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It’s been nearly a decade since The Mars Volta, the band made up of musicians Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, decided to part ways and focus on different projects. But back in March, the band began teasing something exciting. It turned out that The Mars Volta had been working on reissuing their catalog as a box set. But after quickly selling out of the bundle, The Mars Volta are making sure that dedicated fans everywhere can get their hands on reissues.

After seeing the major success of their 18 LP box set La Realidad De Los Sueños, The Mars Volta announce they are now focusing on reissuing individual albums. They’re making newly-pressed vinyl of each of their six LPs, including their debut EP Tremulant and Landscape Tantrums, the recently discovered eight-song collection of recordings that eventually became their debut studio album De-Loused In The Comatorium.

Mars Volta’s original La Realidad De Los Sueños box set also came with an exclusive photo book. It was limited to only 5,000 copies and gave a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s dynamic. “‘La Realidad De Los Sueños’ is literally ‘the reality of dreams’ for the numerous The Mars Volta fans all around the world,” the band stated at the time of their box set’s announcement.

The entire collection, along with some celebratory merch items can be purchased on their website. Pre-order it here.

The Mars Volta is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

At the BRIT Awards earlier this week, plenty of pop stars got the kind of accolades they wholeheartedly deserve. One such winner was Dua Lipa, who took home awards for best British album, best British single (for “Physical”), and best British female solo artist. Performing a medley of Future Nostalgia hits at the show, Dua gave a nod to another British pop icon through her wardrobe choice. Channeling Ginger Spice’s iconic Union Jack dress from the ’90s, Dua apparently caught Geri’s attention with her homage.

The former Spice Girl took to Twitter to let everyone know that her choice to wear that dress was a moment of following her own instincts in the face of doubts.”Trust [yo]urself.. this dress is a reminder to follow [yo]ur instincts & be [yo]urself,” the Spice Girls icon wrote on Twitter. “24yrs ago I had an idea to wear a Union Jack to celebrate The Brit Awards. Despite doubts, I trusted my instincts & wore it anyway. So special to see it worn by a fellow sister yesterday #girlpower.”

Dua updated the look by swapping the dress for a mini-skirt version, and topping that off with a blazer that she took off fairly early into the show, but posed with in backstage pics. And her made such an impact on Geri that she sent the young star flowers the next day, which Dua thankfully shared on her Insta story. Intergenerational pop star friendships? We love to see it.

Over the past decade, the number of folks playing games — as well as the median age for enjoying them — have increased dramatically, and we’re very about it. There’s just something so uniquely sweet about watching someone fall in love with gaming, especially when it’s an older relative who might have been a bit hesitant to pick up the hobby. Now everyone can enjoy that feeling thanks to a Japanese YouTube channel posting videos of a 93-year-old grandfather making his way back onto to open road after being unable to drive for several years. According to Kotaku’s original report on the channel, the man is a former Tokyo taxi driver who loves cars, and now, we love watching him love cars.

The account, which seems to be managed by the man’s grandchildren, shared its first video on Dec. 21, 2020, with the caption “this is the Mazda Savanna RX7 that I actually owned since 1990. Since this is the first post, please understand that it may be unsightly.” However, there is absolutely nothing “unsightly” about the joy this racing grandpa gets from being behind the wheel.

Since that video, seven additional high-octane racing videos have been shared. They range from the grandpa taking a Ferrari down the Metropolitan Expressway for the first time in 20 years, to taking on the “fastest challenge at Le Mans.” Enjoying some of his videos is the perfect way to start your weekend, and could even inspire you to set up your grandma with some Pokemon Snap. Okay, but really, if you do that, please share it with us because it sounds adorable.

During a recent livestream listening party via Zoom, Swizz Beatz gave a select group of DJs and music industry peers a sneak peek at DMX’s upcoming posthumous album Exodus, which Swizz also produced. Complex reports that attendees of the listening party have revealed some its possible guest appearances via social media posts. Some we knew already, such as Griselda Records’ crew of gritty rappers, or could have guessed, like The LOX, DMX’s longtime Ruff Ryders labelmates, and most frequent collaborators. Unfortunately, a planned Pop Smoke collab was nixed.

However, there were also some surprises, including yet another reunion between former foes Jay-Z and Nas, who are beginning to make a habit of appearing together on some of their most vaunted peers’ projects. Most recently, the two King Of New York competitors teamed up to issue a non-apology on DJ Khaled’s “Sorry Not Sorry,” and listeners from Swizz’s Zoom preview expressed enthusiastic reactions toward the track — the first to feature all three artists. It’s also the first collaboration between Jay and X since Jay fell out with both DMX and Nas in the late-’90s/early-2000s. The track reunites Nas and X for the first time since “Grand Finale”; they also worked together on “Life Is What You Make It” and the Hype Williams feature debut Belly.

