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The great poet Rumi once wrote, “Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” In these 2 lines, he perfectly expressed the almost indescribable feeling of connection that people in love experience.

This type of spiritual connection may exist outside of the realm of science. However, a recent series of experiments published in Communications Psychology revealed that some people have a unique talent for deeply connecting or “synchronizing” and people find them very attractive.

One of the big giveaways people are attracted to one another is when their minds and bodies magically sync up. People who share a connection on a first date often unconsciously mirror each other’s postures, mannerisms and facial expressions.

A great way to see if someone is attracted to you is to cross your legs and if the other person follows, there’s a good chance they may be interested. People attracted to one another may also experience synchrony in heart rates, respiration, hormone levels and other autonomic functions.

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All in all, when 2 people are in the throes of synchronicity, they share feelings of intimacy and cooperation. It’s a very similar physiological phenomenon seen in parent-child interactions.

To find out if synchronicity was tied to romantic attraction, researchers had participants watch a video of a man and a woman on a date. Some of the couples were in-sync and others were out-of-sync. After watching the video, the people were asked to rate their attractiveness and how strongly they appeared to be attracted to one another.

Synchronized couples scored higher in both attractiveness and mutual attraction.

In a second experiment, scientists held a speed dating event with 24 men and 24 women. Each person wore a wristband to track their physiological arousal. They were also asked to tap to the beat of a metronome. Those who synced both musically and psychologically received higher attractiveness scores.

Those with the highest scores were known as “Super Synchronizers” by scientists.

“We discovered that the ability to synchronize is stable across tasks and across partners. Some people are Super Synchronizers and Super Synchronizers are consistently rated as more attractive,” Shir Atzil, study author and director of the Bonding Neuroscience Lab and an assistant professor at Hebrew University, said according to Psy Post. “Being sensitive to a partner and attuning to them can help promote romantic bonding. This is because synchronized physiological states can improve regulation across various bodily systems, making interactions more fulfilling and suggesting cognitive and evolutionary advantages.”

To take advantage of synchronicity on your next date, plan some activities that make it easier to connect with someone. Studies show that people’s heart rates and breathing align when they watch emotional films together. This can also happen when listening to music together or dancing. A simple shared task such as doing a puzzle together can also help you sync with your date.

Ultimately, it’s all about building a connection with another person. “When we become aware that ‘we’ are sharing a moment with someone else, it is no longer necessarily the case that we are fundamentally separated by our distinct heads — we could really be be two individuals sharing in one and the same unfolding experience,” Tom Froese, a cognitive scientist from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, told Discover Magazine.

A few years and several hair colors ago, Billie Eilish was a guest on the hit YouTube show Hot Ones. Now, she has returned, not to the core show, but to the spin-off series Hot Ones Versus alongside her brother and musical partner Finneas.

The basic premise of Hot Ones Versus is that it’s competitive, two-person Hot Ones, with contestants either answering challenging questions or eating spicy wings. At one point, Finneas found himself needing to get Eilish to smile, and he succeeded with an expert compliment/roast.

Towards the end of the video, Eilish and Finneas faced off in a compliment challenge. The two were tasked with going back and forth praising each other, and the first sibling to smile lost. The compliments were pretty pedestrian at first: Eilish told Finneas he’s the most talented person she knows, Finneas called Eilish a fast driver, and Eilish called Finneas the smartest person she knows.

Then, Finneas pulled out the contest-ending half-compliment, which got a big laugh out of Eilish and a number of people out of frame: “You look good in the dumbest f*cking clothing.”

Meanwhile, Eilish’s sauce-altered state almost had her spilling some major tea: After the episode ended, Eilish told the room, “I’m feeling the need to, like, tell you all the people I’ve ever hooked up with, for some reason.”

Check out the full video above.

It’s rare for Ken Jennings to actually admit when certain Jeopardy! rules are too harsh, but when an online debate formed over one particular ruling, Jennings felt the need to clear up any confusion.

Last week, Jeopardy! fans took to social media to express anger over one clue from the popular game show. The clue read: “A Yosemite fall with a wispy ribbon of water that flutters in the air like diaphanous cloth bears the name of this marital wear.” contestant Kelly Proulx seemingly gave the correct answer, responding: “What is Bridalveil Falls?” Jennings revealed that Proulx was incorrect. “It’s actually Bridalveil Fall, so we couldn’t take that.” The clue was met with confusion, and Jennings addressed it while speaking with the contestants on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.

