GoneTrending

In Kelsey Randall’s world, rockstars are princesses and the stage is a fairytale. The Brooklyn-based designer specializes in sequin bodysuits, whimsical ruffles, and tulle dresses that poof out like cupcakes, garments that could’ve been lovingly sewn by a team of mice in a Disney movie. Randall dresses artists that sell out arenas and bands that play at bars. Her maximalist fantasy is one-size-fits-all, luxury wear that blurs the line between superstars and rising icons.

Randall grew up poring over high fashion and bridal magazines in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended the Parsons School of Design in New York, where she went on to work in retail and intern for designers like Prabal Gurung before launching her own line in 2015. Over the last several years, she’s found a home for her sparkling clothes and accessories in the music industry. Randall’s bespoke garments — which have been spotted on the likes of Lorde and Lil Nas X — come alive at a concert, on a red carpet, or in the pages of a glossy editorial.

Uproxx spoke with her about designing looks for the stage and the quintessential Randall rockstar.

Can you talk about when and why you started working with musicians?

I’ve always been obsessed with rock stars. That’s really what drew me to fashion to begin with: seeing Elton John, Cher, and Little Richard in these amazing performance outfits. Growing up, I equated fashion with music. When I started designing my own line, I decided to design for the people I would dream about wearing my clothes. So I’ve always designed with the stage in mind. I take a 360 approach. How’s a garment going to look from all angles? How will it move? How will the light hit it?

I made some custom tour looks for Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner several years ago. I dressed Lorde when I was just starting to become known for working with rock stars. Eva [Hendricks] from Charly Bliss was one of the very first musicians I designed stage looks for, things she could jump around and play guitar in. I love making stuff with lots of ruffles and volume. Eva and I are definitely a match made in heaven. When we met I felt like, wow I have a muse now.

How did that relationship come about?

I was sitting in the backyard at Trophy Bar, saw her from across the bar, pointed her out to my friend and said, “Now she would be a great Kelsey Randall girl.” He was like, “I just saw her band open for Tokyo Police Club. She’s a rock star.” So I went over and gave her my card. A few months later, she emailed me asking for an outfit for their show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. I was styling her for probably a year before I started making her custom garments. In 2019, I did all custom looks for Charly Bliss’ world tour and styled their album cover and the “Capacity” music video.

How can an outfit change a performance?

We go to a concert for the full experience, and so much that is visual. For me, the outfits on stage play such a critical role in the performance. Having the right outfit helps sell the world. If you’re a true fan of a certain artist or band, you want to be in that world. It’s not just about the songs, it’s about the whole mood. I think the clothes help set the stage.

You can just tell when someone’s on stage in an outfit that they feel empowered in. The energy is totally different. We call them performers for a reason, right? They create these mythical personas on stage. When I talk with the girls I work with about how they feel wearing my garments on stage, they always talk about feeling very strong and powerful, like they’re able to channel the energy from the clothes into the performance. So it’s a tool for both the audience and the musicians.

Can you talk about the process of coming up with looks for artists?

I’ll normally talk with artists about their vision and mood. Do they want it to be sultry and ‘70s or really girly and upbeat? A lot of the time these musicians have a clear vision about how they want to see themselves. We’ll usually look at pictures of other rockstars or movie stills and I’ll put together mood boards with all these references and fabrics.

I make the garments and we do fittings, and there’s definitely a lot that goes into fitting someone that’s going to be up on stage. They’ll bring their guitars and we’ll talk about arm movement, things like that. We have to make sure they’re comfortable to rock out and happy to be wearing these garments over and over on tour. They have to be road-ready, so I spent a lot of time looking for fabrics that are going to hold up for back-to-back performances

It’s almost like you’re making athletic wear

It totally is. Underneath the sequin bodysuits, it’s all stretch spandex with everything built-in. They have to be comfortable jumping around for a couple hours, and it has to look good the whole time.

