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The NCAA announced back in November that it would be hosting the 2021 NCAA Tournament in a bubble, with the expectation of it being in Indianapolis where the organization is headquartered.

On Monday, the NCAA confirmed their bubble plans with a release that announced they still are looking to play their normal schedule, with Selection Sunday on March 14 and the Final Four being played on April 3 and 5, with all 67 games being played in the state of Indiana — most of which in Indianapolis proper.

There will be six game sites for the 2021 tournament, as Lucas Oil Stadium will house two courts (with only one game being played at a time), Bankers Life Fieldhouse (home of the Pacers), Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette (Purdue), and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington (Indiana) will play host to games.

One would expect the Purdue and Indiana gyms to only be used for opening round action given the further proximity to Indianapolis. The NCAA also announced their plans for housing the teams and how they’ll keep everything in one environment by using the Indiana Convention Center as the practice facility because it’s connected to the hotels they will use via skywalk.

The tournament will be hosted by Ball State, Butler, the Horizon League, Indiana, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Purdue, which are lending their facilities and staffs to assist with tournament operations. The Indiana Convention Center will be used as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up inside the venue. Marriott properties, an official NCAA corporate partner, will house most of the tournament teams. The properties are connected to the convention center via skywalks and within a controlled environment. All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues.

For now, the plan is to have a limited number of family members at games with a decision on any fans allowed to attend being made closer to the event as they monitor the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s a new year, but one thing remains unchanged: Fans’ thirst for new music from their faves — and their resulting Dan Brown-ish ability to read clues in every move an artist makes. One of the most surefire signs that an act is gearing up for a big promo run is the infamous social media reset, where stars use third-party apps to mass delete tweets, photos, and follows in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, such third-party activity is often limited by the proprietors of social networks like Twitter and Instagram, leading to what some might call awkward situations.

Nicki Minaj woke up to one of those situations today after her attempt to clear her Instagram resulted in some high-profile unfollows including her most prolific collaborators Ariana Grande and Doja Cat, as well as her own mother. It looks like she was going for a reset of her follows and an all-around page update, clearing her highlights row as well. Unfortunately, Instagram’s unfollow limit, knocked her “following” total down to just 723 people and she’ll likely have to wait until her account cycles through the waiting period before continuing and presumably adding back her faves.

Of course, the flurry of activity naturally stirred up the Barbz, who previously urged R&B legend Dionne Warwick to join their ranks, leading to a fun update of Ms. Warwick’s Twitter profile. Fans immediately decided that the reorganization effort meant new music would be on the way soon, while others speculated beef with the unfollowed artists — and even her mom, Carol.

Nicki herself posted to her story, asking fans to bear with her as she’s “sorting it out.” Meanwhile, Nicki’s main feed seems to be untouched after she shared a photo of her son just after the calendar flip. We’ll see if 2021 brings a new collection of music from the new mom, who had one of her biggest years in 2020 despite not releasing an album, thanks to back-to-back No. 1 appearances alongside Doja Cat and Tekashi 69. Stay tuned.

The last day of the NFL regular season has come and gone, and for 14 teams that means shifting their attention to the postseason. For the rest of the league, it’s onto the offseason and for many that means coaching changes. The Jets, Lions, Falcons, Texans, and Jaguars were the first five teams to make coaching changes and on Monday morning the Chargers joined the fray after relieving Anthony Lynn of his duties after a disappointing 7-9 season.

Lynn went 33-31 in four seasons with the Chargers, getting the team through its move to L.A. but the 2020 season that saw a franchise quarterback emerge in Justin Herbert was also marred by some truly befuddling decision-making and a comedy of errors from the special teams unit. That spells disaster for a coaching staff and Lynn found himself firmly on the hot seat midway through the year and could never shake free of it.