Jennings admitted that it was a “very harsh ruling” but praised the contestants. “We had some real fireworks in that game. Well, all three of you played well. It was not a foregone conclusion until the very end,” he said. While he didn’t explain the reason behind the ruling (thats for the judges) it would not have affected the final outcome, since none of the contestants knew the answer. “I’m glad it didn’t hinge on my very harsh ruling on the ‘S,’” he added.

Last week, the folks over at the Jeopardy Subreddit seemed to agree that the ruling was unkind, even to Jeopardy’s standard. One user wrote, “I typically give long and wide deference to the judges, but f*ck the judges for that ruling. there is nothing pinning the clue to ‘fall,’ so she got the required information correct. that was positively disgusting.” Others called the rule “arbitrary,” while complaining about the inconsistencies in the games.

The game ended with Isaac Hirsch continuing his reign as a 3-game champion, and Jennings counting his reign as being harmless but a little annoying.

Kendrick Lamar’s new song “Not Like Us” has upended the hip-hop landscape, and such a seismic single warrants an equally world-shaking music video. That’s what K. Dot provided with the supporting visual for “Not Like Us,” a four-minute celebration of not just his victory over one of the biggest stars on the planet, but also of his city, Compton, and LA culture in general.

Those elements often appear in Kendrick’s videography, which spans far longer than the obvious decade or so since he became a Grammy-winning, Fox News-terrifying, esoteric yet somehow ubiquitous fixture of pop culture. The following list was debated, discussed, and even outright dissed by my colleague Wongo and I (with our long-suffering editor, Phil, playing referee) until we got to his best — both in their visual representation of K Dot’s messaging and for their dynamic and memorable imagery.

Disclaimer: We left “The Heart Part 5” off this list over its use of deepfake AI — contrived and problematic technology on its own — that we believe aged poorly in hindsight.

12. “Michael Jordan”

The song that put Kendrick Lamar on the map in the city of LA. If the unofficial through-line of this list is how deeply Kendrick connects to his city through his visuals, this is where that line begins. It may not be as visually striking as other clips on this list, but it is likely one of the most thematically impactful — look no further than the fact that the then-relatively unknown Kendrick, considered something of a sidekick at the time to TDE’s “real” star, Jay Rock, shut down the 110 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles to shoot much of this video. For non-Angelenos, this is vaguely akin to choking off the superior vena cava of the human heart. For a less heady comparison, consider this: The only other times this is done is to film major Hollywood productions like San Andreas and La La Land, or for major protests like the ones against police brutality in 2020 and advocation for a Gaza ceasefire. Basically, Kendrick was saying, “I AM LA. I am bigger than Hollywood. I am a world-changing event.” He wasn’t wrong. — Aaron Williams

11. “The Hillbillies” w/ Baby Keem

Though “Family Ties” launched it, “The Hillbillies” solidified the pgLang era of Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem’s careers. Released without much warning, the vlog-style Neal Farmer-directed video captures the true laid-back personas of both Lamar and Keem. Between time in London and Los Angeles (where Tyler The Creator joins them), Lamar and Keem do everything from dance outside a private jet, prance through a shopping mall, flex clothes and jewels, play video games, help Tyler tease news about Camp Flag Gnaw Carnival at Dodger Stadium, and more. Quirky camera tricks and numerous meme-worthy moments from Lamar and Keem add to the carefree and fun energy that the duo brings to the video, a rarity for the former when it comes to his visuals. — Wongo Okon

10. “B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”

An early standout from Kendrick’s catalog, the video for “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” lays much of the groundwork for what will become recurring motifs throughout his videography: Striking, spiritualistic imagery (a funeral in a well-appointed church, with mourners dressed in white-on-white rather than the traditional black), an unexpected cameo from a Los Angeles legend (in this case, standup comic Mike Epps, who baptizes Kendrick in a “pool full a liquor,” a callback to another Good Kid, M.A.A.D single, “Swimming Pools”), and the abiding contrast/coexistence of communal celebration and solo introspection. A bonus highlight: The very 2010s unsubtle product placement shot, which scans as one of K. Dot’s most “here, damn” concessions to commercialism in a career full of them. — A.W.

9. “Element”

Kendrick Lamar’s promise to “make it look sexy” if he ever had to “slap a p*ssy ass n****” on “Element” hits a lot differently in the wake of his beef with Drake. Prophetic foreshadowing aside, “Element” is a prime example of the persona Lamar carries today: impenetrable, undefeatable, and unconquerable. Its visual, directed by Jonas Lindstroem & The Little Homies, captures Lamar in militant form. Nearly every time Lamar appears in the video, he is either standing above us or surrounded by a crew of supporters who are all on standby for a brutal fight. For three-and-a-half minutes, Lamar, bloody white t-shirt and all, embraces the boogeyman characteristic in a fine display of kingship in the rap game that resonates more than ever today. — W.O.

