ODESZA spent the past month bringing their dream installation – ECHOES – to their “The Last Goodbye” Tour finale on July 4th-6th at the Gorge.
For anyone who knows the band, ODESZA clearly isn’t afraid of a little spectacle. Whether it’s bringing in a massive drumline or adding intense pyro to their tours, nothing is off the table for the electronic duo.
The third part of this four-part series, “Power To Move” (above) shows the final week leading up to ODESZA’s finale at the Gorge. The pressure is on to make all the pieces work together, beat the clock (and heat!), and deliver an installation that deeply connects with fans.
Watch to see if the three collaborators — ODESZA, SNAPDRAGON, and SETUP — get everything done in time and build an installation that was truly resonant with 66,000 concert attendees.
Eminem might just be the Detroit’s favorite rapper after all. Motown rapper 42 Dugg, appearing on The Breakfast Club to promote his debut album 4eva Us Neva Them on Friday (July 12), disputed his hometown compatriot Skilla Baby’s earlier comments that “I don’t think Detroit does… consider him our best rapper.”
As Dugg explained, “That’s probably how they feel. The new kids don’t even know about him. How would they? You have to really be a music person to go back… I know. That’s always my card when somebody get to bringing up somebody from somewhere else, I’m like, ‘We got Eminem.’ I feel like he the GOAT.”
He also defended the rap titan from criticisms that his music has aged poorly or relies too much on shtick to stick. “[Eminem] made deep music,” Dugg insisted. “I go listen to ‘Toy Soliders’ or ‘Stan’ — those my favorite songs. So when it’s my turn to make real songs, I already damn near know how to channel it. ‘Cause I already know what I’m looking for: I’m looking for a ‘Stan’ type of song.”
Skilla Baby made his comments in response to a query from Keke Palmer on her podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, telling her, “Numbers wise, Eminem is the best Detroit rapper, but the gag is nobody would say that in Detroit. Everybody had a turn being Detroit’s favorite rapper. Sada Baby had a turn, Tee Grizzley had a turn, Babyface Ray had a turn, Veeze is one of Detroit’s best rappers, Baby Smoove. Everybody had their turn being the best in the city. What we lack is consistency. Nobody has consistently been Detroit’s favorite rapper.”
Dugg isn’t the first younger rapper to defend Eminem’s legacy; in 2022, Jack Harlow also stood up for his idol, saying modern assessments that Eminem makes “circus” music “tragic.”
You can see the full episode of The Breakfast Club with 42 Dugg below.
Gracie Abrams, whom Uproxx recently profiled, cracked the pop zeitgeist with The Secret Of Us, her sophomore full-length album that became her first-ever No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Abrams already jetted overseas to perform “Us” with Taylor Swift during the latter’s The Eras Tour stop at London’s Wembley Stadium, and she just confirmed her return to Europe and the UK as a headliner.
“THE SECRET OF US TOUR – EUROPE/UK ’25!!!!!!” Abrams captioned an Instagram post on Monday morning, July 15. “I cannot wait to see you.”
Abrams’ North American leg of The Secret Of Us Tour is entirely sold out, including three nights at Los Angeles’ The Greek Theatre and three nights at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Role Model will serve as the opener on the North American leg, running from September 5 to October 10.
Abrams’ European and UK leg is scheduled to kick off in Madrid, Spain on February 9, 2025 and will hit such iconic venues as London’s The O2, Paris, France’s Accor Arena, and Dublin, Ireland’s 3Arena. Abrams confirmed tha pre-sales will begin on Wednesday, July 17, before tickets to all new dates go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 19. Sign up to receive a pre-sale code here, where you will also find all ticketing information.
See Abrams’ European/UK dates below.
Gracie Abrams 2025 Tour Dates: The Secret Of Us Tour Europe & UK
02/09/2025 — Madrid, Spain @ Palacio Vistalegre
02/11/2025 — Lisbon, Portugal @ MEO Arena
02/15/2024 — Stuttgart, Germany @ Porsche Arena
02/17/2025 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
02/19/2025 — Hamburg, Germany @ Sporthalle
02/21/2025 — Düsseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Halle
02/22/2025 — Berlin, Germany @ Velodrom
02/24/2025 — Zurich, Switzerland @ The Hall
02/25/2025 — Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz
02/27/2025 — Paris, France @ Accor Arena
02/28/2025 — Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National
03/03/2025 — Nottingham, UK @ Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
03/04/2025 — Leeds, UK @ First Direct Arena
03/06/2025 — London, UK @ The O2
03/07/2025 — Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live
03/08/2025 — Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena Cardiff
03/10/2025 — Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena
03/12/2025 — Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro
Reneé Rapp lived every kid’s dream by getting slimed.
