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Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is only 96 minutes, but it’s brought the world hours of entertainment in the form of Rudy Giuliani doing… whatever he’s doing here.

There’s been a back and forth between the former-New York City mayor and Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen ever since. Rudy, who might think that Borat is a real person, claims the movie was a “hit job,” while Baron Cohen responded to the “innocent sexytime” both in and out of character. Giuliani was asked about the hotel scene by Fox Business host Kennedy on Tuesday night, and he had a rational, even-keeled response.

Hm, maybe not.

“Do you regret your interaction in the Borat movie?” Kennedy asked Giuliani, who somehow got more bug-eyed than he did while screaming about Hunter Biden’s laptop. “Now that’s a stupid question isn’t it? That’s a really stupid question,” he snapped. Kennedy said her question wasn’t stupid at all, that she has a 15-year-old daughter and she “was kind of grossed out by it.” When given a chance to explain himself, Giuliani snarled, “I called the police when I realized that it was a scam. I called the police and he ran away. The minute she said something compromising, I called the police. Whether you believe it or not, I was tucking my shirt in, he made it appear as if it was something different… Borat and his 50-man crew ran out of the place. Would you like to ask me any other questions to attack me for merely coming on your show to show you what criminals they are?” The clip is worth watching for the way Rudy says “Borat.” Weird guy!

(Via Talking Points Memo)

Many around the NBA were puzzled last fall when Bradley Beal signed an extension with the Wizards that took him off the trade market for the entirety of the 2019-20 season. Firmly in his prime and getting better every year, it was surprising to see Beal lock himself into a deal with Washington when the team was decimated by injuries and bloated salaries.

With 2020 free agency nearing, Beal spoke more openly and firmly about his relationship with the Wizards in a new episode of JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast, saying, “the organization still has to show me that we want to win.”

Beal also mentioned that he wants to see how John Wall returns from injury and that he still relishes the opportunity to have a team built around him, but that the Wizards have not lived up to their end of the bargain.

“You still want to be able to protect yourself and kind of be selfish in that regard and (look at) how I can create some type of flexibility for myself if we aren’t winning, if I do choose to get out,” Beal explained. “That’s why it was a one and one versus a the full three-year (deal).”

Owed $63.2 million over the next two seasons before a $37.2 million player option for the 2022-23 season, Beal is also now eligible to be traded again. Judging from his comments here, this season may represent one final opportunity for the Wizards to prove they are serious about getting back into the postseason if they want to keep Beal around.

Jon Stewart will soon return from TV “retirement” for Apple TV+, but since leaving The Daily Show, he’s spent a great deal of his time fighting for 9/11 first responders who have suffered lifelong health repercussions. He ripped into members of Congress who failed to show up for related hearings. And in the above 2019 photo, Stewart celebrated when the U.S. Senate voted to renew permanent authorization of September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. On this year’s 9/11 anniversary, the New York Daily News reported that the Trump Administration had raided/withheld money from a fund championed by Stewart to the tune of $4 million. Yes, these funds were siphoned from the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, and CNN now reports that these funds have miraculously been re-funded by the Treasury Department.

The timing of this move, less than a week before the election, is curious, to say the least. The president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association confirmed the re-funding to CNN, which relays a statement from a Treasury Department spokesperson:

“This nation owes a profound debt of gratitude to the 9/11 first responders. This Administration is committed to supporting the heroes of 9/11 and we are pleased this matter has been successfully resolved.”

In response, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued pointed remarks that indicate how the city will keep their eye on the funds going forward:

“The Trump administration should have never held these funds hostage in the first place, and we are happy they realized their error. We will continue to monitor this progress to ensure funds are available for first responders without federal interference.”

This back-and-forth follows program director Dr. Davie Prezant detailing the funds’ disappearance to the NYDN while explaining that the program hadn’t even received a letter to explain the defunding. The pandemic, of course, complicated matters related to healthcare for first responders, many of whom suffer ongoing adverse effects after their time working at Ground Zero. Rep. Pete King also explained that he’d been waiting for a response from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and the White House had also ignored the NYDN‘s attempts to secure a comment. King declared that for “even $1 to be being held back is indefensible,” but all the funding has been put back into place now. Just like that, although those Trump supporters who were left waiting in the cold on Tuesday night still haven’t received an answer on that debacle.

