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Lil Nas X has been teasing new music for some time now. In July, he said his debut album was almost done and gauged its progress at 92 percent completed. By the start of October, that number was up to 98%. It looks like his first full-length release may be wrapped up now. At the very least, the rapper is teasing something new for November.

Yesterday, a fan noted on Twitter, “it has been 480 days since Lil Nas X dropped an original song. this wait comes to an end soon.” The rapper responded, “nasvember right around the corner,” with a party hat emoji. He also updated his social media bios to include the phrase “nasvember,” and in an Instagram Story, he wrote that he’s gonna have big moments beyond November as well: “2021 gonna be me in god mode! I can’t f*ckin wait!”

Lil Nas X already has some confirmed plans for next year, as he recently announced his first children’s book, C Is For Country, which goes on sale in January. The publisher’s bio describes the book, “Join superstar Lil Nas X — who boasts the longest-running #1 song in history — and Panini the pony on a joyous journey through the alphabet from sunup to sundown. Experience wide-open pastures, farm animals, guitar music, cowboy hats, and all things country in this debut picture book that’s perfect for music lovers learning their ABCs and for anyone who loves Nas’s signature genre-blending style.”

Jahana Hayes serves in Congress as the Representative of a district in northwest Connecticut. As part of her re-election campaign this year, she is hosting a series of virtual conversations throughout her district over Zoom so she can listen to the cares and concerns of the people she serves.

What she didn’t expect to listen to in one of those conversations was six minutes of racist bile directed at her.

First it was a voice, about 10 minutes into the meeting, saying “Shut up, N-word.” After Hayes’ team blocked that person, another came in with a clip of a song using the n-word on repeat. Again, her team removed the offending party. Then two more chimed in—clearly a coordinated effort.

Hayes kept it together during the racist attacks, smiling and apologizing to the people in the call and waiting patiently while her team took care of the trolls. She had just a handful of minutes between calls to check in with her team members and prepare for the next conversation, and she did. But that didn’t mean she was okay. In fact, she shared a post on Medium in which she made it clear that she was not okay.

“I am tired, completely and utterly tired,” she wrote. “No, actually I’m exhausted. This is something that a leader is not supposed to say; but it’s whatever.”

After explaining what happened, she wrote, “To wrap up my evening, I call my staffer, who was moderating the event, to see if she is ok—I call the only other Black person on the zoom to check in on her and be sure she is ok—I call my Communications Director to instruct him to report the incident. I cannot even reflect on what just happened because I have to be sure my team is ok. I sign out of my computer, but not before I post a screenshot of a section of the zoom chat which read ‘SHUT UP N-word GO PICK YOUR COTTON,’ repeated in all caps over and over—fully appreciating the fact that cries of ‘identity politics’ are sure to commence.”

She went on to explain how all of this feels:

“Many will question why I would post something so raw and offensive? It is because I realized in that moment that I am not ok. I am not ok that this happened. I am not ok, that this is not the first time this has happened in my life or that I’ve had to explain that this happens. I am not ok, that I have to post a screenshot to prove it happened. I am not ok, that people will still doubt that it happened or the word of the forty or so participants on the call will be a necessary to ‘verify’ the incident happened. I am not ok, that I will have to delicately explain to people that this happens—here. I am not ok, that many will try and separate/defend these words and actions and will not see that these comments are not about policy or politics—they are about racism and hate and challenge our decency. I am not ok! I said it—I admit it, I am not ok.

Black women are expected to press on, to ignore this behavior; to not talk explicitly about it because it is uncomfortable, divisive or does not reflect the sentiments of most people. I have watched other women weather this storm and fend off these types of attacks and wonder if in their quiet places they have felt what I am feeling right now. We have become numb to this behavior, instinct kicks in and we just move on. So many well intentioned people say things like, ignore it, you’re better than that or don’t let it bother you. Even as I write, I am exhausted by the fact that I am carefully choosing my words, as to capture the experience, but not offend the reader. We are left debating zoom security, yet not addressing the underlying issue—that pockets of racism and hate still exist right in our own front yard. The most painful part of it all is that no matter what you achieve in life, no matter how many degrees you earn or how good of a person you try to be—all some people will ever allow themselves to see is a N-word.

Has anyone ever considered the trauma of such an experience? Words matter and they cut deep, no matter how hard you try to suppress or ignore them—words hurt. In that moment I was reminded that I carry the weight of leading by example and knowing that everyone was watching my next step. As the first African American woman ever elected to Congress from CT, I know there is likely no blueprint for how to communicate my feelings on this topic to my constituents. I heard the words of Michelle Obama ‘when they go low we go high’ play over and over in my head. I imagined if my Grandma were here she would shake her head and immediately start to pray as she recalled some of the most painful parts of her own history. I thought of the 17 year old who is met with the same racist, vitriol attacks and has to make the life defining decision of how they will respond. So NO—I am not ok.

