interesting is the line I walk feeling like I wanna cut myself and feeling like I don’t are actually real close together,” she said. “Everybody thinks it’s gotta be a straight line, that it’s like every other virus, that you get sick and then you get cured. It’s not like that. It’s just not like that. And actually I think that traps people.”

Finally, Gaga asserts that the process of sharing her reality with others is just as much a part of healing as anything else.

“I don’t tell this story for my own self-service, because, to be honest, it’s hard to tell,” she said. “I feel a lot of shame about it. How do I explain to people that I have privilege, I’ve got money, I’ve got power, and I’m miserable? How do you do that? I’m not here to tell my story to you because I want anybody to cry for me. I’m good. But open your heart up for somebody else. Because I’m telling you I’ve been through it and people need help. So that’s part of my healing, being able to talk to you.”

Watch for the Lady Gaga episode dropping tomorrow on Apple TV+.

There’s been talk going around on social media about the lack of “song of the summer” entries this year. For what it’s worth, this is most likely because of the slowly reopening world and artists choosing to hold on to potential entries for the perfect moment, whenever that might be. However, the shutdown that lasted more than fifteen months is slowly coming to an official end and the hottest days of summer are just around the corner. With that being said, it seems like City Girls have arrived with a surefire summer anthem thanks to their newly-released track “Twerkulator.”

The track is one that fans of the rap duo have requested for quite some time. The single was originally supposed to appear on the duo’s last album, City On Lock, but the project was leaked before City Girls could complete and promote it as they would’ve liked. A snippet of the song arrived eventually on social media earlier this year and it quickly made supporters excited for its release.

Unfortunately, Yung Miami revealed “Twerkulator,” which samples Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force’s “Planet Rock,” would not be released because the duo failed to attain a sample clearance. This served as disappointing news for many but less than two months later, City Girls returned with a fantastic announcement earlier this week as they revealed the track would arrive in just a few days.

Its uptempo production sits right in the pocket that houses some of the City Girls’ best work.

You can enjoy the new track above.

Lil Baby is setting himself up for a pretty strong 2021 and while he’s yet to share a project with the world this year, the Atlanta native has delivered a few songs that prove the rapper’s success will only continue. Following efforts like “Real As It Gets” with EST Gee and “On Me” as well as a number of collaborations with the likes of Russ, Lil Durk, Drake, and more, Lil Baby’s latest release is one fans did not ever expect. The rapper joined forces with Kirk Franklin for their new track, “We Win,” which will appear on the soundtrack for the highly-anticipated movie, Space Jam: A New Legacy.

Now, if it’s hard to imagine what a song with Baby and Franklin sounds like, allow me to twist your mind a bit more and add that the new effort is supported by production by Just Blaze. For what it’s worth, the trio definitely makes it work in providing a motivational banger that will surely be useful for Space Jam: A New Legacy. The triumphant track finds Baby detailing his harsh past and how he overcame it to find success today.

The new song arrives after Lil Baby joined DJ Khaled, Roddy Ricch, and Bryson Tiller in the video for their Khaled Khaled track, “Body In Motion.” As for what’s next, Baby and Lil Durk are set to release their Voice Of The Heroes joint project in the coming weeks. The effort was set to be released on May 28, but the duo opted to delay it out of respect for DMX, whose posthumous album, Exodus arrives on the same day.

You can press play on “We Win” in the video above.

There’s no excuse to be sleeping on Polo G at this point. The Chicago proved he was here to stay last year with his impressive sophomore project, The GOAT and his success only carried into 2021. Polo G landed his first No. 1 record with “Rapstar,” a track that spent two consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. He also revealed that his upcoming album would be titled Hall Of Fame, and before it arrives, the rapper calls on another artist that many hold to a high regard for his latest single, “Gang Gang.”

The Chicago joins forces with Lil Wayne for the new track. which finds both artists moving back and forth between sharp raps and doses of autotuned croons. Altogether. the two rappers use the song to detail their undeniable fame, flaunt their expensive cars, and prove that their street credibility is intact and far from something that can be questioned. The new effort also arrives with a video that sees Polo G treating himself and a number of women to a nice dinner before joining Lil Wayne for an energetic house party.