(Via CNN & New York Daily News)

Ever since Arctic Monkeys returned in 2018 to released their LP Tranquility Bass Hotel & Casino, the band has remained relatively quiet. But now, two years later, Arctic Monkeys are stepping back into the limelight with a charitable announcement: The band is sharing a live album in order to benefit a non-profit.

Arctic Monkeys announced their Live At The Royal Albert Hall album Wednesday. The 20-track effort features performances of songs from each of their six studio albums, including their smash-hit LP AM. Proceeds from the live album sales will benefit the organization War Child UK, which aims to protect and support children affected by war.

In a statement alongside the album announcement, Arctic Monkeys wrote:

“On June 7, 2018 we played a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. All the proceeds from that memorable night were donated to War Child UK in support of the vital work they do protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced the trauma of conflict and the horror of war. The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at The Royal Albert Hall. All proceeds will go direct to the charity. We thank all our fans in advance for their support of this release and in turn for their support of War Child UK.”

Watch Arctic Monkeys’ teaser above and find the Live At The Royal Albert Hall tracklist below.

1. “Four Out Of Five”
2. “Brianstorm”
3. “Crying Lightning”
4. “Do I Wanna Know?”
5. “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
6. “505”
7. “One Point Perspective”
8. “Do Me A Favour”
9. “Cornerstone”
10. “Knee Socks”
11. “Arabella”
12. “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino”
13. “She Looks Like Fun”
14. “From The Ritz To The Rubble”
15. “Pretty Visitors”
16. “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair”
17. “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”
18. “StarTreatment”
19. “The View From The Afternoon”
20. “R U Mine?”

Live At The Royal Albert Hall is out 12/4 via Domino. Pre-order it here.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Wearing your heart on your sleeve will always be a dangerous thing. The vulnerability that comes with it makes the body’s most vital organ susceptible to internal damage, more commonly known as heartbreak. For some, the risk isn’t enough to tuck the heart away and play defense in the game of love for the future. It’s a driving force that continues the push to find “the one.” This is what Dante Jones and Drew Love — more commonly known as the R&B duo They. — strive to do on their sophomore album The Amanda Tape.

In a successful attempt to strive for conciseness above all else, They. uses just ten songs to paint a picture of continued vulnerability with the end goal of hopefully hitting the jackpot and winning a heart that yearns for love as much as theirs does. The Amanda Tape taps into the varying results of shooting your shot or asking for one last chance at love. The confidence, pleading, confusion, second-guessing, and the acceptance of undesired realities; it’s all found on They.’s sophomore album and it produces a wave of relatability that reminds listeners that fame and success don’t equate to an easier road to love and a happy heart.

The shots at love They. take on The Amanda Tape are at times bold. It’s a hard swing to the home run wall at left-field with the hope that the universe is just kind enough to keep the ball on the right side of the foul ball pole, something that “All Mine” presents. On the track, the duo proves that the conclusion of a relationship doesn’t immediately equate to an extinguished flame of intimacy. The underlying feelings are brought to light despite the other parties’ attempts to move on and continue life with someone else. “You can’t deny what you know,” They. says toxically. “That p*ssy will always be mine.” While the song may be a bit out of pocket in terms of the approach towards a woman in another relationship, it’s clear the attempt wouldn’t have been made if They. didn’t believe it’d be successful.