It does not mean that I am broken, or that I will give up. It does not mean that I do not love my country or recognize that one person does not speak for the majority. It means that, tonight I will practice some self care. I will read a book, take a bath and maybe have a good cry and tomorrow I will steady myself and get back to work.”

There are people in this country who think that successful Black Americans don’t experience racism, as if achievement in their careers or a certain level of economic comfort somehow hides the color of their skin. There are people in this country who brush off blatant racist incidents as an outlier—a rare occurrence that should just be ignored and that will just miraculously go away on its own.

But as Hayes points out, that’s not the way this works.

“Check in on your Black friends, I can assure you that there are many who are not ok in this current climate. Stop saying that this doesn’t happen here or dismissing it as anecdotal. Have an honest conversation about what we are all experiencing. Listen, don’t project, don’t make judgements, just listen. While understanding my pain may be a journey for some, a refusal to acknowledge it is a non starter for anyone who seeks to heal our nation. The only way we can cut the cancer of racism out of our communities is by calling it out when we see it and raising our collective voices to get rid of it. In the words of Edmund Burke, ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good people to do nothing.’ Let’s all commit to doing something and being ok together.”

Yes, let’s all commit to doing something to destroy this cancer once and for all.

Quinton Brock is ready for his break-out moment. With his new single “To The Moon,” the New York-based musician weaves punk rock influences with shimmering melodies and is on a self-proclaimed journey to begin “changing rock music forever.”

“To The Moon” was born out of a particularly tumultuous time for the musician. Within days of each other, Brock’s beloved dog passed away and his girlfriend broke up with him, comparing him to a dog as a hurtful insult. Rather than wallow in the painful emotions, Brock turned to music as a cathartic outlet and created “To The Moon” as a result.

While the pandemic lockdown altered many of the artist’s musical aspirations, he’s still pushing through with his new sound. Debuting the track Wednesday, Brock took to Twitter to remind fans that this is only the beginning and signal that there’s more music in the pipeline.

While Brock is ready for a new era with the single, this is far from his first project. The musician already has two albums under his belt, including one with his short-lived band The Get Money Squad. Creative differences led to his band’s split, but also paved the way for Brock to shine in his new role as a solo artist.

Watch Brock’s “To The Moon” video above.

The relationship between LeBron James and his head coach has been a key ingredient in all of his championship teams, and his partnership with Frank Vogel was a factor in the Lakers building a dominant defense and developing a system that suited James and Anthony Davis so well. Vogel expanded on their connection in an interview with Jim Rome of CBS Sports on Wednesday, praising James for being “a great partner.”

“He just has an unbelievable feel for the game of basketball and what creates winning basketball,” Vogel said. “The ability to impact our team with his mind, not just on a particular play but the development of a team … being a great partner with (me) throughout the course of this year in building this thing, combined with the fact that he’s able at age 35 to go out and dominate the way he did … just gave me a whole new perspective on what I already knew was a great player.”

Vogel also pointed out how the Lakers did this after going into the 2019 offseason with just three players — James, Davis, and Kyle Kuzma — on their roster. By working with the coaching staff and altering his game to be even more of a passer than before, James was able to lead the Lakers to a title in his second season with the team.

This week, we seriously thought about launching the top five with four sneakers from a single brand plus a triple offering from Supreme, but there are just too many good sneakers dropping to talk about, so we smashed some of those entries together. Welcome to SNX DLX, the only weekly sneaker and apparel roundup where you get nine sneakers in a top-five — that’s more bang for your buck, baby!

In all seriousness, this was the toughest week in awhile as brands across the streetwear world are unloading their year-end releases as we approach 2021. What didn’t make the cut? Ninja’s latest collection with Adidas, a suede heavy GOLF le FLEUR from Tyler the Creator, and a Halloween themed collection from Reebok. Those are definitely worth your time, but they just couldn’t hold a candle to what UNION LA, Supreme, and Nike have planned for the week.

Let’s dive into the week’s best sneaker and apparel releases of the week!

Union LA x Jordan Brand Collection

Kicking off this week’s top five with a bang is this three sneaker collection from LA streetwear staple Union LA. Consisting of a Zoom 92, a Delta Mid, and the most coveted of all, an Air Jordan IV, this collection designed by Union LA owner Chris Gibbs brings together the best of Nike’s 80s and 90s design techniques and reimplements them with modern design sensibilities — offering the dopest iterations of the silhouettes from Jordan Brand’s lifestyle line.

