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After rising rap star Pop Smoke, born Bashar Barakah Jackson, was tragically killed last year at the impossibly young age of 20, his family have been doing their best to remember and honor their loved one. Yes, he might have had fans and fame when he died, but it’s always the family whose grief runs the deepest. Part of being able to move on from a tragedy like this is remembering how the person who was lost acted when they were here, and Pop Smoke’s brother, Obasi Jackson, has been doing just that.

With an impression of his brother’s rapping that’s so pitch-perfect it’s almost unbelievable, Obasi posted the impression to Instagram, while remembering just how much his accurate rendition freaked his brother out. “I really do a good impression of Bashar,” he tells a woman after rapping along to the hit song “Dior.” Continuing: “I can sound like him when he does his songs, when he’s rapping. I mean, I don’t do it perfect, but I can do it. When he was alive, when he was here, I did it for him one time and he turned around and [gives surprised look] — I sound just like him.”

Just listening to Obasi singing/rapping, it sounds so much like Pop Smoke most people would definitely think it was him. The impression is so good it’s almost scary. But it’s nice to see Obasi celebrating his brother and remembering him, while sharing that moment with fans who are still mourning, too. Rest in peace to a young legend.

The National Women’s Soccer League held its ninth annual draft on Wednesday night, with a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the NWSL became the first domestic sports league to successfully resume play during the pandemic, with the first-ever Challenge Cup that took place over the summer in Utah followed by a shortened season.

Over 34,000 people tuned in from around the world to watch the Twitch stream and welcome the next generation of American soccer stars, which featured two UNC Tar Heels and a name NBA fans will recognize.

Here a breakdown of every first round draft pick:

1. Emily Fox (UNC) – Racing Louisville FC

With the first overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, Racing Louisville FC selected defender Emily Fox out of the University of North Carolina. The expansion team is gearing up for its first-ever NWSL season, and in Fox, Louisville are getting a speedy and versatile defender who will bring width and an immediate impact to the team.

At UNC, Fox reached the College Cup final in 2018 and 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic forced the competition to suspend action in 2020. The 21-year-old already has three caps for the U.S. women’s national team after making her debut in 2018. Donned in a USWNT jersey, Fox spoke with media following her selection to Louisville.

“I’m really humbled and so excited to be a part of the club and the NWSL now,” Fox said of her selection.

2. Trinity Rodman (Washington State) – Washington Spirit

Perhaps the most talked about player in recent days, Trinity Rodman was selected second overall by the Washington Spirit on Wednesday night. Rodman, who decided to forgo college completely, is just 18 years old and the second teenager to be drafted into the NWSL following last year’s Sophia Smith, who joined the Portland Thorns as the first overall pick in the 2020 Draft.

The talented forward has a natural eye for goal and has stood out for the U.S. U-20 side, leading the team to win the 2020 CONCACAF U-20 women’s championship with eight goals and six assists, including scoring twice in the championship final that led the U.S. past Mexico. Rodman is also the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.

“Obviously [my dad] was an amazing athlete and I got those genes from him but I’m just excited to be known as Trinity Rodman, not Dennis Rodman’s daughter,” Rodman said in her press conference following the pick.

Washington could be poised for a strong year with several recent draft picks, but also USWNT veterans Emily Sonnett and Kelley O’Hara, who were brought in during an eventful offseason.

3. Brianna Pinto (UNC) – Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC took UNC’s Brianna Pinto with the third overall pick, who has been called one of the most complete midfielders available in the draft this year. After losing standout midfielder Jennifer Cudjoe in the offseason and with Carli Lloyd and McCall Zerboni coming off injuries in 2020, Sky Blue have been left with one of the smallest rosters in the league.

Pinto was voted 2019 U.S. youth soccer player of the year after she started all 27 games she played for Carolina, scoring 11 goals and recording six assists. With a wide range of experience playing for the national team at the U-17 and U-20 levels along with her renowned versatility should make her somewhat of an instant addition to the team.

4. Kiki Pickett (Stanford) – Kansas City

In the first trade of the night, Sky Blue FC traded their fourth overall pick to Kansas City in exchange for $175,000. With the pick, Kansas selected Kiki Pickett, who leaves behind a successful collegiate career at Stanford.

A proven winner, Pickett is a two-time NCAA champion and is a three time Pac-12 champion. She earned All-Pac-12 first team honors in 2019 when she scored two goals and recorded nine assists in 25 starts, most notably scoring the game-winning penalty kick in the 2019 College Cup.