This brave pursuit of love appears once again on “Count Me In” and “STCU,” both of which strive to start a merry journey towards happy matrimony. However, things begin to change in the second half of The Amanda Tape. Elsewhere, the duo is left to watch their grasp on their relationships loosen to the point of no return. They.’s drive to be at their very best with their partner dwindles on “Losing Focus.” The change is acknowledged, something that pushes Drew Love and Wale more and more to accept the realities of a love that failed to live up to the hype. “On And On” — a wonderfully composed song that hits deep for the listener — is a pleading attempt to their partner to join in on picking up the pieces of their broken love. “Don’t say it’s too late, we can still / Save this thing,” They. heartfully sings on the song. “Ask me, ‘What went wrong?’ / I could go on and on and on.” The song perfectly depicts a heightened sense of the vulnerability the R&B duo displays throughout the album to the point that it’s almost as if you can hear their heart on their sleeve. Unfortunately for They., it failed to produce the result they hoped for.

With that, The Amanda Tape closes with a slow journey towards accepting the reality of heartbreak. “FWM” is the refusal to believe the obvious while the relationship unravels right before the eyes. The album’s outro track, “Conclude,” accepts that the fork in the road isn’t a choice for both partners to pick from, but rather, one that requires separation and a conclusion of the relationship. They. wearing their heart on the sleeve wasn’t enough to strike gold with love, but the calming end to “Conclude” lets listeners know that it’s okay. The pain will be there, but at least all was done in the attempt to win a heart and love they’ve trekked high and low to find.

Unlike most love-related R&B albums we hear, They.’s The Amanda Tape lives in the present. Listeners are invited to indulge in the R&B duo’s present thoughts, worries, and overall feelings that pertain to the relationship they hope to create. The story doesn’t feel like a recollection of memories, instead, listeners walk with They. along the way in real-time and feel the successes and perils of love just as much as the R&B duo does.

The Amanda Tape is out now via Avant Garden/Island. Get it here.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ front office is about to get a new boss. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Sixers are on the verge of coming to a deal with now-former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, which will hand the reins of the team’s basketball operations over to him.

As Wojnarowski explained, this deal should come to fruition soon, and while he’ll take over basketball operations, general manager Elton Brand’s job is not in jeopardy.

The news was eventually confirmed by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Morey’s tenure with the Rockets came to its end earlier this offseason following the team’s departure from the NBA’s Orlando Bubble. While it was believed that Morey would take some time after a mutual parting of ways in Houston to recharge, he’ll land on his feet in a fascinating situation. Morey is the league’s most tried-and-true believes in letting numbers dictate decisions, of course, but he’s also a firm believer that teams need stars to win, and Philadelphia has two of the brightest young standouts in the league in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The team had also reportedly pursued him in the past, although that never came to fruition.

It also begs mentioning that Morey is not afraid to take swings in free agency and on the trade block in the pursuit of a championship, and with Philadelphia’s … let’s call it clunky roster, the potential to make major moves in the lead-up to the 2020 season seems likely. Regardless, several years after Sam Hinkie, the architect of The Process and a Morey disciple, left the organization, the Sixers have decided to bring his old boss on board.

DaBaby was the most-nominated artist at last night’s 2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards, competing in 12 categories including two nominations for Album Of The Year. At the end of the night, he held an impressive grand total of exactly zero of those awards, missing out on Artist Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Lyricist Of The Year, and more. However, while some fans poked fun on social media, DaBaby himself seemed pretty sanguine about the whole thing, congratulating the winners on Twitter. “ion think Baby trippin,” he wrote. “BET love Baby, congrats to the winners. #WellDeserved”

Meanwhile, the winners of the awards DaBaby missed out on include Megan Thee Stallion (Hip-Hop Artist of the Year), Future and Drake (Best Hip-Hop Video for “Life Is Good”), Roddy Ricch (Song of the Year for “The Box” and Hip-Hop Album of the Year for Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, Travis Scott (Best Live Performer), and Rapsody (Lyricist of the Year). The highlights of the evening included performances from Big Sean, Burna Boy, City Girls, Lil Baby, Mulatto, Ty Dolla Sign, and more, with the show saluting late rappers Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke. Elsewhere, the cyphers collected some of hip-hop’s most exciting new acts like Ade, Flo Milli, and Deante Hitchcock, and even included an R&B cypher with Brandy, Erykah Badu, HER, and Teyana Taylor spitting some bars.

See DaBaby’s response to his off night above.