Can you describe the quintessential Kelsey Randall Girl?

When I first met Eva, I remember she was sitting with a group of people and clearly commanding the conversation. Everyone was laughing and she was the center of attention. I think in general, the girls that gravitate toward my clothes are people who command a room. Definitely not a wallflower.

What was your most memorable experience working with a musician?

I feel like this whole interview is going to end up being about Eva [laughs]. But the most memorable experience for me was last summer when Charly Bliss played Radio City. I made her custom outfit and got ready and I was backstage with her and the friend that introduced us.

It was at the end of their world tour, so just getting her ready for that show and then watching them play was so special. I know how hard they’ve worked and just to be able to witness such a huge step forward for them was just so exciting. It definitely makes me a little teary even thinking about it now.

Tell me about working with indie musicians versus more high profile mainstream talent.

The indie musicians I work with really want to look and feel like rock stars. I love working with girls that aren’t afraid to embrace their feminine side. And it’s so fun getting to work with A-list celebrities like Lizzo and Lil Nas X, but those are situations where you’re working mainly with the stylist rather than the talent. I’m really grateful for those relationships, but you don’t get to have those one-on-one conversations about the vision because you’re working through their team. Still, it’s definitely so exciting to see stars that I admire wearing my work. I have to pinch myself.

Who would be your dream to dress?

I want to dress Orville Peck, almost more than anyone else. I love country music and he’s my number one glam gay country cowboy. I love a rhinestone cowboy, so he’s top of my list to dress.

Beyonce has worn one of my hats before, which was already, like, you know, I’m sobbing. But I would love to make some head-to-toe looks for her. If you could tell like seventh grade Kelsey and all her Destiny’s Child posters that she would get to do a look for Beyonce, she’d be so thrilled.

I’m sure you loved Destiny’s Child’s iconic matchy looks.

Of course! I love to do a head-to-toe matchy-matchy ensemble, which I feel like was one of the best parts about the early 2000s girl group dressing.

What’s your favorite stage look throughout history?

Anything Bob Mackie did is instantly iconic for me. I think he probably has more of an influence on my aesthetic than any other designer. I also love Diana Ross and Jagger’s looks. They just always got it right.

Do you find that your local Brooklyn music scene influences your work?

I’ve always gone to see friends’ bands play, not always knowing how good the show was going to be or who else would be on the lineup. Some of the best bands I’ve ever seen were tiny names that no one knew at the time. It’s important for me to work with small artists that I really believe in. Every single artist that emails me about wanting to work together, I’ll always listen to their music.

How has your work been affected by the pandemic and the lack of live music?

The majority of the work I do is for musicians, and it’s been quiet on the custom work without them being on tour. During the first few months of the pandemic, all I did was make masks to donate. It was such a difficult, scary time for everyone, but I’m glad I was able to like do something. But as time went on, people started getting excited again and filming music videos and doing live streams. It’s been a quiet year sales-wise, but I’m anticipating that once everybody can get on stage, we’ll get rolling again.

How do you see your garments existing in a post-pandemic world?

The core collection that I made during the pandemic, which I made with lots of tiny toys, was very wistful and has this childlike nostalgia for innocent, happy times. I think once we’re able to get back out in the world again, especially for the performers, they’re going to want to exude a lot of joy and go big. There’s going to be such excitement with the return to the stage and I think we’re going to go even more over-the-top. After spending the better part of a year in sweatpants, people are going to be ready to get into some high glamor moments.

High fashion and music are both meant to be like escapes. After the pandemic, it’s going to be all about fantasy. Of course, there’s going to be a lot of sadness, but you go to a concert to celebrate.

Eminem was not the only rapper to deliver a “B-Side” project this weekend: Lil Wayne released his own deluxe version of his mixtape No Ceilings 3. The re-up comes less than a month after he delivered the third installation in the mixtape series. For his latest round of remixes, Lil Wayne delivers 14 new tracks, one of them being his take on Jack Harlow’s “Tyler Herro.” Wayne’s remix features Big Sean, with each rapper sharing a lengthy verse that flaunts their lyrical abilities.