Pickett plans to play for Stanford in the upcoming scheduled spring season before reporting to her new team.

5. Emina Ekic (University of Louisville) – Racing Louisville FC

This could be the beginnings of a hometown hero story for Emina Ekic. Going fifth overall, Ekic became the first player out of Louisville to be drafted into the NWSL and of course, she was selected by none other than Racing Louisville FC. Ekic proved herself as a crucial force for the Cardinals and is an incredibly versatile forward who can play on the wing or through the middle.

Her passing skills and creativity along with her pace will likely make her a strong addition to Louisville.

“It’s my hometown. It’s special,” Ekic said of getting drafted by her hometown team. “Why not continue to write the story here?”

6. Yazmeen Ryan (Texas Christian University) – Portland Thorns

Following a trade that saw the Chicago Red Stars relinquish the sixth overall pick to the Portland Thorns in exchange for the seventh and 32nd picks in the 2021 Draft and an international slot in 2021, Portland selected midfielder Yazmeen Ryan from Texas Christian University.

The highest-ever draft pick out of TCU, Ryan is an experienced college player who will bring quality depth to a strong Portland team that could lose several players to international duty during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

7. Madison Haley (Stanford) – Chicago Red Stars

The Chicago Red Stars selected Stanford’s Madison Haley with the seventh overall pick, immediately bolstering their attack and goal scoring talent. Best known for her smart and crafty runs as a target forward, Haley will be a big offensive boost for Chicago.

A two-time NCAA champion, Haley is an exciting player who has played with quality teammates throughout her collegiate career and will surely benefit from Red Stars’ talented midfield littered with players like Mallory Pugh, Moe Brian, Sarah Woldmoe and more.

8. Tara McKeown (University of South Carolina) – Washington Spirit

Sky Blue racked up the allocation money Wednesday night, receiving $100,000 and a natural second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft from the Washington Spirit in exchange for the eighth overall pick. The Spirit selected Tara McKeown, a 2019 All-American and the Pac 12 Forward of the Year.

In McKeown, Washington is getting a very productive forward with aerial ability, composure and strong finishing skills.

9. Viviana Villacorta (University of California, Los Angeles) – Orlando Pride

With their first pick in the 2021 Draft, the Orlando Pride opted for UCLA’s Viviana Villacorta, a midfielder with strong link-up play and tidiness on the ball. The UCLA senior never missed a game in her three seasons with the team and played the role of the midfield conductor, which Orlando head coach Marc Skinner will definitely want.

The Pride has a lot of attacking talent, namely in Marta, Alex Morgan and Sydney LeRoux, and with the addition of Villacorta, they are on their way to building a more cohesive squad from bottom up. Villacorta brings U-19 and U-20 experience with the national team and adds much-needed depth to the Pride’s midfield.

10. Deanne Rose (University of Florida) – North Carolina Courage

One of the most successful teams in the NWSL, the North Carolina Courage won the league championship in 2018 and 2019. On Wednesday, the Courage selected Deanne Rose with the final pick of the first round, a versatile player who can play in defense or midfield.

And especially following the retirement of left back Jaelene Daniels, the Courage can have Rose can play on up and down on the left side of the pitch. As a Canadian native, Rose was also the first international pick of the 2021 Draft.

Just a couple of months after her celebrated album Positions, Ariana Grande started teasing a remix of one of the project’s most popular songs, “34+35.” She made the announcements in a video that featured the silhouettes of two unnamed guests. The video quickly made its rounds online and left fans wondering who the two could be. Names like Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Chloe x Halle, and Megan Thee Stallion were brought up. Now, after Megan posted a comment in Grande’s Instagram post, some are wondering if she’s one of those mystery silhouettes.

Once fans caught wind of Megan’s comment, the reactions came pouring in, with many assuming they were right. That said, As of this post, the features on the “34+35” remix are still unconfirmed, but it’s clear the excitement for the song is increasing by the second. In the meantime, Megan Thee Stallion will definitely be working with Doja Cat on her upcoming album.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers who’d had their lives put in danger by marauding Trump supporters found something that made them hopping mad: The Capitol had installed metal detectors, in reaction to the violent attempted coup that left five dead. They were livid. They complained on social media. They gave security a hard time. At least one even evaded them entirely. But now if they try and bypass the checkpoint, they won’t just be mocked online. They’ll be fined as well.

As per The Hill, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that any lawmaker who thinks they’re too cool to be scanned for weapons will have to pay $5,000. And that’s only for the first offense: If they do it again, the fine goes up to $10,000. That cash will be deducted from their salaries as congresspeople.