While accepting the award for Favorite Breakout Artist (over Ice Spice, Victoria Monét, and Tate McRae, among others) at the 2024 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards over the weekend, the “Not My Fault” singer was pelted with green slime. So much slime, but Rapp did not seem to mind. “the kids chose,” the Mean Girls star wrote on Instagram, along with images from her green goo-filled night, including one where she’s leaning over and holding her breasts.
You can see the world’s first slime thirst trap below (slide #3).
Other big winners at the 2024 Kids’ Choice Awards included Olivia Rodrigo (Favorite Album), Imagine Dragons (Favorite Music Group), and Taylor Swift (Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Ticket of the Year, Favorite Global Music Star). Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the ubiquitous Nickelodeon slime is safe to (accidentally or intentionally!) ingest. It’s made of oatmeal, applesauce, vanilla pudding, and green food coloring.
As for Rapp, she recently teased her follow-up album to 2023’s Snow Angel. “23 to 24 has been such a massive difference for me,” she shared on the Close Friends Only podcast. “It’s about this… and to this point, a reflection on my 23rd year specifically… It was so bad, and I thought 22 was insane for me.”
Wiz Khalifa has smoked weed with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Michael Phelps, which is an impressive cannabis résumé, but the Romanian government does not care.
Over the weekend, Wiz was in Romania to perform at the 2024 Beach, Please! Festival, where he was arrested and later released for illegal drug possession. According to an official press release from Romanian DIICOT, translated by The Hollywood Reporter, “During a recital held during a music festival held in the Costinești resort, Constanța county, [Khalifa] possessed over 18 grams of cannabis (risk drug) and consumed (onstage) another amount of cannabis under the shape of a craft cigarette. We make it clear that, during the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence.”
A fan-taken video shows authorities escorting Khalifa away from the festival. If it weren’t obvious by now, recreational cannabis is illegal in Romania.
Apparently Wiz Khalifa got arrested last night for lighting up on stage at a festival in Romania… pic.twitter.com/RyLlflETPT
Khalifa addressed the incident on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Last night’s show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time.”
Last nights show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time
— Taylor Gang World Leader (@wizkhalifa) July 14, 2024
Despite the brief arrest, Khalifa’s Beach, Please! set appears to have been a rousing success, according to the festival’s official recap video below.
The list of actors who were either considered or actually auditioned for the role of Michael Scott on The Office includes Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Patton Oswalt, and Adam Scott. But ultimately, it came down to two people: Steve Carrell and Bob Odenkirk. Did they pick Odenkirk? Nooooooooo.
“I am, in a strange way, a very earnest person for a person in comedy,” Odenkirk said on the Office Ladies podcast about the casting decision, according to IndieWire. “I am oddly earnest… It’s one of the reasons I think Steve Carell is a better, you know — is the one who got the role.”
He continued, “There were other parts that I think I was up for that Steve got, and it’s because he’s better at being genuinely fun. I think I bring with me a little bit too much earnest seriousness, and it’s just kinda there. And there’s nothing I can do about it except play other roles where it’s helpful to have that. And, you know, you just don’t believe me as a purely light character. You just are looking for the darkness, and that’s actually great in drama. That’s a plus, you know? But in comedy, it’s not a plus.”
It’s good things worked out the way they did. If Odenkirk was on The Office, he wouldn’t have been cast as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad. And in this nightmare scenario, there’s no Better Call Saul. Steve Carell still would have voiced Despicable Me‘s Gru, however. He’s the voice of Gru in every timeline.
On June 22, past Uproxx cover artist Griff opened for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour at London’s Wembley Stadium. It was far from the first time Griff had serenaded tens of thousands of people in a stadium, seeing as she previously opened for Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia Tour, Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour, and Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour. But the 23-year-old born Sarah Griffiths has yet to wrap her head around anyone hearing her music.
“Music has always been a me thing,” Griff says over from the phone from Los Angeles. “I wanted to be a songwriter because it was the place that felt good, and I felt confident. Pursuing a pop career was something I fell into. I love performing, and I love building a community of people who connect with the music, but I struggle with the demand that it brings to be so forward-facing and always begging people to approve. It has made me have a weird relationship with songs because songs are always my safe place. Putting them out in the world is almost uncomfortable because it changes the meaning of songwriting for me. It’s become this thing that is now up for other people’s critique or opinion.”