Aside from “Rapstar,” Polo G has done a great job building anticipation for his next album, Hall Of Fame. The other single that fans can expect to hear on the album, “GNF (OKOKOK)” was another great example of what the rapper has to offer on the project. Elsewhere, guest appearances with the likes of Rod Wave, Lil Tjay, Fivio Foreign, and more prove the Chicagoan has certainly improved his craft ahead of the release of Hall Of Fame.

You can listen to “Gang Gang” in the video.

After ending 2020 in the Christmas spirit with his jolly single, “Holiday,” Lil Nas X set the internet, real-world, and pretty much everything else ablaze with his following single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” From the satanic images that were present in the song’s video to the Satan Shoes, the singer was the talk of more than “Old Town Road” thanks to the song. Now that the dust has settled, Lil Nas is back with his latest single, “Sun Goes Down.”

Lil Nas opens up about life’s demons on the new song and how they nearly pushed him over the edge and into dangerous depths where he contemplated things like suicide. “Don’t wanna lie, I don’t want a life,” he sings on the track’s chorus. “Send me a gun and I’ll see the sun.” Its accompanying video captures him revisiting his past life to reminsce on the hard days. Lil Nas’ new track comes a few months after he shared a string of TikTok videos that detailed his bouts with depression and suicidal thoughts.

“During college I was depressed, had no friends and…. my grandmother passed. I started going to the doctor a lot in fear that I would die soon… hypochondria,” he said in one of the videos. Later on he revealed, “I got news that my mom wasn’t doing so well in rehab with her addiction. Also me and my boyfriend broke up. During this time old town road was still killing it while I was… spiraling. I found myself in a hotel room contemplating ending it all. But I didn’t.”

Press play on the video above to hear the new track.

Earlier this week, the LAPD revealed that they are investigating claims made against T.I. and his wife Tiny which allege that the two drugged and sexually assaulted multiple individuals between 2005 and 2010. While some who are dealing with similar accusations would normally stay quiet and let their lawyer do the talking, T.I. has opted to deliver a piece of his own mind through his new track, “What It’s Come To.” The song takes aim at the sexual assault accusers and sees the rapper emphatically deny the claims against him.

“Go put yo face and reputation on it / These kind of claims deserve more than anonymous provocative conversation, don’t it?” T.I. raps. “Willing to face whatever consequences for his vision … while I’m up against some lyin’ ass b*tches/Damn, this is what it’s come to.”

Allegations against the rapper and Tiny were first brought forth by The New York Times back in February. In it, the publication revealed lawyer Tyrone A. Blackburn represented eleven women who said they were victims of the couple’s acts. Two additional women would eventually come forward with allegations against T.I. and Tiny, both of who were also represented by Blackburn. One of the victims claims T.I. drugged her drink and took her to a hotel where she was sexually assaulted despite refusing the couple’s advances.

You can give the song a listen for yourself in the video above.

If you weren’t already a fan of The Linda Lindas, you will be after watching their furious, completely punk rock performance in an LA library from a few weeks ago. To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, which falls during May, the Los Angeles Public Library hosted a series of performances including “TEENtastic Tuesdays.” But when the Linda Lindas took the stage a few weeks ago on May 4, the bar was set to a whole new level.

Relating the experience with a boy who was taught racist behavior by his parents, the girls break out into an epic rager that takes down not only him, but all the other “racist sexist boys” in the world.

“A little while before we went into lockdown, a boy in my class came up to me and said that his dad told him to stay away from Chinese people,” one of the band members begins. “After I told him that I was Chinese he backed away from me. Eloise and I wrote this song based on that experience. So this is about him and all the other racist, sexist boys in this world.”

The band then delves into the song, which has racked up over a million views after it was shared on Twitter by an appreciative fan with the caption: “This is the first band I will be RUNNING to see once I get my second shot.” She’s not wrong! I will be lining up to buy a ticket too. Check out their incredibly heavy and totally excellent performance of “Racist Sexist Boy” below.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is, by his own account, “stupidly locked in” for the playoffs and a first round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks,.