8. “These Walls” Feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat

“It was Kendrick! Yeah, Kendrick Lamar!” Corey Holcomb proclaims this in the opening scene of the “These Walls” video which is actually titled “Behind The Walls: A Black Comedy.” The video, directed by Colin Tilley and The Little Homies, lives up to that title as we’re invited into a house party complete with drinking, drugs, fights, and loud music. In this one, Lamar doesn’t even rap the Grammy-winning song’s words until the very end. Instead, he enjoys a dance with a woman against a wall before breaking through it and falling into another room, all to continue the fun in another room. He also teams up with an overzealous Terry Crews to perform the Hit The Quan dance at a talent show. The colorful visual continues with a shift back to the party where Holcomb arrives to see Lamar with his lady, something that doesn’t entirely mind as he finds two for himself. The fun is short-lived for Holcomb who gets hauled away by two cops after he crashed into a police cruiser as he parked before entering the party. Comedic angle aside, the video, true to the song’s message, is a true visual representation of what occurs within the walls of the mind and a home as men like Kendrick and Holcomb aspire to explore the walls of a woman. — W.O.

7. “Loyalty” Feat. Rihanna

“Loyalty,” Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna’s first-ever collaboration, is a standout on DAMN. for many reasons, one being the perilous visual the song received. For four minutes, Lamar and Rihanna flirt with many of life’s harmful dangers to prove that their love and loyalty to each other are unmatched. Rihanna taunts a man by spitting her gum on him, and when he angrily approaches her, Lamar is there to knock him out. He later dangles Rihanna off the roof of a building before they both lay on its edge as if they’re on ground level and not hundreds of feet in the air. The “Loyalty” visual ends with Lamar and Rihanna absorbing the blow of a tractor-trailer crashing into their car as Lamar does donuts in the middle of an intersection. — W.O.

6. “Count Me Out”

Though Kendrick Lamar’s video for “Count Me Out” isn’t as eventful as the other standout visuals in his videography, it excels by capturing the mindset that created< em>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The visual begins with a conversation with his therapist, played by Oscar award-winning actress Helen Mirren, where the two laugh about Lamar stealing a woman’s parking spot and delve into a more serious discussion about his self-doubts. The Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar-directed video then splits into three screens with a visual of Lamar rapping the first verse of “Count Me Out,” another of Mirren listening intently, and a third that pairs images of pain, anger, fear, joy, strife, contention, and more to Lamar’s words. — W.O.

5. “N95”

“N95” is hands-down the best video to come down from the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers era for a multitude of reasons. It succinctly captures the erratic and chaotic atmosphere of the song and the album as a whole. Want to see and hear where Kendrick’s head was in 2022? Look no further than the “N95” video. Furthermore, from a more general standpoint, it’s just a sick visual. It juxtaposes itself over and over again in just seconds, going from Kendrick in full sprint as he evades an angry mob to watching the rapper gracefully scales down steps by a waterfall. He sits in peace and reads a pgLang magazine before a car tumbles by a clears out chairs just a few away from the one he sits in. Add in shots of Lamar doing burpees, floating over the ocean in a Christ-like position, hitting donuts in a car with Baby Keem, and more, and you have a visual worthy of a top-five slot in Lamar’s career. — W.O.

4. “Alright”

Arguably the best of Kendrick Lamar’s videos, “Alright” earns its place thanks in part to bearing the hallmarks of Kendrick’s videos — community, camaraderie, visual metaphors for resilience — and throwing in one of the best-sounding unreleased songs of Kendrick’s entire catalog. It’s still the only place to hear this song, which by itself should be enough of a recommendation for this video, but just for the sake of argument, “Alright” is also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and was nominated for that year’s MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. — A.W.

3. “Not Like Us”

This is why we’re here, people. A visual representation of Los Angeles culture, of Kendrick’s rap dominance, of his hometown hero status, the video also doubles as a bit of a wake for that poor OVO owl. From smashing an owl piñata to putting a live owl inside a cage, the video reflects the song’s primary goal of burying Kendrick’s longtime foe Drake, while at the same time, uses the controversy as an opportunity to highlight K Dot’s hometown, from the Tommy The Clown and DeMar DeRozan cameos to its raucous, impromptu community gathering at Compton City Hall. — A.W.