Jay-Z previously collaborated with DMX on Blackout,” “It’s Murda,” and “Money, Cash, Hoes,” in the late-’90s, which sent both rappers ascending to the top of the hip-hop charts. With all three reportedly combining on a track for the first time, anticipation for Exodus will likely be higher than ever.

Exodus is due 5/28 on Def Jam.

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bizarre obsession with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took an ugly turn this week with news of a public confrontation when MTG stalked AOC in the halls of Congress, all while questioning why she supports “terrorists” and won’t “debate” the Green New Deal with her. As revealed by CNN’s K-File on Friday morning, the fixation goes years back to when Marjorie (before her 2020 election to the House) brought a group of MAGAs onto Capitol Hill, and they stood outside AOC’s locked office, taunting her staff through a mail slot in the below video. Marjorie even called her “a baby” that should “get rid of your diaper and come out and be able to talk to the American citizens. Instead of having to use a flap, a little flap. Sad.”

It’s pretty disturbing stuff, and AOC agrees. CNN’s Jake Tapper quotes the progressive congresswoman from New York: “This is a woman that’s deeply unwell. And clearly needs help. And her kind of fixation has lasted for several years now” and “raised concerns for other Members… I think that this is an assessment that needs to be made by the proper professional.”

Marjorie’s other antics have included harassing Rep. Marie Newman (whose son is trans) with an anti-trans flag after Greene attempted to block the Equality Act while calling it “disgusting, immoral, and evil.” Greene also recently threw out the hashtag #JihadSquad in reference to the progressive Democrats who have expressed concern for Palestinian civilians who are stuck in the Israel and Hamas crossfire.

Meanwhile, one wonders why Georgia’s Greene (who was stripped of her committee assignments) has yet to be censured or expelled. She’s spent months pestering AOC on Twitter about wanting to “debate” the Green New Deal. AOC simply ignored Marjorie at first, but clearly, the matter is accelerating, and it’s pretty obvious that Greene (given that she didn’t read the bill, which she’s referred to as a “communists manifesto,” for awhile) is much more obsessed with AOC as a person than anything regarding actual policy.

Time for a restraining order, yes?

(Via CNN)

Back in March, Netflix began slowly rolling out a system to crack down on users sharing their passwords. While the streaming giant was initially fine with multiple logins to one account and considered it a “positive thing” that was part-and-parcel of normal household use, that viewpoint is quickly going to the wayside as Netflix and its competitors are reportedly becoming less comfortable with losing “several billion dollars a year” to password sharing.

According to a new report, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and others are grappling with the rapidly increasing costs of building their content libraries. (See: Amazon dropping $465 million on its new Lord of the Ring series and Netflix’s recent $469 million purchase of two Knives Out sequels.) However, cracking down on password sharing requires a delicate touch. Via the Associated Press:

It’s a tricky balance. The video companies have long offered legitimate ways for multiple people to use a service, by creating profiles or by offering tiers of service with different levels of screen sharing allowed. Stricter password sharing rules might spur more people to bite the bullet and pay full price for their own subscription. But a too-tough clampdown could also alienate users and drive them away.

Outside of the rising cost of content, the streaming services are also seeing a decline in subscriptions as the pandemic draws to an end. With audiences no longer trapped at home, the need for multiple streaming accounts lessens, which means each service has to work even harder to earn that monthly subscription from users who can now leave the house on top of having a variety of streaming channels to choose from.

(Via Associated Press)

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for ‘Castlevania.’ Consider yourself warned if you have not seen it yet.

After four seasons, Netflix’s Castlevania has come to a close, and for the first time in a long time, all seems well in Wallachia, which uh… still feels weird to say. Yes, after years of bloodshed and betrayal, the series ended with the unexpected twist of happy endings for most of the show’s main characters. Dracula and Lisa are alive (well, kind of) and reunited, Trevor and Sypha are expecting their first child, and Alucard is brushing up on both his uncle and romance skills while also helping establish the settlement of Belmont. For our band of heroes, anti-heroes, villains, and all those who have waded between the three, their stories have reached a neat and tidy end. However, where there is an end there is a new beginning, and it sounds like Netflix knows that too.

According to a Deadline report released earlier this year, the Castlevania showrunners are looking to create a spin-off series following the current show’s conclusion. While nothing has been confirmed and we have no idea what a spin-off might entail, we do have ideas, primarily due to two things. For starters, in the series of games Castlevania is based on, lineage is a really, really big deal. Secondly, while the Netflix series followed Trevor Belmont, two other Belmonts are arguably of more importance to the series: Simon and Richter. Interestingly enough, we’ve already met one of these characters — well, kind of.