While the Off Noir Jordan IV is obviously the most popular piece in the collection (it’s the best silhouette hands down), we’re loving the bright Guava Ice colorway of the Zoom 92, which offers a lighter palette of colors that comes off as a little more unique than the Off Noir set. Though you’d be hard-pressed to end up with a sneaker from this collection that isn’t dope, truth be told.

The Union Jordan Brand collection is set to drop on October 16th for a retail range of $150-$250. Pick up a pair of the Air Jordan 4, Delta Mid or Zoom 92 at through the Nike SNKRS app or at the Livestock webstore.

Nike Air Force 1 Wheat/Mocha

This stunning, fall-themed spin on the Air Force 1 swaps out the sneaker’s usual leather upper for a premium wheat suede makeup that sits atop a warm and earthy translucent tinted midsole and sports a mocha-colored collar. Rock these to your Zoom-powered Thanksgiving or whatever weird version of the holiday we end up experiencing this year and your footwear will go down as the most memorable non-edible item of the night.

The Nike Air Force 1 in Wheat/Mocha is set to drop on October 17th for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app.

Union Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Hi

UNION LA is absolutely killing it this week. Flying slightly under the radar due to the release of the Jordan Brand collection, UNION is also dropping a Chuck Taylor All Star Hi sporting an all-over design by Sheila Bridges that comes printed on a matching bucket hat. Featuring Bridges “Harlem Toile” print, which was inspired by the imagery of a 1700’s French Toile that Bridges borrowed to tell the story of her own culture, this Chuck Taylor is the best change-up the silhouette has received in some time.

People are always trying in vain to find a way to update the classic Chuck Taylor, but leave it to UNION and Bridges to be the ones to make it happen in a way that grabs eyes while staying true!

The Union Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Hi is out now for a retail price of $100. Pick up a pair at the Converse webstore.

Air Jordan 1 Lucky Green

Jordan 1 lovers with big feet are taking the L this week as Nike drops a woman’s sized only Lucky Green AJ. Inspired by Jordan’s 63-point scoring 1986 playoff game against the Celtics, this take on the AJ1 features matted Lucky Green leather paneling over a white upper with a sleek black wraparound Swoosh and crimson red accenting. Other highlights of the design include the parquet floor-inspired insole, modeled after the old Boston homecourt.

The Air Jordan 1 Lucky Green is out now for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app.

Supreme Nike Air Max Plus

It’s a rare event when a Supreme Nike collaboration fails to be the big release of the week, but this is that week. Still, this three sneaker set of Air Max Plus iterations is pretty fire, even if it can’t reach UNION’s level. Featuring a wavy psychedelic design assisted by plastic TPU caging that spell out “Supreme,” each colorway in the collection presents a massively different sneaker, despite having the same exact design.

It’s dope, but of the three we’re digging on the white pair the most, which tells us a little something about the overall design.

The Supreme Nike Air Max Plus collection is set to drop on October 15th for an unannounced price. Pick up a pair at the Supreme webstore.

Palace Winter 2020 Drop 3

Palace returns this week with another drop out of their Winter 2020 collection, which consists of a Lon-Dons Hoodie, Zip Hoodie, crewneck sweaters, Das Palace Waffle, a Cyclone Jacket, and the obvious highlight, the “Palace Story” t-shirt, which features a still from Jackie Chan’s 90’s Hong Kong action film, Crime Story.

Other highlights from the collection include a set of multi-colored t-shirts with Pavement-esque Palace branding and a few six-panel hats, as well as a season-appropriate Quilted plaid shirt.

The third Palace Winter 2020 drop is set for October 16th. Shop the looks and see the full collection at the Palace webstore.

Brain Dead Fall 2020 Collection

Brain Dead — another of our favorite Los Angeles-based streetwear labels — has just dropped a Fall collection this week, consisting of a Sherpa-inspired zip-up Runner’s Jacket with matching pants, as well as sweaters, and t-shirts adorned in Brain Dead’s psychedelic and futuristic aesthetic. Brain Dead went a little fleece-wild with this new collection, but we’re willing to give them a pass on that as they consistently produce products that feel like anomalies in the streetwear space, without coming off as totally gimmicky. That takes skill.

The Brain Dead Fall 2020 collection is out now and is shoppable at the Brain Dead webstore.