Vertigo, Griff’s newly released debut full-length album, purposefully arrived in three parts because Griff wanted to share an authentic, real-time chronicling of her ongoing evolution from intensely introverted to forward-facing. The entire album showcases Griff embracing impermanent emotion — an inescapable aspect of the human condition. When asked about how her songs are interpreted, she giggles and says, “I mean, I like to think I’m pretty clear with my feelings of despair.” Fair play. “Anything,” which Griff debuted during her opening Eras set, finds her re-examining her past desperation to rightsize a power imbalance in a toxic relationship. The effervescent “Vertigo” contains such blatant, punchy hooks that Swift was left relatively speechless, posting, “Damn, Griff.”
Still, it’s impossible to resist mining her clever, nuanced lyrics for broader metaphorical application. For instance, “Into The Walls” captures a fleeting impulse to temporarily disappear and hits harder now that Griff’s anonymity has permanently disappeared. And when she opens “Hiding Alone” by softly singing, “I’m like a house / Where the windows and the curtains don’t close,” she’s incidentally describing her bare songwriting and why her songs have a chokehold on millions of people.
Griff “very practically” protected the purity of songwriting when crafting Vertigo. In between touring, she’d book Airbnbs in the English countryside, mimicking the environment in which she fell in love with music. Half-Chinese, half-Jamaican, Griff sensed eyes on her from a young age while growing up in the primarily white village of Kings Langley, Hertfordshire. At home, solitude was a luxury after her parents decided to foster children when she was eight years old. It was “chaos,” but Griff and her two older brothers never resented it.
“I was really aware that it was something my mom felt called to do in her spirit, and it was more about helping people and loving people that are less fortunate or haven’t had the privilege of a family unit,” Griff says. “It is obviously still such a big shift at eight years old — to have new siblings — but I was always aware of the purpose. It was about living a life of being selfless.”
Now, Griff gives her fans somewhere to belong through selfless vulnerability. First, she had to be selfish. She went out of her way to engender independence — turning to music because she “didn’t need everyone else’s approval” to write songs, make beats, listen to them on the school bus, and then work on them again. Also at eight, Griff discovered Swift’s Fearless when her cousin gave her his iPod Nano with the album on it.
“It’s funny because the concept of fandom is only a new thing that I’m realizing and experiencing,” she says. “Back then, I didn’t realize I was such a fan, but I listened to it nonstop. We weren’t allowed to watch TV during the week, so you had a lot of time to listen to music and think. I grew up around soul and R&B, so it was more the revelation of, like, ‘Oh my God, I can actually play these songs. I know a C chord, and I know a D chord.’ I felt like I could recreate these major pop melodies.”
Eventually, Griff created a pop vein all her own. Griff signed with Warner Records in 2019 and firmly established herself in 2021. She won the BRITs Rising Star Award and released her debut mixtape One Foot In Front Of The Other, featuring cover artwork showing her on a tightrope to depict the fear of falling at any moment — a sensation that persists despite overwhelming evidence that she’s here to stay.
“It’s a very human feeling, especially when there’s no manuscript for what it is to pursue a career in pop music,” she says. “Every day, I’ve been trying to make sense of what it is to make this a job. I felt the pressure a lot writing this album, hence me actually physically having to go away and try and shut it all out. If you can’t tell already by my songs, I’m very in my head. Those normal pressures definitely creep in a lot.”
Vertigo arrives as her debut LP well after Griff debuted in so many other ways, but the album is introducing her to all the ways in which she can profoundly impact others. She’s learning to accept external validation, even if it will never serve as her barometer for success or self-worth.
Griff loves accepting gifts from fans at shows — a soft Asian cat toy now serves as her go-to pin cushion when sewing — and gave away her handmade stage dress from The Eras Tour. She’s still getting used to performing “Vertigo” and witnessing fans scream-sing back to her, “Couldn’t take the heat, that’s Mexico!” At Wembley on June 22, Swift told 90,000 people, “I love her so much,” and Griff lost it because, well, does anyone ever get used to that?
“The timeline has been so strange for everyone,” Griff says. “I got started in the pandemic, and from the pandemic to now, where has the time gone? I’ve done a lot of touring but not headlines. Weirdly, for the last two years, I haven’t really heard people sing back my songs. Doing my own tour was such an amazing experience to see people actually are listening, and people still want to buy tickets a couple of years after these songs were released.”
On the back of Vertigo, people are buying tickets to Griff’s headlining Vertigo World Tour, and Griff is equally excited to open on Sabrina Carpenter’s The Short N’ Sweet Tour this fall. She reckons it’ll feel “surreal” to play venues like Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, London’s Alexandra Palace, or New York City’s Terminal 5, but she ultimately hopes her songs meet people wherever they need to be met.
“I’m really looking forward to people living with this body of work,” she says, “and I really hope people love it.”