In the 2013 reboot of the Castlevania game series, the series’ main protagonist Simon was revealed to be the child of Trevor and Sypha Belmont. Seeing as Sypha is pregnant at the show’s end, it’s extremely likely the child she is carrying is Simon, and, if this is the case, that happy ending I mentioned might not be happy for very long. In the 2013 game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, we discover that Trevor and Sypha were brutally murdered by Dracula when he was six years old, leaving Simon alone with his lust for revenge on the vampire. Following Simon’s story — and thus the early Castlevania games — seems the most likely option for Netflix, but there is another option as well: Richter.

Richter Belmont’s lineage is not as firmly established in the games, but it could be that he is Simon’s son, which would make a Castlevania: Symphony of the Night series a cool as hell option for Netflix. Widely regarded as the most iconic Castlevania game, Symphony of the Night follows Alucard as he attempts to rescue or stop a possessed Richter. Since Alucard is already such a beloved character, a series revolving around his attempts to protect the family he feels indebted to — especially after his father killed his former best friends and left Simon parentless — would be an incredibly moving way to go about a spin-off series.

Regardless of how Netflix goes about it, one thing is certain: if a new show is half as good as the original Castlevania series is, it’ll be well worth watching. Now, if you’ve read all this, hopefully you’ve already given the final season a watch by now, but if not, the Castlevania series finale is available to watch now over on Netflix, and you should definitely see how everything ends for yourself.

The piña colada is one of the most beloved tropical drinks in the world. It’s lush, fruity, sour, and full of rummy goodness. But as with all tropical drinks that have been heavily tied to tourism, the recipe has been commodified, simplified, and overly sweetened for the masses. For this recipe, we’re going back to the start — making a classic piña colada that adheres to Old San Juan in the 1950s.

This version is shaken, not blended. It’s served over crushed ice and leans way sourer than you’d probably expect from a modern, blended, and overly sweet colada. The original has a sweet edge, sure, but what you’re getting with the original recipe is a nuanced balance of sweet, sour, silky, and rummy. It’s more nuanced and layered than the swim-up bar iterations of the drink.

You don’t need a huge amount of skill for this drink. It’s a pretty straightforward shaker. That being said, the better your ingredients, the better the end result. If you want that lush original vibe, you have to go all-in and not cut corners, which is what we’re doing below.

Here’s a quick TikTok of me making the cocktail in case you want some more hands-on instruction. Otherwise, let’s get shaking!

Classic Piña Colada

Ingredients:

• 2-oz. white rum
• 1.5-oz. pineapple puree
• 1.5-oz. coconut cream
• 0.5-oz. fresh lime juice (half a lime)
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• Pineapple wedge
• Pineapple leaves
• Cocktail cherry
• Ice cubes
• Crushed ice

What really gives this cocktail a velvet texture and takes it up a notch is using pineapple puree and not just pineapple juice. Here’s the good news: it’s really easy to make pineapple puree. Slice up some fresh pineapple and blend it with a hand mixer or stand mixer for, like, ten seconds. You’ve made pineapple puree. You’re going to be cutting up a fresh pineapple for the garnish anyway.

The coconut cream I’m using is the real-deal stuff that cocktail bars tend to use. It’s just coconut and pure cane sugar. It’s usually found in a bottle or squeeze bag and needs to be refrigerated. This is a close approximation to what I use.

The bitters aren’t in the original recipe. I find it brings a little spicy/botanical x-factor to the mix. But use it sparingly or skip altogether.

Lastly, I’m using Diplomatico Planas because it’s open and on my shelf. It’s also an aged white rum that carries a light spicy edge that can stand up to the pretty big flavor swings from the coconut and pineapple.

What You’ll Need:

• Pre-chilled Hurricane or pint glass
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Kitchen knife
• Hand juicer
• Jigger
• Straw
• Cocktail stick
• Hand or stand mixer

Method:

• Pre-chill your glass in a freezer (preferably overnight).
• Pluck and spear the leaves. Cut a pineapple wedge and spear. Spear the cherry to hold the wedge against the leaves. Set aside.
• Add the rum, pineapple puree, coconut, lime juice, and bitters to a shaker.
• Half-fill with ice cubes. Affix the top and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
• Retrieve your glass from the freezer and fill it with crushed ice.
• Slowly strain the drink into the glass.
• Add the straw. Garnish. Serve.

Bottom Line:

This is luscious. There’s a silky nature that is counterpointed by the tartness, mild sweetness, and rummy backbone of the drink. It’s super cold and has this light spice edge with a nod to molasses sugars and a hint of sweetness from the coconut cream.