The Chargers will join the other five teams in pursuing a new coach and given Herbert’s sensational rookie campaign and the presence of a superstar in Joey Bosa on the defensive line, one would expect L.A. to be near the top of the list of desired locations for top candidates. We’ll have to see if they join the Falcons, Lions, and Jets as teams to interview Chiefs OC Eric Bienemy, as you would anticipate given Herbert’s strong start they’ll be looking to pair him with an offensive coach. Brian Daboll of the Bills also figures to be in the mix, per Jason La Confora.

Eminem wrapped up 2020 by dropping Music To Be Murdered By — Side B, and on “Zeus,” he offered an apology to Rihanna for his leaked lyrics about the time she was assaulted by Chris Brown. He says on “Zeus,” “But, me, long as I re-promise to be honest / And wholeheartedly, apologies, Rihanna / For that song that leaked, I’m sorry, Ri / It wasn’t meant to cause you grief / Regardless, it was wrong of me.”

Em stopped by his SiriusXM channel Shade 45 over the weekend, and while chatting with Gray Rizzy, he spoke more about the leaked lyric, saying that he doesn’t even remember recording it. He said:

“When it first happened, I was like, first, I didn’t know how somebody got it. Second of all, I have no, zero recollection of even remembering doing that, that verse. The rhyme schemes didn’t even sound familiar to me. So I was caught off guard, too. I was like, ‘What the f*ck, I said that?’ And that was during early stages of the ‘Relapse’ record that I was working on. So, you know, it’s ten-plus years old, but not making excuses for it. I said it and I was wrong for saying that, it was f*cking stupid. A lot of times, especially with the Relapse record, when I first started learning how to rap again, because of the drug situation that I went through and having to relearn a lot of things, that was one of those things that it was like, well, if it rhymes, say it. I think that being able to look back — I mean, that’s not even an excuse — but I’m just saying there was a phase I was going through with that Relapse record. I don’t know. It was one of those things, I think I just said it ’cause it rhymed. And I think I’m sure looking back now, I should have thought better of it.”

Listen to Em discuss “Zeus” below.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will head into the 2021 offseason with a great deal of optimism as their 1-15 record (including 15 straight losses to finish) on the season earned them the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft and, presumably, that means Trevor Lawrence is on his way to Duval County.

Who Lawrence will be playing for is up in the air after the Jaguars fired coach Doug Marrone after five seasons at the helm in Jacksonville, announcing plans to hire a new coach as well as a new GM in a total overhaul of the leadership structure.

There have been rumblings for some time that Urban Meyer is the top candidate to take over the Jaguars coaching job, and with owner Shad Khan insisting that personnel decisions will still need to be run through him, even as he denied having conversations with Meyer already, that would seem to indicate that whatever happens next will be at the whim of ownership.

That typically spells disaster for professional sports franchises, as rarely is it a good thing to have non-football people being the decision makers on all signings and roster moves (ask Cowboys fans). Still, so it goes and for Jaguars fans hoping to see a major change to how things run in Jacksonville, the fact that ownership will retain roster control is not a great sign for that sweeping change to come — it would also seem to preclude them from being able to land any of the best GM candidates, who surely wouldn’t take the job without being granted control.

In any case, Trevor Lawrence should help raise the floor of this team, but whether they can build a contender around him with whatever hires they make and ownership running the show on the football operations side is a much bigger question.

Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.

Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of December below.

Beyonce — Homecoming: The Live Album

Homecoming was one of the biggest things to hit Netflix last year, and on top of the film, Beyonce also released an accompanying live album of her 2018 Coachella performance. Now it’s also available as a new 4-LP vinyl release, which features some gorgeous large photography from the performance.

Get it here.

Billie Holiday — Lady Sings The Blues (Vinyl Me, Please reissue)

Vinyl Me, Please always deliver wonderful releases that aren’t available anywhere else, and in December, one of their offerings was a new edition of a late-career gem from Billie Holiday. It’s pressed on “Trav’lin Light Blue” vinyl, and it features fresh new liner notes and a clean remaster based on the original analogue tapes.

Get it here.