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

As someone who began her massive music career at just 15-years-old, Taylor Swift has put a lot of her life experiences into her music over eight studio albums. Two of the singer’s records, Red and 1989, recently landed a spot on Rolling Stone‘s roundup of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. Now reflecting on those eras, Swift recalls putting all of her heartbreak into the songwriting process on Red.

In an upcoming podcast interview with Rolling Stone and Amazon Music, Swift will break down her Red album. A snippet of the interview was released Tuesday and in it, Swift names Red as her “only true breakup album,” saying it was an album she “wrote specifically about pure, absolute, to the core, heartbreak.”

In other Swift news, the singer recently turned out another extremely successful album recently. Following her 2019 blissed-out pop record Lover, the singer dropped the surprise LP Folklore in late July. The album, produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, led the singer to spend 47 weeks at No. 1, more than any other female artist. Just last week, the record returned to No. 1 once again and became the first album in 2020 to sell over a million copies.

Listen to a snippet of Swift’s conversation with Rolling Stone above.

“Dark Knight feeling, die and be a hero / or live long enough to see yourself become a villain…”

Jay-Z uttered that on Kanye West’s “So Appalled,” a song title that fits fan sentiment toward so many of our 2000s and 2010s faves’ descent from “favorite to the most hated” for one reason or another. Jay was referencing The Dark Knight and Batman’s choice of whether to kill a corrupted Harvey Dent and keep him from tarnishing his beloved image as the sinister Two-Face or to uphold his own code and let Two-Face continue his rampage.

While the stakes aren’t that high in the rap world, many fans wish we could somehow encase our rap heroes in their greatness, before attrition and celebrity insulation led them to disappoint us for one reason or another. 2020 in particular has been chockful of dubious quotes and curious silence from rappers that muddies the listening experience for many — if they can listen at all. If celebrity has taught us one thing this year, it’s that time, like money, often exposes who you really are.

Rap fans should consider themselves lucky if their favorite merely sounds dated or saw their lyrical luster fade in the battle rap arena like Cassidy. That’s just what happens with art sometimes. But the election season exploits of certain rap veterans, to again quote Kanye’s hit, have been “f*ckin’ ridiculous.”

Kanye is somehow on the election ballot. Diddy and Ice Cube exposed their political inexperience at the wrong time with a pair of scrutinized initiatives. 50 Cent joked about voting for Donald Trump to take advantage of tax breaks, not realizing, or caring, that he has suffering fans that are in no position to joke about another Trump presidential term. 50 Cent became beloved in part for reckless comments, but he’s turned off many for that very same reason. He’s since clarified that he actually hates Trump, but the MAGA crowd are a special kind of misinformed. Clarification doesn’t mean as much to them as fabrication.

Cube’s continued attempts to distance himself from Trump have proved that. The rap icon merely spoke with the administration about his Contract With Black America, but a Trump aide beat him to the punch of announcing it and framed him as an ally. While some respect him for his willingness to speak with whomever for the sake of Black people, others feel like he allowed himself to be used by an administration desperate for Black votes. Unfortunately, he’s been unable to articulate exactly how his CWBA is reflected in Trump’s Platinum Plan for Black America and now he has proximity to Jared Kushner’s racist implication that Black people don’t “want to be successful” — which was uttered during a Fox News interview about Cube. The entire situation is a mess that may forever tarnish his militant early ‘90s catalog with some listeners.

But he’s not the only artist ripe to be heard with new ears. Earlier this year, some stars disappointed their following during a heightened political moment after the police killing of George Floyd. There were some entertainers who spoke up for the protesters, but there was also a deafening silence from stars like Kendrick Lamar. He had spent the previous decade exploring the nature of the Black American experience but had nothing publicly to say about the very real pain we were all dealing with after Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s police killings — although he did make an appearance at a protest in his hometown. There are millions of fans eager to support his next work, but some may feel like they have a new context to engage him as someone who, while talented, might not be as politically passionate as his music would indicate.