2. “DNA”

The best videos in Kendrick Lamar’s career came from his DAMN. era. Look no further than the “DNA” visual for proof of this. Don Cheadle stars as an interrogator ready to give Lamar a lie detector test when he is shocked into the same rhythm as the rapper, rapping the lyrics of “DNA” as if they both wrote the song from the same experience of anger and struggle. The moment takes a mental toll on both men, but Lamar reigns supreme as Cheadle succumbs to Lamar and lets him go before falling to his knees in defeat. For the rest of the “DNA” video, we watch an erratic Lamar shoot dice with friends, recount past events, show off his Grammys, and more all while a group of girls drive a car recklessly through city streets – a conclusion that pairs perfectly with the song’s chaotic second half. — W.O.

1. “Humble”

“Humble” was the first single from Kendrick’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2017 album, DAMN., and its release heralded the largest leap the Compton artist had taken in public awareness in his career. It was his first solo No. 1 on the Hot 100, and it won Grammys for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and most relevant here, Best Music Video. The video is another Dave Free masterwork, incorporating more of the religious iconography that Kendrick has grappled with throughout his career, borrowing as much from the distinctive visual style of Hype Williams as from Leonardo da Vinci, whose “Last Supper” plays centerpiece to the point Kendrick makes lyrically on “Humble.” To this day, it is still the most-viewed video on his YouTube channel. — A.W.

The wait for Sabrina Carpenter‘s new album sure ain’t short, but it will be sweet when it’s over.

Carpenter has unveiled the tracklist for Short N’ Sweet, featuring No. 1 singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” with a nostalgic video that looks like it was made when VHS tapes were the dominant home video format. She dances while the titles of the songs scroll up on the screen, with a particular emphasis on her backside and face. Barry Keoghan must have directed it.

“I am so excited to announce my brand new album Short N’ Sweet coming in August,” Carpenter said in a statement when the album was announced. “This project is quite special to me, and I hope it’ll be something special to you, too.” You can check out the tracklist below.

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet Tracklist

1. “Taste”
2. “Please Please Please”
3. “Good Graces”
4. “Sharpest Tool”
5. “Coincidence”
6. “Bed Chem”
7. “Espresso”
8. “Dumb & Poetic”
9. “Slim Pickins”
10. “Juno”
11. “Lie To Girls”
12. “Don’t Smile”

“Slim Pickins”? Who knew Sabrina was a Blazing Saddles fan?

Short N’ Sweet is out 8/23 via Island Records. Carpenter is also hitting the road for The Short N’ Sweet Tour, which begins in August and runs until November. You can see those dates here.

Klay Thompson‘s time with the Golden State Warriors came to an end this summer, as the future Hall of Fame inductee could not agree to a new deal with the team. As a result, he joined the Dallas Mavericks as part of a gigantic sign-and-trade, and while the fit alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving is a really good one, it’s still going to be strange seeing Thompson play for anyone other than the Warriors.

Thompson was introduced by the Mavericks on Tuesday and got to speak to the media, where he was asked about his departure from the Bay. As is usually the case, Thompson was candid about the emotions that he felt, but made clear that he believes this was the right thing to do.

“Probably a little disappointed at first, but then as time goes on, you have a lot of time to reflect and you realize what you did,” Thompson told the press. “They can’t take that away from you as far as the championships, or — records are meant to be broken, but the impact you have on a community and all that, that will forever live.

“Sometimes, breakups are necessary to do what’s right, and I’m not the first athlete in the NBA to go through this,” he continued. “I did grow up in Portland, and I remember when Scottie Pippen came to the Blazers, that was, like, the biggest day of my life. And I’m not saying I’m Scottie, but they were right there, against the Lakers, almost won a chip, so. I take a lot of inspiration from past athletes and how their careers might have gone astray when they either left a team, or joined a new team, and some guys thrive. And I look forward to just kind of being rejuvenated here. A lot of good basketball left in the tank.”

Thompson received a 3-year, $50 million deal to join the Mavericks.

Manifesting is real if you know how to do it. Ariana Grande manifested her Wicked role over a decade before being cast in the film, while Austin Butler manifested his Oscar nom through a High School Musical spinoff movie, so every little bit counts! Scarlett Johansson has been seemingly and subconsciously manifesting her Jurassic Park role since she was a little kid… and it only took a quick chat with Jimmy Fallon to realize it.