No Ceilings 3: B-Side features guest appearances from Rich The Kid, Euro, 2 Chainz, and Lil Twist, and remixes of Dreamville’s “Down Bad,” Gunna’s “Dollaz on My Head,” Lil Baby’s “Sum 2 Prove,” SZA “Hit Different,” and more. The new project is also the New Orleans rapper’s third full-length release of the year, following Funeral and the standard version of No Ceilings 3. The rapper also announced that his next album, I Am Not A Human Being III, would arrive in 2021.

You can listen to Lil Wayne and Big Sean’s “Tyler Herro” remix in the video above.

No Ceilings 3: B-Side is out now via DatPiff. Listen to it here.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Over the last year, we’ve witnessed beautiful moments of human kindness and have come together to support each other like never before. As we look ahead to 2021, we are excited to partner with P&G Good Everything to continue supporting all the different ways people are leading with love.

There’s never been a better time to come together, step up and act. That’s why P&G Good Everyday is committing to 2,021 acts of good in 2021 — starting with the next wave of donations including health, hygiene and cleaning products, personal protective equipment (PPE) and financial support worth tens of millions of dollars for COVID-19 relief efforts in communities in the U.S. and around the world.

And by joining P&G Good Everyday, you can lead with love through your actions. Each time you answer surveys, take quizzes and scan receipts, you can feel good knowing that P&G will automatically donate to your favorite cause like ending period poverty, saving wildlife, or providing natural disaster relief.

Join us and #LeadWithLove. We know that even the smallest acts of good can make a world of difference.

On Friday, outgoing vice president Mike Pence had some exciting news: that wing of the military that will, like, patrol the stars or something? The one that’s already inspired a Netflix comedy that mocks it in its very name? Well, their service members now have a title. Those serving in the branch called Space Force will be called [drum roll] “Guardians.” The news prompted an asteroid shower of jokes, many of them related to Guardians of the Galaxy, the likely inspiration for the title. But one person was particularly rankled.

James Gunn, who oversees the Guardians wing of the MCU (and is also hard at work on The Suicide Squad), responded to the news. And he had a valid question.

“Can we sue this dork?” Gunn asked out loud. It’s a good question. If the franchise shares a name with a widely belittled branch of the military — created by a highly unpopular president — it cheapens the brand.

Gunn wasn’t the only member of Team Guardians of the Galaxy who was flummoxed. Pom Klementieff, who’s played Mantis since Vol. 2, chimed in.

“Maybe I can make them all sleep?” she asks, alluding to Mantis’ powers. “Maybe for like a year or something. Thx,” Gunn responded.

Of course, it’s not clear how long Space Force will still be around. Pence’s announcement came just shy of his last month in office. What’s more, there’s always the chance incoming president Joe Biden will scuttle plans for the branch, which has not yet been formally enacted anyway. Anyway, things sure are weird!

(Via EW)

Over the last year, we’ve witnessed beautiful moments of human kindness and have come together to support each other like never before. As we look ahead to 2021, we are excited to partner with P&G Good Everything to continue supporting all the different ways people are leading with love.

There’s never been a better time to come together, step up and act. That’s why P&G Good Everyday is committing to 2,021 acts in 2021 — starting with the next wave of donations including health, hygiene and cleaning products, personal protective equipment (PPE) and financial support worth tens of millions of dollars for COVID-19 relief efforts in communities in the U.S. and around the world.

And by joining P&G Good Everyday, you can lead with love through your actions. Each time you answer surveys, take quizzes and scan receipts, you can feel good knowing that P&G will automatically donate to your favorite cause like ending period poverty, saving wildlife, or providing natural disaster relief.

Join us and #LeadWithLove. We know that even the smallest acts of good can make a world of difference.