The Kinks — Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One (Reissue)

Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One was a concept album that was ahead of its time upon its 1970 release, and now it’s being properly honored with an expansive 50th anniversary box set. There are multiple editions available, and between them are a 60-page hardback book with quotes and photos, CDs containing bonus unreleased tracks, and much more.

Get it here.

The Coathangers — The Coathangers (Reissue)

The story of The Coathangers’ debut album is an unconventional one: The band formed a band to play a house party, despite not having any prior musical experience. After those humble beginnings, they found themselves releasing a self-titled debut album in 2007. This rerelease pressing has only 1,000 copies, with 500 of them on Confetti Crush Splatter Vinyl and the remaining 500 on Neon Strawberry Banana Pinwheel Vinyl.

Get it here.

Yusuf/Cat Stevens — Mona Bone Jakon and Tea For The Tillerman (Reissues)

Yusuf/Cat Stevens recently dropped Tea For The Tillerman², a reimagining of his classic album after which it is titled. That was in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary, and he also marked the occasion with reissues of both that album and Mona Bone Jakon. Perhaps most notably, the releases feature a pair of previously unreleased songs, “Can This Be Love?” and “I Want Some Sun.”

Get Mona Bone Jakon here. Get Tea For The Tillerman here.

Gang Of Four — Gang Of Four: 77-81

You may have seen this one on our 2020 holiday gift guide. To reiterate, though, it features remastered editions of the albums Entertainment! and Solid Gold, along with goodies like a double live album, a collection of early singles, a book, a cassette of demo recordings, and other goodies you’d find in a box set as expansive as this one.

Get it here.

London Music Works — The Essential Games Music Collection Vol. 1

Some of the most memorable music of all time doesn’t make it onto lists of the best albums or songs, and that’s video game music. For decades, iconic tunes have come from the gaming community, and this collection from London Music Works features classic tracks from game franchises like Call Of Duty, The Legend Of Zelda, and World Of Warcraft.

Get it here.

The Black Keys — Brothers (Deluxe Anniversary Edition)

The Black Keys kicked off an era of mainstream stardom with Brothers in 2010, and now that album is celebrating ten years. To mark the occasion, the band is released a big new deluxe version of it, which features a new remastered edition of the album, three bonus tracks, a 60-page book featuring archival photos, a limited edition poster, and new liner notes.

Get it here.

Sturgill Simpson — Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 — The Butcher Shoppe Sessions

The chameleonic country star followed up a rocking 2019 with a pair of surprise bluegrass albums, which featured reinterpretations of tunes from throughout his discography. Uproxx’s Steven Hyden noted that the album “is exactly the sort of down-home, deeply traditional record that many Simpson fans would have preferred to Sound And Fury, or even A Sailor’s Guide To Earth.”

Get it here.

Marvin Gaye — Live At Montreux 1980

Gaye is on any worthwhile list cataloging the best singers in music history, and while hearing his vocals live today isn’t possible, a concert album will have to do the trick. Indeed, this one does. The audio comes from a 1980 show, so most of his beloved songs had already been released at that point, meaning a bunch of his hits are included in this stellar set.

Get it here.

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

President Trump is headlining a rally later today for Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler’s re-election campaigns in Dalton, Georgia, a day before voters head to the polls for the runoff election. But although the president hasn’t landed in the Peach state yet (Joe Biden is also scheduled to speak in Georgia on Monday), the Fox News caravan has arrived, as has at least one “white supremacist.”

“Fox News on Monday cut the video feed of an interview after a Trump supporter repeatedly flashed what appeared to be a white supremacist hand signal,” Raw Story reports. “As [Fox News reporter Griff] Jenkins was speaking to a man about the rally, a man positioned directly in front of the camera, who was wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat, began flashing what has been called a white power hand sign.” The man flashed the symbol (which has become a fixture at rallies) for nearly 20 seconds before the camera cut to a live shot of the White House; the interview continued, audio only.

The “Okay Hand Gesture” was part of a 4chan hoax before being co-opted by the far right as a “sincere expression of white supremacy,” according to the Anti-Defamation League, “such as when Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant flashed the symbol during a March 2019 courtroom appearance soon after his arrest for allegedly murdering 50 people in a shooting spree at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.”