Johansson stopped by The Tonight Show on Monday to promote her new movie Fly Me To The Moon, but her upcoming leading role in the next Jurassic World movie was obviously mentioned. Johansson is set to star in a new installment in the Jurassic universe, taking the reins from Chris Pratt & co. Now, Fallon is taking all the credit for her big casting news after she mentioned her childhood love of Jurassic Park the last time she was on The Tonight Show.

“Once you came onto the show, we were talking abut your favorite gift, and you said it was a Jurassic Park Pup Tent… now you are starring in the new Jurassic World movie,” Fallon began, to which the actress replied, “I think we manifested it on the show. It’s kind of crazy.”

Johansson explained, “This was pre-Jurassic casting, and I said I asked for a Jurassic Park Tent when I was like seven. And now I am in the new Jurassic World. I think we manifested it!”

In November, Johansson stopped by The Tonight Show to talk Christmas gifts (obviously) and she mentioned the Jurassic Park-themed tent. “My favorite thing I ever got. I slept in for like six months, in my bedroom on the floor,” she said. “That was enough for the universe to offer Johansson another great gift: a leading role in a popular franchise. Luckily, she’s been down that road before, so she will be able to handle it.

Check out the clip below:

Now that the NBA’s free agency period has largely settled down, we have a pretty good idea of what rosters will look like heading into the 2024-25 season. Obviously, the potential exists for other moves elsewhere in the league — looking at you, Lauri Markkanen — but for the most part, teams have put their rosters together save for some moves on the fringes.

All of this gives us a sense of what the league will look like next season, and which teams and players are going to be under the brightest spotlights. Today, we wanted to highlight the players that are going to be under the most pressure for one reason or another as next year rolls around.

Everyone on the Knicks

For years, the New York Knicks have waited for the moment that they could push their chips all-in and put together a roster to compete for a championship. They clearly viewed the last few months as a chance to do that, as the team acquired OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges via trades, then gave Anunoby a gigantic contract extension. The result: An expensive team built around Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Julius Randle, Bridges, and Anunoby. The Knicks lose Isaiah Hartenstein because he cost too much, and if Mitchell Robinson can’t stay healthy, things get really thin, really quickly in the frontcourt. The good news is New York should still be quite good, and the team very well could compete in the East.

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

On the balance of things, the Warriors had a nice offseason, as they added three really good pros (Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton) to their roster, and all three of them should help, especially if Melton can get past the back issues that plagued him last season. Of course, losing Klay Thompson goes far beyond just basketball, but the team itself is in a good spot. So, why is Green on this list? Two reasons: 1. Golden State decided to give him a 4-year, $100 million extension, while reports indicated the team couldn’t commit to a 2-year, $40 million deal for Thompson, essentially meaning they chose to give Green a long-term deal over Thompson (albeit at different times), 2. The team just cannot afford to have him miss 27 games again, with a number of them coming via suspensions. If he’s at anything but his best for the entire season, the Warriors are going to be in a tough spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks

Thompson got what he wanted this offseason: A multi-year contract that would pay him good money on a contender. That team is not the Warriors, but instead, it’s the defending Western Conference champions and a team that could really use his services, even if he is not the player that he was prior to his knee and achilles injuries (although it is going to be interesting to see just how much of his struggles last year were related to the uncertainty with his professional situation). But he’s also heading to a situation where he has to produce, as the Mavs are going to be expected to compete as long as Luka Doncic is in town. A revitalized Klay Thompson can do that, but he will have to hit the ground running as he suits up for a new team for the first time in his career.

Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is gone. That is a gigantic problem for the Nuggets, as Caldwell-Pope was the perfect guy to play in the backcourt alongside Jamal Murray — he was low usage, but always was ready when opportunities to hit shots came about, and he dogged opposing players on the defensive end whenever he was on the floor. That is the perfect role player for a team with championship aspirations, and Denver let him leave for financial reasons, which is an absolute gut punch. Braun has been a very nice role player for the Nuggets since he broke into the league, but he’s going to have to slide into that role as the team’s wing stopper and lowest usage offensive player. If he can, Denver should be ok. If not, there is going to be some major criticism headed the team’s way for letting KCP go.

Paul George and Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

I mean, yeah. There may not be two players in the league right now who are more defined by the fact that they have never been to the NBA Finals — in Embiid’s case, he’s never been to the conference finals. Now, the two are paired up after George went looking for a max contract and got one from the front office trying to build a contender around Embiid. It goes without saying, but at some point, the Sixers have to get over the hump with Embiid, and putting a player of George’s caliber next to him means that the team now has, quite possibly, the best trio in the entire NBA with Tyrese Maxey. If they can’t do it now, it’s safe to wonder if it will ever happen, which is a horrifying proposition for everyone in the City of Brotherly Love.

Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

A bit of an outside the box pick, but remember two years ago, when Cleveland got Donovan Mitchell and there was a belief that they’d be in an excellent position to compete going forward, in large part because they had Evan Mobley and he looked to be a future star? And then, Mobley’s development on offense stalled out, and the Cavs never took that step into the top tier of the Eastern Conference? I thought about that with the Thunder after their big offseason, and how so much of the optimism around their future (both immediate and long-term) revolves around Holmgren becoming a star. The good news is I think he’s wired to be that kind of impact player, but the difference between OKC being a contender in the West and OKC being potentially the NBA title favorites just might be Holmgren avoiding a sophomore slump.

Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks essentially decided to run it back while making a couple of nice moves to bring in Taurean Prince and Delon Wright. They didn’t make any trades to shake up their roster, and while part of this is surely that they don’t have a ton to move, the bet is clearly that the second year of Lillard in Milwaukee will go much better than the first. This sentiment applies to Kevin Durant in Phoenix, too, but the Bucks went all-in on Lillard being the championship-level superstar their team needed, and last year, it was nowhere near good enough. The bet is that continuity will be the thing that fixes everything, and Lillard looking like the guy who can single-handedly give you an elite offense would fix a lot of problems in Milwaukee.

Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” video may have ruined Drake’s holiday, but according to TMZ, it certainly helped boost the local economy in Kendrick’s hometown. Tam’s, the greasy spoon takeout restaurant that features prominently in the video — and in Kendrick’s life and music — reported a boost in sales at its Rosecrans location in Compton (there are several other Tam’s restaurants dotted throughout LA County) picked up by 30 to 40 percent, with a large influx of tourist interest in the location.

(This is all well and good, thank you for your support, but speaking as a local… please do not get y’all selves in trouble trying to play tourist. For one thing, you’re missing the point of the song.)

So, what is Tam’s, and how has it played a role in Kendrick Lamar’s art and life?

The first Tam’s was opened in 1971, selling not just burgers and fries, but also Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and the like. Kendrick’s Tam’s is located at the corner of Rosecrans and Central (mine was on Alameda between Rosecrans and Compton) and K Dot has mentioned it in songs like “Element,” where he raps, “I be hangin’ out at Tam’s, I be on Stockton.”

In a 2012 interview with Nardwaur, Kendrick says his order at Tam’s is chili cheese fries, although TMZ notes he also orders the bacon cheeseburger:

Kendrick also mentioned Tam’s in a 2012 interview with Complex, where he compared it to the more well-known West Coast staple In-N-Out: “Everybody loves In-N-Out, but it’s a very clean-cut burger,” he said. “Tam’s is street-sloppy, burgers and shakes. It’s a chain, but it’s still hood.”

With the constant entertainment mergers and shifting names of streaming services in response to consolidation, it’s easy to get confused about who owns who. Heck, John Oliver is known to swing at his “business daddy” in response to rebranding cycles, and speaking of which, the WBD-owned Cartoon Network is the subject of a current X/Twitter hashtag (#RIPCartoonNetwork) that is causing a ruckus for obvious reasons.

Cartoon Network is still alive. Perhaps it isn’t “well,” but it’s hanging in there, and the hashtag sources back to grave concern from the Animation Workers Ignited movement, which posted a video — voiced by Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) and Alex Hirsh (Gravity Falls) — to highlight the ongoing upheaval of the industry, which is feeling the pain as streaming services scale back from their attempt to outdo Netflix during the pandemic. This tweet thread is a rallying cry meant to call attention to what could happen to the entire animation industry if current trends continue. Yup, the “Cartoon Network is dead?!?!” sure grabs attention and is having the intended effect.

Fortunately, a community note is popping up on tweets with the hashtag, and Bleeding Cool summarizes some of the ongoing issues including job losses in the animation field. The below X thread also hits the essentials with a link to a pertinent survey from the Animation Guild.

It’s also worth noting that many of the tweets with the #RIPCartoonNetwork hashtag post photos of the former (iconic) Cartoon Network headquarters building, which closed its doors in 2023 amid the WBD rollout, which merged Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation. At the time of that shuttering, ComicBook published a fine explanation of that studio shift, which also caused people to wonder if Cartoon Network was heading into he sunset.

Again, Cartoon Network remains open for business, although that road remains bumpy and likely will for some time.