What really helps this drink shine is that — while it’s a lush drink — it’s still fairly light. There’s serious depth but it never weighs you down. I could easily drink a couple of these on a sunny beach somewhere before hitting up Old Town San Juan for some food and maybe one or two more piña coladas … and then a very long nap under the fading Caribbean sun.

Last night, Nicki Minaj shared some exciting news. Though the rapper has been relatively quiet this past year, she announced her official return with a re-release of one of her most popular mixtapes, Beam Me Up Scotty, which arrived with five new tracks. It’s been a while since Minaj has been able to interact with her fans, so she penned a special open letter to address what she’s been up to and speak about the recent passing of her father.

Minaj’s father, Robert Maraj, was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident in February. The rapper had yet to release a statement about his death, but in an open letter posted to her website, Minaj made it clear that she’s still grieving. “Tho I can’t really bring myself to discuss the passing of my father as yet; I can say it has been the most devastating loss of my life,” she wrote. “I find myself wanting to call him all the time. More so now that he’s gone. Life is funny that way. May his soul rest in paradise. He was very loved & will be very missed.”

Elsewhere in the letter, Minaj mourned the death of DMX, noting how close they had been. “P.S. The passing of DMX hit me like a ton of bricks,” she wrote. “Losing him felt like losing someone I grew up with. I adored him. Blessings to his family.”

The remainder of Minaj’s letter was on a more joyous note. She talked about binging the Netflix show The Crown and how her pregnancy left her with an constant craving for ice cream. She also noted her infant son’s current favorite movie is Madagascar (Escape 2 Africa) and that she was finally able to get him to say “mama.”

Beam Me Up Scotty is out now. Get it here.

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 should hear.

This week, Jorja Smith shared her project Be Right Back, T-Pain and Kehlani linked up for “I Like Dat, and HER released the music video for her rising song “Come Through” featuring Chris Brown.

Jorja Smith — Be Right Back

Jorja Smith‘s Be Right Back is a musical project just for her fans. It’s been a minute since her 2019 project Lost & Found. “It’s called be right back because it’s just something I want my fans to have right now, this isn’t an album and these songs wouldn’t have made it,” she said in a statement. “If I needed to make these songs, then someone needed to hear them too.” An album from Jorja is reportedly on its way soon but until then the U.K. singer has blessed us with eight soulful cuts to hold until then.

T-Pain — “I Like Dat” Feat. Kehlani

T-Pain flipped his own hit song, “Buy U A Drank” and tapped in Kehlani for a sunny R&B dream number titled “I Like Dat.” This song was definitely made to be heard poolside while enjoying a drank.

HER – “Come Through” Feat. Chris Brown

The music video for HER‘s “Come Through” featuring Chris Brown is here, directed by Child. The song is steadily climbing its way up Billboard, peaking at No. 8 on the US R&B charts. “Come Through” is set to live on her forthcoming project Back Of My Mind.

MK xyz — Sweet Spot

Sweet Spot is MK xyz’s 6-song debut EP and her refreshing R&B sound makes this project certainly worth the listen. “The XYZ is the Sweet Spot. No labels, no expectations, where we say FUCK the rules,” the singer said of the project in a statement. “A sexy, yet sweet balance of any and everything.”

Miiesha — “Damaged”

Australian singer Miiesha gets introspective on her song “Damaged” and equally delivers a track that’s easy to vibe out to. “‘Damaged’ is my most personal song yet and the most painful for me,” she said in a statement. “It is a song about the broken relationship I have with my mother, and how much I have wanted it to heal, and how much I have tried to fix it, only to find myself hurting more.”

Elaine — “Right Now”

The most streamed female artist in South Africa, Elaine, has been working on her forthcoming album for a little over a year now and “Right Now” is a taste of what’s to come from the talented artist. “Right Now” is a healing song that she wrote one day in the studio when she had a lot on her mind. The result was a song that helped her figure it out. “From now on, I’m letting everything go, focusing on myself, focusing on what it means to be me, focusing on what it is to be a woman, focusing on what it means to be an artist and only that,” she said of the song in an interview with Zane Lowe.

Navaeh Jolie — “Sorry, I’m High”

During an episode of Def Jam’s fictional Here Comes The Break podcast, bubbling R&B singer Nevaeh Jolie debuted her latest single “Sorry, I’m High.” The show is produced by Double Elvis and hosted by Asante Blackk, who stars as the protagonist Ruben. In the episode with Navaeh, he is tasked with dealing with anxiety before the interview.

Ahmore – Rioja (Next To You)

The trio known as Ahmore (comprised of Venus, Patrick Joseph, and Kyu Malik) describes their debut single “Rioja (Next To You)” as a song that sounds like, “sipping Spanish wine, love drunk, under a Southern California sunset.” We couldn’t agree more, so you’ll just have to press play on this one and hear it for yourself.

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