Among the Republican lawmakers — and they were all Republicans — who threw hissy fits over the metal detectors include new fish Lauren Boebert, Representative of Colorado, who is so pro-gun she’s tweeted out videos bragging about how she was going to take her weapon onto the floor of the House. When she tried to do that on Tuesday, she got into a stand-off with security. Boebert and others, among them the tooth-resistant Louie Gohmert, were roundly belittled on social media for complaining about the kind of security measures seen at even Disney World.

On top of establishing fines for politicians refusing to let officers check if they’re packing, House Democrats also recently mandated fines for those refusing to wear masks inside. That one packs $500 for the first fine then jumps all the way to $2,500 for each subsequent offense. So they’re probably not happy about that one either.

(Via The Hill)

Warner Bros.’ decision to drop their entire 2021 film slate on their flailing streamer HBO Max (on the same day they hit theaters, mind you) was met with a lot of disdain, as well as worry about what it meant for the future of actual moviegoing. But there were a few upsides: At least people wouldn’t have to risk their lives to see The Many Saints of Newark, the big Sopranos prequel movie, in a theater. And it was due in March! But not anymore: As per Variety, the highly anticipated organized crime pic has been bumped all the way to October.

Mind you, the film — which revolves around the fathers of Christopher Moltisanti and Tony Soprano and who will be played by Alessandro Nivola and Jon Bernthal — was originally supposed to come out in October of last year. Then an unstoppable pandemic, which is now worse than it’s ever been, after nearly a year, put the kibosh on that. It was then bumped to March 12, which at the time seemed like a good approximation of when a rational society would get this under control. But even that was too generous.

No reason was given for the six month bump, though the move does place it in the heart of awards season. In the meantime, all the people who finally signed up for HBO Max in the hopes of watching a bunch of blockbusters can spend the extra time re-bingeing The Sopranos‘ six excellent seasons — or tooling around the service’s epic coffers, which includes everything from WB and DC titles to classic movies to Studio Ghibli to Looney Tunes.

(Via Variety)

Katie Schieffer is a mom of a 9-year-old who was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after spending some time in the ICU. Diabetes is a nuisance of a disease on its own, requiring blood sugar checks and injections of insulin several times a day. It can also be expensive to maintain—especially as the cost of insulin (which is actually quite inexpensive to make) has risen exponentially.

Schieffer shared an emotional video on TikTok after she’d gone to the pharmacy to pick up her son’s insulin and was smacked with a bill for $1000. “I couldn’t pay for it,” she says through tears in the video. “I now have to go in and tell my 9-year-old son I couldn’t pay for it.”

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Schieffer explained that she has been working for 17 years and that she and her husband both work full-time. She works third shift and goes to school during the day. “How are you guys making it?” she asked. “Am I the only one struggling?”

She’s not the only one struggling, of course. The unaffordability of healthcare in the U.S. is a national crisis. While the Affordable Care Act helped millions access health insurance, there are still millions of Americans who are uninsured or underinsured. And medical bills can still be hard to cover, even if you have insurance.

Speaking from experience, out-of-pocket expenses after insurance can still cost thousands of dollars. Even just doing diagnostic tests, scans, and procedures to figure out what an issue is—not even getting into treating whatever it is yet—can be too steep after insurance pays their portion for many families to afford. Americans have to constantly weigh whether the risk of missing a serious health issue outweighs the debilitating cost of a test to rule it out.

Schieffer’s video went viral and she received a beautiful outpouring of support and advice. Some commenters shared how she can get insulin in an affordable way, including going to the medicine manufacturer’s website and getting their cost assistance forms. She explained in a comment and a follow-up video that it was actually the blood sugar monitor that was $1100 and not covered under their insurance, and people suggested the same cost assistance route.

Others just chimed in with words of solidarity, agreeing that our system is broken. More than a few suggested she share her Venmo account name in her profile so people could help crowdfund financial assistance for her son’s medical care. If that alone isn’t a sign that the system is broken, nothing is.

Schieffer is getting it all worked out with the helpful advice and generosity of strangers, and she shared a video from her son about how he’s doing as he learns to manage his diabetes.

When stories like this go viral, it’s a mixed bag. While it’s inspiring to see people rally around a fellow human being with love and support, it’s also infuriating to realize how dystopian it can be here in the “land of the free.” The U.S. is supposed to be some kind of beacon of light to the world, but what kind of shithole country lets its citizens go bankrupt or die because they can’t afford to go to the doctor or pay for their medications? Part of why our health outcomes are so abysmal compared to other developed nations is because people don’t get the medical care they need because they can’t afford it. That’s just plain ridiculous.