Finding the best whiskey to give as a gift is always daunting. There’s just so much of the beloved brown liquid on store shelves. Bottles you’ve been meaning to buy get lost in the mix and you end up settling for the tried and true.

Not this year. We’ve got your back this holiday season — ready to help you find that perfect bottle of whiskey to gift someone you care about. To help us with this mission, we pulled in some serious whiskey experts. We’re talking about whiskey judges, distillers, writers, critics, and sellers who live with whiskey every single day. They know the good stuff.

The bottles below are not ranked, but they are listed by price with the most affordable up top and the priciest at the bottom. We also tried to keep these bottles squarely in the “accessible” category, meaning that you can get most of these bottles nationwide, without too much effort or hunting. Other than those parameters, the only metric was whether or not the juice tastes good.

Early Times Bottled-in-Bond — Kenny Coleman, co-host of Bourbon Pursuit “The Official Podcast of Bourbon”

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $24

The Whiskey:

If I have to give a bottle of bourbon as a gift, people expect it to be a limited edition or hard to find and to be blown away by some exorbitant cost. That shouldn’t be the case. My go-to only comes in a 1L bottle, is near the bottom shelf for around $25, and won the Bourbon Pursuit bottled-in-bond competition back in 2019.

I’m talking about Early Times Bottled-in-Bond. Brown-Forman revived this brand and ditched the blended whiskey in favor of a straight bourbon whiskey. We’re so glad they did. It’s a brand with a storied history dating back 160 years. In 1953, Early Times was the best-selling bourbon in America.

Tasting Notes:

This expression comes in at 100 proof which helps it provide more flavor than standard bourbons on the shelf. With notes of honey, brown sugar, walnut, a good hint of oak, it checks all the boxes I seek. In June of 2020, Sazerac announced that it purchased this brand along with the remaining stocks from Brown-Forman. Stock up now because who knows what the future holds.

This product is only sold regionally, so find a good friend to help you out.

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey — Zach Johnston, Deputy Editor UPROXX Life and host of Expression Session

ABV: 46.5%
Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

We’ve talked a lot about Uncle Nearest 1820 this year in our “best of” lists. Now, it’s time to give their small-batch expression some much-needed love. This juice is hand-selected by Nathan “Nearest” Green’s direct descendent, Victoria Eady Butler, who assures the quality of each drop of whiskey.

The Tennessee whiskey is a minimum of seven years old when it’s small-batched, proofed, and bottled according to the Green family’s generations of taste and experience.

Tasting Notes:

You’re drawn in by fruits, Christmas spice, and oak with a fleeting sense of tart apples covered in caramel next to vanilla pods. There’s a light dried floral feel underneath the fruit, sweetness, oak, and spice that helps the dram shine. The end lingers for just the right amount of time to draw you back into the apple crumble — full of brown butter and sugar, plenty of dark spices, and a final touch of aged wood.

Aberlour A’bunadh — Jared Himstedt, Head Distiller and co-founder Balcones Distilling

ABV: 59.6%
Average Price: $100

The Whiskey:

My pick is Aberlour A’bunadh. It’s overproof, which can satisfy a cask strength lover, but takes water surprisingly well for those who like their whisky at a lower proof. It’s pretty heavily sherried, but not overly so. It has enough wood influence on it to have a cross-over appeal to bourbon drinkers.

It is dense, rich, and decadent — great for this time of year.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is quite vinous, somewhat solventy, with dense fruit and sweetness, with dried fruits and nutmeg, a hint herbal. Coating and thick on the palate, with the dark fruit accentuated by great acid and body. Dry and spicy enough on the finish to make you want more. With water, it’s nuttier and has a bit more sulfur on the nose, with the body lighter, with berries and black tea-like tannins more exposed.

It’s easy to see the versatility here, knowing it will get diluted, poured over ice, used in a cocktail, or over a dessert.