MM6 Maison Margiela x The North Face Roly-Poly Collection

Very few practical and utilitarian brands have been able to capture the imagination of the high fashion space quite like The North Face, so it doesn’t surprise us that French Luxury label Maison Margiela tapped the brand for this new collaboration of winter essentials. Dubbed the “Roly-Poly” collection thanks to the round and bulbous silhouettes, this new collection isn’t exactly for everyone, but if you can rock an oversized puffer jacket or a draping parka, you’ll rarely look as stylish then when you’re wearing a piece from this collection.

While some of the pieces look like they’d only have a life on a high fashion runway — because they’re quite frankly, ridiculous — the collection offers a mostly genderless collection of really dope, winter-focused jackets.

The MM6 Maison Margiela North Face Roly Poly Collection is out now. Shop the collection at the North Face webstore, or at Maison Margiela.

The college football season is entering Week 6, but a constant theme thus far is the postponement or outright cancellation of games every week as a result of positive COVID-19 tests.

The SEC saw its first postponement earlier this week when Vanderbilt had to push back their game against Missouri due to an outbreak. On Tuesday, word emerged from Gainesville that the Florida Gators had 19 positive tests coming off of last Saturday’s loss on the road at Texas A&M, and on Wednesday the conference confirmed that the primetime showdown between Florida and LSU was being postponed to December 12.

Florida AD Scott Stricklin provided some details in a press conference on just how widespread their issue was with the virus, noting they had 18 scholarship players test positive along with three walk-ons, leaving them with barely over half of their roster available after contact tracing. He also said the trip to College Station last Saturday was likely a factor, and that some players thought they just had allergies and didn’t report symptoms prior to the trip.

That latter point is especially concerning because asking 18-22 year olds to self-report symptoms and pull themselves out of action is never going to fully work, because the kids want to play and, in fairness to them, the most basic symptoms of COVID-19 are, in fact, the same as allergies or a cold. That said, an abundance of caution is needed in this situation and when players don’t self-report and testing three times a week allows for gaps as the incubation period for the virus can be up to six days, the results can be an outbreak like what Florida is now dealing with even with reasonable protocols in place.

That it’s Florida dealing with this outbreak, mere days after coach Dan Mullen called for them to “pack The Swamp” with 90,000 fans after playing and losing at a loud Kyle Field that had questionable distancing protocols in place, has not been lost on anyone. Hopefully this will make Mullen recognize the severity of this situation and maybe change his tune a touch on trying to fill the entire stadium — as Florida’s governor has allowed for — and also hopefully those that have tested positive for Florida do not face severe symptoms or longterm complications.

This is not a problem unique to the Gators, however, as Ole Miss is dealing with an outbreak ahead of their game with Arkansas — coming off of a game with Alabama.

The SEC built extra bye weeks into the schedule to account for the potential for games needing to be moved, but so far I think we’ve seen far more games impacted than the conference hoped and it doesn’t seem to be stopping. Traveling is, without a doubt, one of the biggest issues they face in making football happen because if someone who has the virus but hasn’t tested positive yet is in the traveling party, it can spread swiftly through a team.

After President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, leading to his strange hospitalization and even stranger behavior in the days following his release, Joe Biden’s campaign made a reasonable request for the second presidential debate: Do it virtually. Given Trump was still within the 14-day window of testing positive for the virus and most likely contagious, the Presidential Debate Commission ruled that a virtual debate was in the best interests of everyone’s health and safety. However, the Trump campaign balked at this arrangement and refused to agree to the new terms, which ultimately disqualified the president from the debate. This move gave Biden the entire town hall formate to himself, which is set to air on Thursday night on ABC.

But in a controversial move, NBC has announced that it will now host its own town hall with Trump on Thursday at the same time as Biden’s. NBC defended its decision by asserting that Trump is not infectious and proper safety precautions will be taken. Via CNN:

National Institutes of Health Clinical Director Clifford Lane said in a statement to NBC News that they have concluded, via PCR test analysis, “with a high degree of confidence” that Trump is “not shedding infectious virus.”

The event will be moderated by Savannah Guthrie, who will sit 12 feet from the President. Attendees will be required to wear face masks.

In a bit of unfortunate timing, NBC’s surprise decision arrived on the heels of a damning report on Trump’s time at the network as its top reality star. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to insiders who claim that NBC was well aware of Trump’s racist tendencies and questionable business dealings, and it could have stopped his presidential run. Instead, the network sat on its hands. “They should have clamped down on him then but they continued to turn the other way,” a source said. “It’s always all about the bottom line.”