If anyone wants to help this mama and kiddo out, here’s where you can send donations. (Just be aware that someone has set up fake accounts with an extra “r” at the end, so be sure you only see one “r” in Schieffer.)

Venmo: @Katherine-Schieffer

PayPal:@KatherineSchieffer

No one should have to crowdfund to pay for healthcare, but here we are. Hopefully with a new administration coming in, we’ll make more strides toward joining the rest of the developed world in ensuring that healthcare is truly affordable for all Americans.

For years Donald Trump has dominated social media, on top of being the most powerful person in the world. For the last five years he’s about all anyone has talked about, and his own tweets were furious, cruel, and frequent. That all changed in the last week. Starting with Twitter, almost all of the social media giants have either permanently banned him or severely limited his and his team’s abilities. There was one lone hold-out: Snapchat. But according to Axios, one week to the day after a whipped-up claque of his supporters attempted a failed coup, he’s gone from there, too.

Like other online services, the messaging app cited how dangerous he had become, especially in the wake of his failed bid for re-election. “In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account,” their statement read.

Of course, much like some of the other, not-quite-Trumpian social media titans that have recently cracked down on him — especially Pinterest — it made some wonder: Was he even on there?

According to Axios, though, the Trump team did in fact use Snapchat, to reach younger audiences. (Most Snapchat users are under 30.) To be fair, a cursory glance at any of his rallies suggests those attempts didn’t go gangbusters anyway, and even many of the MAGA rioters who stormed the Capitol last week were not that young. Turns out Charlie Kirk, the babyfaced Trumpist, will only make you so popular with the kids.

That said, it looks like Snapchat was doing more than most social media apps to punish him. Axios reports that Trump violated their policies against misinformation, hate speech, and inciting violence “dozens of times,” prompting them to outright remove said content from their coffers. So take that, Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg.

Now that Snapchat is out of Trump’s hands forever, some wondered if there are any social media services left to ban him.

(Via Axios)

Last March, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free, the former president of Top Dawg Entertainment, announced the formation of their company PgLang with a trailer — a surreal effort that featured Lamar, rapper Baby Keem, singer Jorja Smith, and actor Yara Shahidi. PgLang — which was described as a for-hire multimedia company at the time of its announcement — had yet to put out any content in the ten months since its launch, but that all changed on Wednesday.

On Thursday, PgLang will kick off a new campaign in partnership with Calvin Klein, which they broke with a series of posts previewing eight mini-trailers that would be made available over the next 24 hours. The first, entitled “SeeU,” was shared on the company’s Instagram page and features model Mecca Allah walking up an elegant spiral staircase. When she arrives at the top, she takes out a pair of binoculars to look out on the horizon before turning her attention to the camera.

The remaining seven videos will be shared on Thursday at 9am PST/12pm EST. The announcement comes after someone wearing a PgLang shirt was spotted in the video for The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”, featuring Rosalía, although it’s unclear if that was intended as product placement or if that person just happened to be wearing the shirt.

One of the most highly-anticipated games of 2021 is now one of the most highly-anticipated games of 2022. Hogwarts Legacy, a Harry Potter RPG that is supposed to let every fan live out their dream of creating their own character in that universe, is being delayed until next year.

The reasoning for Hogwarts Legacy‘s delay was not given, but we can only assume that the world at large made it rather difficult to develop a video game in 2020 and finish development in 2021. As a result, the developers are choosing to delay it until the game is given “the time it needs” to be finished. Their statement on Twitter, while vague, definitely implied the game is not going to be ready by the time it was originally set for release.

This is really disappointing for the legions of Harry Potter fans that were waiting for their opportunity to traverse Hogwarts without having to fork over the cash to go to an amusement park. This also makes Hogwarts Legacy our first big title delay of 2021, and given how hard it is to create a game amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we probably shouldn’t be surprised if it’s not the last.

Hopefully this does not mean the developers of this game are going to have to grind themselves to dust to get this prepared. The good news is that they will be given a whole extra year to work on it, so we have to hope that’s not the case, but with the Cyberpunk disaster fresh on our mind, it’s hard to not think about.

We live in a pretty strange world. In 2021, we don’t even have to explain or qualify that statement. Sh*t’s weird in a whole lot of ways.