Lagavulin 16 — Adam Levy, Alcohol Professor and founder International Spirit Competitions

ABV: 43%
Average Price: $100

The Whiskey:

The holidays want me to recreate the Norman Rockwell setting of friends gathered around the fireplace and drinking something that will keep us warm. Because I do not have a fireplace, I keep a special shortlist of friends on my phone who do have a fireplace and more importantly appreciate good whiskey.

They know when I come to visit I am bringing a smoky Islay whiskey and this year’s gift is Lagavulin 16.

Tasting Notes:

Lagavulin is one of the stalwart distilleries located in the south of Islay near Ardbeg and Laphroaig that sets the standard of a smoky/peaty whiskey. When the glass is brought up to your face, your nose will immediately pick up the strong concentration of peaty smoke along with iodine. When you breathe it in as it gets closer to your nose, sweet spice as well as sherry, vanilla, and oak round out the experience. In your mouth, it has a pleasurable fullness as it lays on your tongue with the continuation of sherry as well as light sweetness and oak. The finish is properly layered as it goes down to your chest with a continued light sweetness, smoke, and hints of vanilla.

Find a friend with a fireplace and enjoy!

Tullamore D.E.W. 18 Irish Single Malt– Gillian Murphy, Irish Whiskey Ambassador

ABV: 41.3%
Average Price: $120

The Whiskey:

Searching for the perfect gift for the single malt scotch lover in your life that’s a little different? Why not introduce them to the world of Irish malt and gift them the rare Tullamore D.E.W. 18-Year-Old Single Malt.

Tullamore D.E.W. 18 is characterized by its rare, four cask recipe, finished in bourbon, Oloroso sherry, Port, and Madeira casks. This innovative finish gives the malt a uniquely rich and mellow taste.

Tasting Notes:

It’s rich and oaky with deep malty notes, caramelized fruits, and woody spice. It’s velvety smooth and mellow. Vanilla oak notes intertwine with cinnamon, baked apple, toasted marshmallows, and a biscuity sweetness. It’s rich and warming with a lingering malty sweetness.

Glenmorangie 18 — Brandon Smith, The Daily Dram and Dram & Oak

ABV: 43%
Average Price: $130

The Whiskey:

This is an exceptional value for high-end single malt whisky. The packaging is elegant and warrants a double-take when gifting any friend or deserving party. A notch above any entry-level whisky and a gift anyone would be happy to indulge in!

Tasting Notes:

The spirit itself is well composed with a profile of apricot, oak, cinnamon, and is balanced from start to finish. Quite the gift!

Highland Park 18 — Bobby Childs, Adventures in Whiskey

ABV: 43%
Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

If I could only give one bottle of whisky as a gift and price isn’t a factor, the answer comes easily: Highland Park 18. This single malt is sherry cask matured for at least 18 years, which gives it that dried fruit quality associated with some Christmas cakes, specifically fruit cake. My great uncle made one that was rich and decadent. It’s ingrained in my childhood memories.

The distillery also utilizes peat from Orkney, which is not the iodine-heavy variety from Islay. Orkney peat features a lovely heather note that adds a unique touch to this single malt.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find dried fruit and sherry notes upfront. Hiding just past that is sweet malt, honey, heather, and floral peat, is a nice candied orange peel. The whisky is rich and refined. Fresh citrus hits the palate first, followed by honey, dried fruit, sweet peat, and a slight herbal note. There is a lot going on here, but it doesn’t seem busy. In fact, the flavors here play off each other extremely well.

The sweet citrus/malt note carries over into the long finish, with just a touch of smoke. After a while, the finish becomes dry, inviting you to take another sip.

The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood — Chris Perugini, Single Malt Savvy

ABV: 47.6%
Average Price: $250

The Whiskey:

With the holidays upon us, it’s time to splurge a bit on a gift that any whisky lover will appreciate! The Balvenie’s 21 Year Portwood sits near the top of their standard range and this expression is my pick for good reason. This is one of those whiskies that really showcases the versatility of the brand’s honeyed, citrus house style with the added benefit of wine cask influence.