With the one-two punch of the Celebrity Apprentice revelations and NBC essentially giving the president 90 minutes of free air-time, #BoycottNBC began trending on Twitter as people voiced their anger with the controversial town hall announcement:

(Via CNN, The Hollywood Reporter)

For years now, as a regular part of Flaming Lips concerts, Wayne Coyne has gotten into a giant plastic bubble and sang from within it. Now, during the pandemic, that concept is about as fitting as it has ever been. That fact isn’t lost on the band, as they have given a performance where everybody was in bubbles, both band and audience. Coyne shared a clip from the performance yesterday, and it’s certainly a unique sight.

The performance apparently had two purposes: To test the idea of doing a full-on bubble concert, and as a video shoot, according to Brooklyn Vegan. Setlist.fm notes the band only performed two songs and played each twice: American Head tracks “Brother Eye” and “Assassins Of Youth.”

In an interview last week, Coyne explained how the idea came about, saying:

“I made a little cartoon commentary of a Flaming Lips concert in 2019 where I’m the only one in a bubble and then a Flaming Lips concert in 2020 where everyone is in a bubble on stage and in the crowd. That was at the start of quarantine in March when we thought it would be over in a month. But The Late Show With Stephen Colbert got a hold of me and asked if we’d want to do one of these concerts where you play from home. So we said we’d do it in the space bubbles. It took us a month or two to figure out the logistics so we didn’t even really know if this would still be going on by the time it aired but that was in June, and after that I ordered 100 space bubbles to be made in China. It’s taken a while but I finally have them here, so a half-hour ago I was in a big venue where we set up a hundred space bubbles for 300 audience members to be in while we play a show.”

He continued to speak about the logistical challenges with this sort of performance, saying, “We, The Flaming Lips, already know how to do space bubbles and we know what people do when they’re in the bubbles. The part that we’re trying to get down is what does the crowd do about going to the bathroom and getting drinks? We don’t want this to be like that Smash Mouth [concert]. We want this to be safe and a great experience. Those are the things the venue is allowing us to set up so we can start to figure out how it will work. The part about playing in the bubble, we already have down. It’s how we get the crowd in and out without cross-contamination that we need to figure out, but they’re giving us a few weeks in this venue to figure it out. We’re thinking this will probably happen after the election.”

Watch a clip from the performance above.

The Flaming Lips is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

LaMelo Ball is expected to be a top pick in November’s NBA Draft, but he is wasting no time putting down roots in the apparel and sneaker industry. Ball is now officially a Puma athlete, the company announced Wednesday.

Under the partnership, Ball will work with PUMA to develop products that exist at the intersection of sports, culture, and fashion. The first release will be a PUMA x LaMelo Ball t-shirt and hoodie that is set to debut in the run-up to the draft on Nov. 18. Ball’s collection will come out under PUMA’s “Not from Here” creative concept, which Ball hopes will highlight his “one of one” path to the pros, which ran from California to Lithuania to Ohio to Australia.

“I am really excited to join the PUMA family,” Ball said in a statement. “I believe the brand is the perfect partner for me because PUMA will allow me to just be myself. I want to be 100-percent authentic, whether that’s playing basketball or showing off my personal style, and that’s what I want to do with PUMA.”

Ball will also partner with Puma on various charity programs centered on giving young people the opportunity to play basketball at a high level. The much-hyped play-maker joins a young roster of Puma athletes in the NBA that includes Kyle Kuzma, Michael Porter Jr., Deandre Ayton, and Marvin Bagley, as well as Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jackie Young in the WNBA.

All Pro cornerback-turned-free agent bust-turned-acclaimed actor is quite the career arc. Less challenging for Nnamdi Asomugha? Falling in love with Tessa Thompson.

In Sylvie’s Love, the former-Raiders and Eagles CB, who was once the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history, plays Robert, a saxophonist who finds work at a record store where he mets Sylvie (Tessa Thompson). Romance quickly blossoms between the two, but they go their separate ways — she becomes a television producer; he grapples with the waning popularity of jazz — until reconnecting years later, feelings still intact.

It’s a “damn near perfect” film. Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Robert spends late nights playing behind a less-talented but well-known bandleader, as member of a jazz quartet. Sylvie, who dreams of a career in television, spends her summer days helping around her father’s record store, as she waits for her fiancé to return from war. When Robert takes a part-time job at the record store, the two begin a friendship that sparks a deep passion in each of them unlike anything they have felt before. As the summer winds down, life takes them in different directions, bringing their relationship to an end. Years pass, Sylvie’s career as a TV producer blossoms, while Robert has to come to terms with what the age of Motown is doing to the popularity of Jazz. In a chance meeting, Sylvie and Robert cross paths again, only to find that while their lives have changed, their feelings for each other remain the same.

Written and directed by Eugene Ashe, Sylvie’s Love arrives on Amazon Prime Video on December 25.