(Via Raw Story)

In the latest video from Tobe Nwigwe‘s #CincOriginals/#GetTwistedSundays campaign, the Houston rapper clears out and shares his shine with a pair of fiery rap queens to demand revolution with “Tundah Fiyah.” Nell, Tobe’s producer, and Mumu Fresh — the rapper alter ego of Baltimore singer Maimouna Youssef — swipe the sizzling track right out from under their host, spitting sidewinding, multisyllabic verses praising Black women and advocating for some social restructuring along the lines of equality.

Nwigwe has relied on Nell to craft the pounding, minimalist beats on his past several weeks of videos, which have featured a who’s-who of the best rappers out. Tobe and Big KRIT warned against following crowds on “Bozos,” while Black Thought and Royce Da 5’9″ helped the Houston rapper play “Father Figure” to a lost generation. Hometown hero Lil Keke paid homage to Prince and Houston’s drug of choice with “Purple Rain Thing,” while D Smoke exercised his right to bear arms on “Headshots,” but “Tundah Fiyah” is the first time so far that Nell has stepped in front of the mic. Meanwhile, if you’re unfamiliar with Youssef’s work, check out her 2018 Tiny Desk set, as well as her Tiny Desk appearance with Common’s band, August Greene.

Watch Tobe Nwigwe’s “Tundah Fiyah” video above.

Chris Rock and Netflix are breaking new ground by delivering the first-ever remix of a comedy special. In a special video for the streaming service, Rock announced that his 2018 special, Chris Rock: Tamboline, will be released later this month as Chris Rock: Total Blackout, The Tamborine Extended Cut. Calling it a “hot remix,” Rock says the new 90 minute version full of “searing observations on race, fatherhood, and politics,” is the “first time in history” that a comedy special dropped a remix. Total Blackout will also include new moments and interviews with Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, and more.

Here’s how Uproxx described the original version of Chris: Rock Tamborine after it made its Netflix debut in 2018:

Sadly absurd topics like racism, gun violence, politics, and modern romance necessitate an equally ludicrous format when presented as stand-up comedy. Simply warning the audience that what comes next might sound mean, but actually isn’t “because it’s funny,” isn’t good enough. Legwork is required to discuss an otherwise volatile and delicate subject with the addition of jokes, and thanks to Tamborine‘s occasionally infuriating attempts to delay the inevitable, Rock accomplishes this beautifully.

Tamborine was the first installment from Rock after signing a two-special deal with Netflix for $40 million. Before Tamborine, Rock hadn’t recorded a special since 2008’s Kill the Messenger, so his stand-up return was a decade in the making and a huge get for Netflix. As for when his next special will arrive, there’s no word yet, so fans will have to make do with the new, remixed material when Total Blackout arrives.

Chris Rock: Total Blackout, The Tamborine Extended Cut arrives on Netflix on January 12, 2021.

(Via Netflix)

The new year is already off to an optimistic start thanks to the efforts of Inglewood’s breakout artist, D Smoke. The Grammy-nominated rapper returned with a brand-new song over the weekend, “It’s OK,” delivering a positive message and showcasing some talented youths in the song’s accompanying music video. D Smoke released the video today after debuting the song a few weeks ago.

The cleverly shot video sees D Smoke recruiting the kids as hype men, backup dancers, and musicians, as the video breaks down with a marching band and becoming an exuberant display of joy in a backlot. Throughout, D Smoke’s rapid-fire verses express his uplifting outlook — even when he flexes a pump-action shotgun and warns that he believes in using it for self-defense.

D Smoke, the winner of the inaugural season of Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, is nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy for his debut album, Black Habits. He most recently released the “Closer To God” video from the album with his brother SiR. He also appeared in Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe’s “Headshots” video and collaborated with Berkley’s Rexx Life Raj on the song “Optimistic” for Empire’s Voices For Change compilation.

Watch D Smoke’s “It’s OK” video above.