After maturing in ex-bourbon casks for 21 years, the whisky is transferred to large Port barrels called “pipes” for a short finishing period before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

This is a whisky that rewards patience. The longer you spend with it, the more complexities you’ll uncover. As with any Balvenie, the nose starts with deep honey and orange peel notes. The port casks add a layer of slight nuttiness, chocolate, and wine sweetness. Once you taste it, you’re greeted with red berries, baked apples, almond, mocha, and dark dried fruits in the form of prunes and figs. If you take your time, you’ll occasionally catch hints of fresh mint and a slight floral note.

Portwood is a grown-up Balvenie that shows its age while maintaining the perfect level of silky refinement you’d expect from a well crafted single malt. If you end up picking this up as a gift for someone, make sure they save you a pour!

Despite some early successes and early-action when facing coronavirus, California is experiencing a huge surge of COVID-19 cases as pandemic fatigue sets in amongst the general public. Daily cases have risen exponentially, from an average hovering around 4,000 statewide in late October, to numbers exceeding 30,000 a day over the past week. Elected and health officials across the state have been pleading with Californians to stay home — particularly since mid-November — and even issued a largely ignored Stay At Home order in counties across the state on November 22nd.

The purpose of that order was, in part, to discourage Thanksgiving travel. Making it even more surprising to learn that Yosemite Valley’s Ahwahnee Hotel hosted a massive indoor feast for hundreds of hotel guests from out of town over Thanksgiving. Given that the Ahwahnee Hotel is located on federal land, the hotel was not subjected to California’s mandatory mask order, which means hotel guests were only strongly advised to wear masks.

On an event ad posted on the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau’s website, guests were told to: “Prepare to be delighted with a Thanksgiving feast set in the historic Ahwahnee dining room. Located in Yosemite Valley, the high ceilings and chandeliers create the perfect backdrop for special occasions.” To be fair, signage at the party strongly suggested that hotel guests mask up, seating was arranged to encourage social distancing, and food was served via a touchless buffet. But according to SF Gate, which spoke with many of the hotel employees working over the holiday weekend, the Ahwahnee was fully booked and hundreds of guests showed up for the dinner’s multiple indoor seatings on Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving was a f-ing s-show… It was awful… every bellman, bartender, server and rooms keeper… all were very concerned about possibly being exposed.” Lianne Saylor, an employee speaking under a pseudonym told SF Gate.

It is currently unknown whether any Ahwahnee employees contracted the virus since Thanksgiving weekend, but accommodations and dining at the hotel have been temporarily closed due to a state-ordered shutdown that was implemented after California’s San Joaquin Valley ICU capacity (where the hotel is located) dipped below 15%.

Currently, 47 out of California’s 58 counties are under a regional stay-at-home order, representing 98.3% of the state’s total population. According to recent statewide metrics, California has only 2.1% ICU availability and logged over 41,000 cases and 300 deaths statewide on Friday, December 18th alone.

While adults are clearly having a hard time with the pandemic, quarantine, unemployment, and general ennui, it’s the children that many people are worried about. Being isolated from hanging out with their friends — and for many kids, staying home from school and unable to socialize — has been a major concern during 2020’s chaos. Luckily, the boldness of youth has stuck around with one 12-year-old aspiring DJ, who took matters into his own hands when it came to throwing a rave at school. Cael Bell, an English pre-teen apparently used Snapchat to invite all the boys in his grade to a bathroom dance party that went on for about a half hour before school authorities shut it down.

His mother, Louise Bell, posted on Facebook about the incident and has not been concerned about punishing her son at all, but in fact appears to be quite tickled by the whole thing. After inviting “all the boys from year 8” at St. Antony’s Catholic College in Manchester, UK to the party, he reportedly also had refreshments on hand.

“Just had a call from Caels school,” she wrote. “He had organised a rave in the boys toilets at dinner time invited all the boys from year 8 so he has now had his speaker and lights confiscated. Am I wrong for finding this funny. Well he’s home, I’ve asked him about it he never lets me down this boy…… He advertised on snap chat a week ago and posted date time etc. They handed round Cadbury’s twirls and lucozade. It lasted 30 mins before getting shut down. I might ask to see the video footage sounds good. I haven’t managed to get my hands on the actual footage just yet but hold Tight people I will. I’ve posted a few old Videos of Cael DJing in his room for now to give you all a idea of what he gets up 2.”

Along with the story, his mother also posted some videos of the sets Cael gets up to at his room at home, and they’re not bad! Check out his mom’s full post below:

It’s been a banner week for Kyrie Irving. After calling the media “pawns” and refusing to participate in his media responsibilities, Kyrie earned a hefty fine and, of course, drew the ire of many in the world of sports reporting. That included Charles Barkley, who went particularly hard at Kyrie on Friday and what he characterized as his need to be seen as the “smartest person in the world.”

Thankfully, it was back to actual basketball on Friday night, as Kyrie and the Nets traveled to Boston to face his former team in the final tune-up game of the preseason before the regular season gets underway next week. And just to make sure that there wasn’t any lingering negative energy from his departure two summers ago, Kyrie made sure to literally clear the air with some sage prior to tip off.

Kyrie returns to Boston tonight with the Nets. He is out on the court early burning sage before tipoff.

(via @NBCSCeltics)pic.twitter.com/ibmRW5Gx4D

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) December 18, 2020

It should come as little surprise that Irving would subscribe to this popular new age practice, and whether it was the sage or not, he was greeted warmly by his former teammates prior to tip-off.

Kyrie and Tatum catching up before the game

(via @NBCSCeltics)pic.twitter.com/NChS1FK1ad

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2020

That, combined with the outcome of the game, is enough to make the argument that it may have helped a little bit, as the Nets finished up their preseason with a 113-89 win in Boston.

Irving finished the game with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting for the night, to go along with seven rebounds and five assists against his former team. But it was Kevin Durant who led the way for Brooklyn with 25 points. The two have given us a tantalizing look at what we can expect in the regular season, and let’s hope that Kyrie’s sage-burning practice continues to be part of that routine, as well.

Mulatto has found herself in a bit of hot water recently. After being inducted into 2020 XXL Freshmen Class, the rapper instantly faced scrutiny over her chosen name. More recently, Mulatto was slammed by people on Clubhouse for claiming colorism isn’t real, an allegation she later denied. All this controversy has led the rapper to contemplate a name change — and she just confirmed that it’s in the works.

Mulatto addressed the name change in an interview with The Shade Room. The rapper said it is happening, but people need to be patient:

“It’s still in the works. People gotta understand too that at this level in an artist’s career, that’s not something that just happens overnight. Or, it’s not something that even happens period because there’s so much money and investments on the line. I think people need to be more patient and then they need to be more understanding, but it’s definitely in the works.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Mulatto also addressed accusations that she denied the existence of colorism. “First of all, I’m not a colorist,” she said. “I’m not a colorist. But the internet, you know, they going to do what they going to do. I can’t convince people that already don’t like me otherwise. So I’m not finna have a stroke about it. But that would be my biggest misconception as of recent.”

The rapper also mentioned that she’s been educating herself on issues like colorism: “That’s why I’m doing my little part on the back end, learning, and talking about the name change, stuff like that.”

This isn’t the first time Mulatto mentioned the possibility of a name change. In a recent interview with HipHopDX, the rapper said it’s something that often crosses her mind: “I can’t say too much because we’re working on something right now, but I would be lying to say it hasn’t crossed my mind before. It is a controversy that I hear and see every day as far as my name goes, so I would be lying to say no I never thought of that. But I can’t say too much because right now because it’s going to be a part of something bigger.”

Hear Mulatto’s full statement about her possible name change above.