“I think I’m stupidly locked in, I can tell you that,” he said Thursday. “The amount of film that I watch, the amount of time that I spend on the court working on my game, trying to figure out where everybody’s going to be at on the floor. It’s a different type of year for everybody. I’m not the only one that’s like this, everybody is, but I think they expect me to be dialed in, locked in. Be a completely different individual player on both sides of the ball, in every aspect of the game, and I like it. It’s kinda like you don’t hold anything back and you leave everything out there. That’s what I’m here for. ”

This quote is just very on-brand for Butler, the guy who established himself last year as a bonafide star in leading the Heat to the NBA Finals in the bubble and is having an under the radar All-NBA caliber season this year. Compared to last year, he’s scoring more, averaging more steals, averaging a career-high in assists and having his overall best shooting season in lifting the Heat to the 6-seed.

It’s also funny considering he’s the same guy who once played with third-string Wolves players in practice and played the team’s starters off the court just to prove a point. Butler is something like the NBA’s Chuck Norris where there’s a lot of myth surrounding the truth of actually how good he is. Quotes like “I think I’m stupidly locked in” should called Jimmy-isms or Butler-ims or something more bombastic.

Butler also had another very tremendous quote Thursday when asked about ex-Bulls teammate Bobby Portis, who now plays for the Bucks.

It is, however, fun to have Butler — with this persona and presence — taking the Heat into the playoffs to face the Bucks who, mind you, they beat last year in the playoffs en route to the NBA Finals. It’s a 3-6 matchup this year, but once again the Heat are the underdog as the lower seed seeking an upset. To get there, we are apparently going to see the “stupidly locked in” Butler try and ruin the Bucks’ title chances.

There are a lot of legendary Inside the NBA moments, but some of the funniest ones involve one of either Shaq or Charles Barkley (often Shaq) saying something so ridiculous that the rest of the crew can’t stop laughing and making fun of how ridiculous they are. One of the great examples is Shaq’s absurd gas tank theory, which sends Ernie into absolute despair every time it comes back up.

However, there’s a different Shaq moment that sticks out for Charles Barkley, as he and Conan O’Brien reminisced about during Chuck’s appearance on Conan on Wednesday night. Conan asked about how Shaq has…a unique mind, and the two started talking about the time Shaq thought the moon was only a 10 hour flight away because he could see it outside in Atlanta, but he can’t see California which was just a five-hour flight away.

It is, truly, one of the most ridiculous Inside the NBA segments, and based on the fact that it only has 17,000 views on YouTube at this moment indicates to me that not enough people have seen or appreciate the sheer absurdity of it.

This too gets an incredible Ernie reaction, as he is physically pained having to listen to this conversation.

The best part is Shaq announcing later in the show that he’s been informed it is a 3-day flight to the moon, not 10 hours, and then declares that means he was 26 hours off. Shaq Math is apparently the cousin of Steiner Math.

After the Wizards lost to the Celtics in Boston and the Pacers crushed the Hornets in Indiana on Tuesday, the final Eastern Conference play-in game was set for a showdown for the 8-seed in Washington. With the way Indiana played against Charlotte, the hope was for a competitive game — as we saw between the two in the regular season in three high-scoring shootouts that went Washington’s way — but unfortunately for the Pacers, the game was all-but decided by the mid-third quarter in what became a 142-115 blowout win by the Wizards.

Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, as they’ve done throughout the second half of the season, led the way for Washington. Westbrook finished with 18 points, 15 assists, and eight rebounds, bouncing back from a dismal showing in Boston to be the sparkplug he has been for the past few months. Beal, meanwhile, had 25 points, five boards, and four assists in the win, as both players got to enjoy the fourth quarter from the bench after dominating the third quarter, 48-31.

The lasting image of the game is the celebration after Westbrook’s pass to Beal for the third quarter dunk, as TNT’s sideline camera captured an incredible shot of both of them.

For Indiana, it was a disastrous defensive effort and an equally poor offensive showing in the win or go home setting. Domantas Sabonis had a 19-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple double and Malcolm Brogdon had 24 points, but they just could not keep up with or contain the Wizards from the second quarter on. Washington had, effectively, a layup line going any time they wanted it and the Pacers will be going back to the drawing board — possibly with a new coach — as they enter the offseason.

Washington will now head to Philadelphia on Sunday for their Game 1 against the Sixers in a series that will pit one of the NBA’s best defenses in Philly against an offense that has been absolutely rolling over the past couple months.