Later that June, J. Cole caught ire for tone-policing Noname on his “Snow On Tha Bluff” record. His song is just one instance of many rappers alienating their female fanbases this year. In a more serious circumstance, Game was accused of sexual assault and lost a $7 million dollar lawsuit (because he didn’t show up to the hearing). Cam’ron and 50 Cent somehow found humor in Megan Thee Stallion saying she was shot. Rap fans also expressed disappointment that few rappers came out in support of Megan Thee Stallion. T.I., Bun B, and Maxo Kream were some who eventually did, but it came after weeks of Megan expressing a lack of support amid misogyny — including from her own peers. These artists relied heavily on women to accrue their riches, but couldn’t reciprocate support when Black women needed it most.

This piece would’ve been doubly long culling the misdeeds of newer acts in hip-hop. But the antics of veteran acts sting more because they’re all too entrenched in our minds to dismiss. People won’t hesitate to delete Lil Pump from their libraries after his recent pro-Trump comments. But it’s harder to cut ties with an artist you love. It feels like a bigger slap in the face. Many fans who grew up with ’00s-and-‘10s-era rappers will comb through the music of their teenage and childhood years, reflect on good times with them, then end up saying, “it’s a shame they [insert self-inflicted L here].”

Some of these artists have shown us who they were. They expressed their innermost thoughts and aspirations in song, but some listeners were naive enough to think those characteristics wouldn’t lead them too far astray. Jay-Z told us “I’m out for presidents to represent me” from day one. Should we really be surprised about his controversial alliance with the NFL? Likewise, 50 Cent came out the gate talking reckless without a care for the consequences. That mentality doesn’t change in an election year.

The truth is usually there for us to notice, but in some cases, we feel fooled. When J. Cole rapped “n****s be thinkin’ I’m deep, intelligent, fooled by my college degree, my IQ is average” on “Snow On Tha Bluff,” it felt like a copout. He had spent a decade growing along with fans, ascending commercially around the same time as the Ferguson uprising with “Be Free.” But then he dropped the ball at a critical social justice moment, attacking someone who was advocating for the people in a manner we wished he would have.

But that expectation is the problem. Years of good PR, media hype, and devout stannery vaulted entertainers up the cultural pedestal. But as Tupac once said, “Watch people. Because you can fake for a long time, but one day you’re gonna show yourself to be a phony.” Or an abuser. Or an egoist. The gifts of longevity as an entertainer are fame and riches, but the curse is that no one can hide who they really are forever — especially with riches that detach you from reality. Today, when stars falter, the perceived betrayal makes the backlash strike that much harder. The echo chamber of discontent is that much louder and harder for artists to cut through. The music becomes much harder to listen to.

The disappointment we feel toward our favorites is a pitfall of consumerism. So now we have to scrutinize the environment. It would be foolish of us to continue the cycle of hoisting artists as larger than life figures, knowing we’re going to drop them the second they strike a nerve and not be able to enjoy their music the same. Going forward, a healthier relationship with celebrity looks like simply appreciating their talent and keeping it at that.

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

Ty Dolla Sign’s new album Featuring Ty Dolla Sign is out now and in a well-timed promotional effort, the LA singer made his return to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series with a Tiny Desk At-Home performance of some of the album’s tracks, including “Temptations,” “Ego Death,” and “Your Turn.” He also added a few other fan-favorite catalog singles, with “Or Nah,” “Paranoid,” and his chorus from “Something New” all fitting the “featuring Ty Dolla Sign” theme.

The concert itself is relatively low-key as Ty clears out space in his own office for his band and DJ as they play smooth renditions of his hits and Ty shows off his vocal chops. Ty also picks up his MPC machine for the intro to “Ego Death,” showing his proficiency at using the device as his band embellishes the house-influenced hit.

Speaking of features, Ty contributed a number of his signature pop-up appearances to other artists in the lead-up to his album release, turning his visibility into near-ubiquity. He assisted SZA with her comeback single “Hit Different,” Big Sean with his romantic, Jhene Aiko-featuring “Body Language,” and he’ll be dueting with Ariana Grande on her new album Positions.

Featuring Ty Dolla Sign is out now via Atlantic Records. Get it here.

Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.