The United States played host to the Copa América soccer (or “football” or “fútbol” or what have you) tournament this year, with the championship game going down yesterday (July 14) in Florida at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium. Argentina came away with the win (defeating Columbia 1-0), and so did Shakira fans, as the pop legend performed the event’s halftime show.
Ahead of the big day, Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo expressed his dissatisfaction with the planned 25-minute set, saying through an interpreter (as the Associated Press notes), “I think it should be like any game. It should be the 15 minutes according to the regulations. […] That can actually affect the physical condition of our players because they can cool down too much.”
Watch the performance above and find the full setlist (via Marca) below.
Taylor Swift has been widely lauded for her indomitable The Eras Tour performances, executed without a hitch across three-plus hours night after night. Only one thing stands between Swift and a perfect Eras grade sheet: Insects.
Swift stopped playing a mashup of “I Almost Do” and “The Moment I Knew” at her piano to cough and say, “Swallowed another one.” She coughed some more before continuing, “I knew it would happen because there’s so many bugs here tonight, and it just — literally, we’ll be fine in one second. I just need to cough a little bit.”
While “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” will serve as her second The Tortured Poets Department single, Swift has also proved she can do it with an invaded trachea.
Swift’s The Eras Tour will next roll through VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany from July 17 to 19. See all of Swift’s remaining dates here.
Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw Eminem deliver a nostalgic concept album and Ice Spice continue ramping up anticipation for Y2K!. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Before the release of The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), Eminem announced that folks should listen to the concept album in tracklist order. Indeed, the project is heavy on the concept of the relationship between Eminem and Slim Shady, and it’s especially evident on songs like “Habits.”
Ice Spice and Central Cee — “Did It First”
Y2K! is nearly here (the Ice Spice album, not the 1999 mass panic). Ice teased it last week with the Central Cee collab “Did It First,” and Uproxx’s Aaron Williams says of the track, “Over a propulsive, percussive beat, the two rappers trade verses detailing their anti-romantic shenanigans.”
Clairo — “Slow Dance”
Clairo goes all in on a 1970s-inspired aesthetic on her new album Charm, and she recently described the project as having “the sound I’ve always wanted.” “Slow Dance” definitely fits the mold with its tender keyboards, punchy percussion, and Clairo’s breathy vocals.
Rema — “HEHEHE”
Afrobeats star and “Calm Down” artist Rema is on his way to the top, and he just followed his successful debut album with his sophomore effort, Heis. Among the highlights is “HEHEHE,” a sub-two-minute number that sees Rema literally laughing at detractors.
J Balvin and SAIKO — “Gaga”
Balvin has a new album called Rayo on the way, due on August 9. The date was revealed last week, alongside the SAIKO collaboration “Gaga.” SAIKO is one of several guests on an album that also features Bad Gyal, Carín León, Chencho Corleone, Feid, Quevedo, and Zion.
Moses Sumney — “Gold Coast”
Sumney (one of the stars of MaXXXine, ICYMI) is in the lead-up to his upcoming Sophcore project and he came through last week with “Gold Coast.” It’s yet another example of Sumney’s musical diversity, as there are elements of ambient, dance, and experimental music at play here.
Toro y Moi — “Heaven” Feat. Kevin Abstract and Lev
For Toro y Moi, “Heaven” can be found in the simplicity of childhood, as he expresses in the video for his new song with Kevin Abstract and Lev. It’s a sweet video for a sweet tune, a laid-back number that Broken Social Scene fans will notice pays tribute to the classic “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl.”
Johnny Blue Skies — “Swamp Of Sadness”
Who’s this Johnny Blue Skies newcomer? It’s actually just our old pal Sturgill Simpson, trying on a new identity for his latest project, Passage Du Desir. In his review of the album, Uproxx’s Steven Hyden wrote, “The album-opening ‘Swamp Of Sadness’ immediately sets the tone, nodding to A Sailor’s Guide To Earth lyrically (he sings about being ‘a drunken sailor lost and lonely’) and musically, with warm organ fills and a lightly choogling rhythm section playing off of Sturgill’s bluesy guitar licks.”
Griff — “Tears For Fun”
Griff has stars like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Sabrina Carpenter in her corner, and it’s easy to see why. Her new album Vertigo is out now and Uproxx’s Flisadam Pointer describes “Tears For Fun” as “an overwhelmingly addictive example of the intersection of that yearning and disorientation embedded into one track.”
Cigarettes After Sex — “X’s”
Cigarettes After Sex are among the best vibe-setters working today, and they flex their expertise on their new album, X’s. The title track tees the project up strongly, a delicate but lush slice of guitar-based dream pop that pairs masterfully with Greg Gonzalez’s gentle and comforting vocals. They’ll be touring for the release, which you can read about in our interview with them.
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