We’re going to assume you know the big ways the world is strange (or at least didn’t come to this particular article to discover them) and focus on some of the sillier strangeness: quirky beers. We’re not just talking about lactose-filled milkshake IPAs and chocolate and coffee-fueled barrel-aged stouts, either. We’re talking “pizza beer” and brews made with donut holes.

In an effort to #KeepBeerWeird, we decided to highlight some of the bizarro brewed oddities out there. So we checked in with some of our favorite bartenders, asking them to call out the most creative/occasionally unappetizing combinations of hops, malts, water, and yeast ever assembled.

Cellador Petalum

Gavin Humes, bartender at Scratch|Bar & Kitchen in Encino, California

Petalum from Cellador Ales in Los Angeles. According to their own verbiage, it’s bottle conditioned using the sugar from root vegetables. It’s specifically made using beet sugar in this case and has a crazy red color that’s unique to say the very least.

What does it taste like? Beets… mostly. But it’s fascinating and definitely worth a try.

Average Price: $11 for a 375ml bottle

450 North Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Slushy

Candace Marie Peterson, beertender at Lone Tree Brewing in Lone Tree, Colorado

One of the strangest beers I’ve had happened to have come out of 2020. It’s a Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Slushy from 450 North Brewing. Sour and pumpkin were words that I never would have thought belonged together, but it really works well. You get everything that you should get. A little bit of pumpkin spice, some cheesecake notes, and a sour punch.

Average Price: $10 for a 16-ounce can

Forbidden Root Fernetic

Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis

The oddest beer I’ve had experienced has to be Fernetic from Chicago’s Forbidden Root. A dark beer inspired by one of my favorite spirits, Fernet-Branca. Using various ingredients from the digestif’s 175-year-old recipe, this brew is rich, malty, and aggressive with notes of saffron, wormwood, and rhubarb.

Coming in at 8.4% ABV, it’s not for the timid.

Average Price: $17.99 for a 22-ounce bottle

Living The Dream Two Barrel Tom

Sarah Kemp, beertender at Living The Dream Brewing in Littleton, Colorado

I’m a huge fan of trying unconventional crafty creations, but one that stands out for me is the Two Barrel Tom from Living the Dream Brewing. This delicious imperial wit is one of the reasons I wanted to work in the industry. Brewed with orange zest, coriander, and lemongrass then aged in gin and cabernet barrels, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Average Price: $12.99-$14.99 for a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans

Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

All I have to say is Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer. It does not taste as good as pizza and beer do on their own, even when enjoyed side by side. Stick to the classics.

Average Price: $2.37 for a 16-ounce bottle

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Alex Tack, bartender at Rex 1516 in Philadelphia

I have to say the most niche style I can think of is a rauchbier. Because the restaurant I work for specializes in Southern food, I sought out Aecht Schlenkerla’s rauchbier to see how it would taste with our barbeque, since they’re widely considered one of the standard-bearers of the style. I love smoky flavors in just about anything, but I find the style really overwhelming. Something about it tastes vaguely like soy sauce and the liquid smoke condiment to me.

I really wanted to like this one, but I didn’t.

Average Price: $5.49 for a 500ml bottle

Monnik Voorjaar

Brandon “Habi” Habenstein, bartender at The Kitchen & Bar at Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Bardstown, Kentucky

One of the strangest beers I’ve ever had was infused with green cardamom pods. Voorjaar, the Dutch word for “spring” is one of four seasonal saisons made at Monnik Beer Company. The cardamom works very well with the natural peppery note that you can sometimes get from Belgian style beers. You are not alone if you think this beer doesn’t sound delicious on paper, but it’s just one of those things in life that sounds horrible but is actually great.

Next time you’re in Kentucky, swing by Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood and throw back a few pints at Monnik.

Average Price: $8-$9 for a pint

Ivanhoe Guavacation

Freddy Yanez, bartender at Unreserved Beer Garden in Orlando

The strangest beer I’ve ever had is Guavacation from Ivanhoe Park Brewery. Besides its amazing pink color from its guava infusion, it offers tart notes in the front palate, resembling a cider but with a malty finish that defines it as the beer it is.

Average Price: $11.99 for a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans

Writer’s Pick:

Sheetz Project Happy Hole-idayz

Convenience store chain Sheetz has had a few strange collaborative beers in the last few years (including a hotdog beer), but one of its strangest is Project Happy Hole-idayz. This limited-edition, holiday beer made in collaboration with Wicked Weed was brewed with one pound per barrel of Shweetz Grazed Vanilla Donut Holes.

It tastes exactly like you expect it to taste. Sugary, sweet, and very strange.

Average Price: $7.99 for a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans