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During a recent interview to discuss his role in the Netflix movie Project Power, Machine Gun Kelly also wound up having to address the notion that he left hip-hop behind. The Cleveland artist was questioned by fans after the release of his new album Tickets To My Downfall, which found him switching lanes from the high-velocity rap that once saw him going bar-for-bar with Eminem in a rap battle to a pop-punk revival. MGK refuted the accusation that he’d abandoned hip-hop, citing some of his forebears and maintaining that he still had the “vigor” for the rap game.

“I’m not leaving hip-hop yet,” he told HipHopDX’s Trent Clark. “André 3000 said it my favorite way: ‘Hip-hop is a young man’s game’. So essentially when I don’t have, or when I’ve stopped living a certain way, or if I don’t have the right vigor to deliver my lyrics with, then I’ll stop. But I’m a fresh 30 and I’m still fully out there. So I don’t think hip-hop is going to stop for me at all.”

Explaining the new direction, he pointed out, “I would like to normalize how we think about doing multiple types of music. I didn’t ‘switch genres’; I’m versatile, and the wall isn’t boxed in. … Limitations would cause you to believe that, because I’ve put out four albums that are rap, I shouldn’t put out a fifth album that’s not rap.”

The timing on his change is uncanny, though; Another hip-hop outsider, Logic, recently announced his own retirement to stream video games, sparking a renewed wave of discussions on how some artists use hip-hop to build their brand before leaving it behind for greener pastures.

Watch Machine Gun Kelly’s interview with HipHopDX above.

Back in late May, Jeff Rosenstock released his boisterous record No Dream without any warning, something he’s done in the past. The 13-track album stayed true to his sound, offering guitar-driven hooks while Rosenstock screams lyrics about contemporary issues. While the band hadn’t planned on releasing an album during a global pandemic, his music underscored fans’ frustrations at the state of the world. This, Monday Rosenstock aired those frustrations during an energetic performance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

Taking center stage wearing a mask showing support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Rosenstock gave a sweaty and uproarious rendition of his No Dream track “Scram!” Backed by a full band, Rosenstock’s lively stage presence made it seem as though they were truly performing a live show.

Ahead of their performance, Meyers praised Rosenstock for his music: “You know, the least we deserve in trying times like this is great punk music, punk music that stands for something. This next guy is one of my favorites. He’s angry and urgent and prescient and while I’m super bummed that he and is band are not here live tonight, at least we will not have to pay for a studio roof that they will surely have ripped off.”

Watch Rosenstock perform “Scram!” on Late Night With Seth Meyers above.

No Dream is out now via Polyvinyl. Get it here.

This past March saw the NCAA reach the sudden but necessary decision to cancel the 2020 NCAA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, hundreds of athletes missed out on the chance to play in the most storied hoops tournament and millions of fans found themselves without brackets to fill out and midday hoops to watch.

The good news for the latter is that we have an opportunity to scratch that bracket itch here in October, not in human sports but in the great competition that is Fat Bear Week. Katmai National Park and Preserve in King Salmon, Alaska is home to a tremendous bear population thanks to Brooks Falls, home to a massive amount of wild salmon, and each year heading into hibernation season, they put on Fat Bear Week, a chance to vote on your favorite gigantic bear and crown a champion before they enter their long, winter slumber.

The voting begins tomorrow on their website and concludes next Tuesday, October 6 when they’ll crown this year’s Fat Bear Champion. You may wonder who each of these bears are and for that, I’m thrilled to present the contenders for this year — who you can read about in full here.

THE FAVORITES

Four bears earn first round byes, the kings and queens of this here fat bear game, and these are your favorites.

747

[Extreme Jon Gruden voice] They call him 747 cause he weighs as much as a jet, man. Just look at the size of this bear. His bio highlight is that he’s so big he doesn’t even have to be aggressive, other bears just respect the girth.

Although dominant bears can maintain their rank in the hierarchy through aggression, 747 typically keeps his status by sheer size alone. Most bears recognize they cannot compete with him physically and they yield space upon his approach. He was estimated to weigh more than 1,400 pounds (636 kg) in September 2019 and he looks to be at least that big this year.

747 is, for me, a strong, strong competitor.

435 Holly

The reigning, defending Fat Bear Week champion is Holly 435, who has not one but TWO children in the competition this year as well. Just an absolute tour de force of a bear. Her bio highlight includes being called “the shape and color of a toasted marshmallow,” as well as an incredible story of strong mothering.

When Holly and her single yearling arrived in 2007, the yearling had a pronounced limp. Despite the difficulties that accompanied her yearling’s injury, Holly was able to successfully care for him. The yearling’s leg healed by the end of summer and he was weaned the following spring. This bear, now known 89 Backpack, still uses Brooks River.

89 Backpack is both a bear and also the hottest new rapper out of Atlanta.

480 Otis

Not sure if Otis can win this competition again — he is a three time champ but hasn’t won since 2017 — but he certainly would win a “most contented bear” competition, just look at this king relaxing. His bio highlight might be the most relatable of them all.

Otis is a master of patience and efficiency, especially in his preferred fishing spots like the jacuzzi and far pool. He rarely makes an effort to chase salmon like younger, more energetic bears. While Otis occasionally appears to be napping or not paying attention, most of the time he’s extremely focused on the water.

Using energy is for suckers. We stan a patient, occasionally napping in the river king.

128 Grazer

128 Grazer has not one but two cubs with her this year and is a beast. Her bio highlight is her unprompted motherly aggression that gets her to the best fishing spots.

Grazer is one of the most defensive mother bears at Brooks River. She often preemptively confronts and attacks much larger bears, including some of the river’s most dominant adult males, in order to ensure her cubs are safe. Her defensiveness is risky, yet provides her with access to areas of Brooks Falls that many other mother bears won’t approach.

Alpha stuff, right there.

THE CONTENDERS

856

The LeBron James of Katmai National Park, his bio calls him the “most consistently dominant bear since 2011,” but also seems to question if he’s soon to lose his grip on top of the bear hierarchy.

Eight-five-six does not shy away from conflict, but how much longer can he maintain his high level of dominance? Life at the top of the bear hierarchy is difficult. As he ages, 856 will increasingly experience tough competition from younger bears who want access to the same resources as he.

#WashedKing [crown emoji] #RWTW #KeepThatSameEnergy [rocket emoji]

151 Walker

That boy is draggin’ a wagon. He was estimated at about 1,200 pounds last year, which puts him in the upper echelon of beef in this year’s class, a couple hundred shy of 747. Bio highlight includes a pivot to becoming a bully to old friends now that he’s achieved maximum girth.

As a fully grown adult, Walker’s priorities have changed. Walker now ranks among the river’s largest bears and he’s become less tolerant of other bears, including some of his former playmates.

Questionable character, but unquestionable size.

402

Apparently one of the biggest females in the park, and also, a first-ballot Hall of Fame mother just by sheer volume.

Few bears can rival 402’s maternal experience. Four-zero-two is the mother of at least seven litters, more than any other bear currently at Brooks River. This includes two litters of four cubs apiece.

Per the site her fat reserves are large enough to support even more cubs this year.

32 Chunk

With a name like 32 Chunk, you know he’s gotta be in the mix. His bio indicates he’s in the “top tier of the bear hierarchy” but is sometimes a kind, gentle bear.

However, his behavior can also be enigmatic. In recent years he’s shown a tendency to wait patiently to scavenge leftover salmon and even play with other bears. These are two uncommon behaviors for a dominant bear to display. Due to his size and strength, 32 Chunk is poised to take advantage of opportunities not available to most other bears. Yet, it is only by observing his full range of behaviors that we can get a true sense of his individuality.

Salute to a sensitive 1,100 pound bear.

THE DARKHORSE

Not everyone can be a dominant, fully grown adult, and it’s nice to see Fat Bear Week shine some light on up-and-comers. I don’t think three of them have a chance, but there’s one I’m keeping my eye on.

435 Holly’s Spring Cub

The most adorable contender this year, but don’t let that size fool you, this bear cub has been putting in that work and might be the pound-for-pound champ, going from 1 pound at birth to 60 pounds currently. Has managed to do so despite playing through injury.

Her curiosity hasn’t always led to reward though. In early September, she encountered a porcupine and has since suffered from quills stuck in the bottom of a front paw. The quills do not seem to bother the cub while she swims, but on land she is hobbled and avoids placing weight on the injured paw. Holly’s cub is well positioned to completely recover from the injury caused by porcupine quills, and she’s already shown improvement in mobility.

A real Gruden grinder.

Just when Simba thought he was out, they’ll pull him back in…

Moonlight director Barry Jenkins has officially signed on to direct a sequel to Disney’s remake of The Lion King. Written by Jeff Nathanson, who scripted the 2019 remake, details about the ambitious follow-up are under wraps, but it will reportedly involve Mufasa’s origin story, making the film reminiscent of The Godfather: Part II while still maintaining the “musical tradition” of The Lion King films and Broadway adaptation. Via Deadline:

“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said. “Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.”

Considering the 2019 remake walked away with a $1.6 billion box office haul, it’s no surprise that Disney has fast-tracked a sequel to the Jon Favreau-directed film. However, Disney’s latest trend of remaking its animated classics has not been without controversy. Animators from the original films have spoken out the issue of royalties and the sting of watching their work being recreated through CGI-fare that they feel lacks the art and creativity of the originals.

“It’s sort of sad that the stockholder is now in the room deciding what movies get made…” animator David Stephan who worked on the original Lion King movie previously told HuffPost. “Disney’s now taken the cover off, and it’s now in your face: ‘Yeah, we just want to make money.’ That’s disappointing as an artist, from a studio that was founded on originality and art.”

A release date for The Lion King live-action sequel has not been announced.

(Via Deadline)

As Miley Cyrus fans are anxiously awaiting the arrival of her She Is Miley Cyrus album, which the singer said might be on hold until she’s able to safely tour again, Cyrus had decided to grant her listeners a track to hold them over for the time being. Last week, Cyrus took the iHeart Radio Music Festival stage and delivered a passionate cover of Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” and now, Cyrus has announced it will officially hit streaming services.

Cyrus originally teased fans with a studio version of the track Sunday when she took to Twitter to ask fans, “Should I drop Heart Of Glass on streaming?!” Of course, her listeners jumped at the opportunity for more Miley content to stream and were overjoyed by the possibility.

On Tuesday, one fan urged the singer to upload to song to streaming services “today,” and the singer agreed.

Cyrus’ “Heart Of Glass” is her latest in a string of covers. Earlier this month, the singer put her own spin on a jazzy rendition of Billie Eilish’s recently-released single “My Future.” Before that, Cyrus sang a cover of The Beatles‘ “Help” to a completely empty Rose Bowl stadium as part of Global Citizen’s Global Goal: Unite for Our Future livestream.

Watch the live cover of “Heart Of Glass” above.

Back in 2016, Ann Coulter, conservative troll extraordinaire, published In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome! As it turns out, she may have trolled herself, big time, by favoring a president who has disappointed her multiple times over the past four years. Yet of course, she still very much dislikes almost everyone and tosses out xenophobic comments of her own on the regular, so she’s not a nice person, but maybe she’s worth a few moments of attention on occasion, like this week.

Notably, the issue of President Trump’s tax avoidance has upset Coulter a great degree because, well, it’s upset most people who don’t realize why a (supposed) billionaire has paid less in taxes for years (and not paid for it in other ways, as with Wesley Snipes) than almost every other taxpayer in the U.S. In fact, Coulter is incensed, and she’s going somewhere (asking Democrats for assistance) that she’s never gone before now.

“I don’t think the conservative take on @realDonaldTrump paying no taxes should be: BECAUSE HE’S SMART!” Coulter raged. “I’ve paid nearly 50% of my income in taxes, year after year, and any system that allows billionaires to pay ZERO is unspeakable corrupt.” She then added, “How about changing it, Democrats?”

Yep, when you insult Ann Coulter’s wallet, she’s gonna be mad. Is she really paying 50% of her income in taxes, though? There’s gotta be some hyperbole there, but irregardless, her point — that billionaires (or millionaires, which is likely the actual word that should describe Trump) shouldn’t be skirting their tax bills — stands. Further, this is probably one instance in which most people would agree with her. 2020 is weird! Your move, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

It seems that releasing a whole album calling out his “haters” may not have been enough for Tory Lanez in his ongoing campaign to mitigate the career damage Megan Thee Stallion’s accusations might have done to him. According to a new report from Billboard, Tory’s team has been on a press campaign to do damage control, but rather than simply speaking on his behalf, it seems they went an extra mile and impersonated representative of Megan’s label, 300 Entertainment, to engender sympathy for the Canadian rapper.

Billboard’s report comes from an unnamed source who is apparently close to the situation. The source alleges that Lanez’s team created fake text message conversations between Tory and Megan, sending them to various media outlets in order to undermine Megan’s credibility. In one, an email from a fake address for 300’s Head of Creative, Kevin Leong, linked to a report claiming Megan did not want to testify against Tory.

Of the fake email, 300 Entertainment wrote in a statement: “In this day and age, digital security is of utmost importance. The email impersonation of our Head of Creative Kevin Leong, with the intent to disseminate false information, has been brought to our attention and we are working diligently on Megan’s behalf to get to the bottom of the matter.”

The report comes after Megan’s lawyer accused Tory of unleashing a smear campaign against her. Tory’s recently-released album, Daystar, was purported to tell his side of the shooting incident between the two rappers but was censured by fans for instead gaslighting Megan about her accusations and lashing out at Megan’s supporters like Kehlani and Jojo for removing him from their projects.

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

This week’s best new pop music had some major comebacks. Ex-One Direction member Zayn dropped his first solo single of the year, Lana Del Rey lent her vocals on a folksy remix, and Joji released his highly-anticipated sophomore album.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Zayn — “Better”

This week was an exciting one for Zayn. Not only did the singer signal the beginning of a new era of music with “Better,” but he also became a first-time dad after Gigi Hadid gave birth to their daughter. The song is a fitting edition to his new role of father, as he sings of aiming to be a better man to his significant other.

Matt Maeson — “Hallucinogenics” Feat. Lana Del Rey

Though Matt Maeson released his hit track “Hallucinogenics” two years ago, this week he tapped Lana Del Rey to color the song with her wistful vocals. Singing over a lulling guitar, Lana melts her dreamy voice over Maeson’s textured baritone, adding a moving element to the already poignant track.

Joji — “Your Man”

This week, Joji followed his breakout debut album Ballads 1 with the slow-burning effort Nectar. While many of the songs display Joji’s expert production, “Your Man” stands as a blissful summary of the record and showcases the singer’s atmospheric vocals paired with hip-shaking instrumentals.

Melanie Martinez — “The Bakery”

Melanie Martinez released her stunning record K-12 last year alongside a narrative film. After a successful tour behind the effort, which was cut short by the pandemic, the singer leans more into her twee-feminist-meets-victorian-era creative direction with “The Bakery.” Released as part of her sugary After Hours EP, the song boasts an earworm beat under Martinez’s buoyant lyrical delivery.

Jessie Reyez — “No One’s In The Room”

Though Jessie Reyez followed-up her stunning debut record Before Love Came To Kill Us with a deluxe version, the singer wasn’t finished sharing new music. This week, Reyez graced fans with two brand-new songs, including her soulful number “No One’s In The Room.” Like much of her music, Reyez is grapping with the bigger picture and sings of religions, morality, and identity over sizzling instrumentals.

Maisie Peters — “Maybe Don’t” Feat. JP Saxe

After teasing the collaboration for weeks, Maisie Peters and JP Saxe have shared their playful single “Maybe Don’t.” The song features both wide-eyed singers trading off verses about overcoming anxieties in the face of a new crush.

Kylie Minogue — “Magic”

Back in July, pop icon Kylie Minogue made her shimmering return with the club-ready tune “Say Something.” Now, the singer returns with “Magic,” an equally lush tune that points to a funky and synth-heavy LP from the veteran singer, which is only a little over a month away from being released.

Baby Queen — “Pretty Girl Lie”

UK singer Baby Queen shared “Pretty Girl Lie” to herald her upcoming six-track debut EP Medicine. About the effortlessly-catchy single, the singer said: “I wrote this song after becoming increasingly frustrated with the relationship between my real-life identity and the person I was pretending to be online,” Baby Queen aka Bella Latham explains. “I grew up with really bad body dysmorphia which I believe was partly caused by the image of the stereotypically ‘pretty girl’ I saw in the media all around me, and the fact that photoshop made this image completely unattainable.”

Max Leone — “5”

Up-and-coming artist Max Leone shared the mesmerizing track “5” this week, continuing to flesh out his dark-pop discography. Shying away from his previous, blissful tracks, Leone’s “5” sheds a light on his moodier side, urging himself to live life to the fullest over expertly-layered, simmering instrumentals.

Skyler Cocco — “The Drive”

NYC-based singer Skyler Cocco debuted the effervescent single “The Drive” after band MUNA gave it their stamp of approval during a livestream. In a statement, Cocco said she penned the song as a reflection on difficult aspects of a relationship: “It’s the cooldown period after a fight, where you take some space to really let your own words resonate and see where you were wrong in a situation, and realize what you’re putting at stake by not changing those behaviors.”

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

Jurassic World: Dominion, the third and most Laura Dern-starring film in the Jurassic World series and sixth Jurassic movie overall, is currently scheduled to come out on June 11, 2021. “Currently” being the operative word, for obvious reasons. But should the trilogy-capper stick to that date, it will coincide with the debut of Jurassic World VelociCoaster, a new coaster coming to Universal Orlando Resort in “summer 2021.”

The roller coaster will “feature more than 4,700 feet of track, with riders reaching speeds of up to 70 mph,” according to the Orlando-based My News 13, including a “360-degree barrel roll and a zero-gravity inverted stall that will send riders upside down across 100 feet of track. The VelociCoaster will also feature a ‘top hat’ that will propel riders 155 feet into the air before they plunge into an 80-degree drop.” In other, less-fancy words, it’s fast. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will appear in character as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, unlike Jimmy Buffett, who you can only find at Universal CityWalk.

Jurassic World VelociCoaster is located in Universal’s Islands of Adventure, also the home of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Skull Island: Reign of Kong (R.I.P. Kongfrontation), The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, and The Incredible Hulk Coaster. It looks too scary for this rollercoaster coward, so I’ll stick to the old school Jurassic Park: The Ride, thank you very much.

(Via My News 13)

Today (September 29), Halsey turns 26 years old. Ahead of the big day, the multi-Platinum singer teased that fans would get some treats this week, as she tweeted, “Tomorrow is my birthday so of course I have presents for you the whole week.” Now it looks like one of those has surfaced: She has released an expanded deluxe edition of her latest album, Manic.

A lot was added here. Most notably, there are two news songs: “Wipe Your Tears” and “I’m Not Mad.” Aside from those there are also a handful of songs Halsey released recently but that didn’t appear on the album: her Marshmello collab “Be Kind,” the Juice WRLD-featuring version of “Without Me,” and the Illenium remix of “Without Me.” Beyond that, there are acoustic and “stripped” versions of Manic cuts “Graveyard,” “You Should Be Sad,” “Alanis’ Interlude,” “Without Me,” and “3am.”

Last night, Halsey shared some early birthday tributes from her fans. In one impressive display, a group of South American fans created an interactive map, which shows birthday messages from fans and where they come from. Halsey was a fan, sharing the project and writing, “ohhhhhhhh my gosh this is sooo amazing!!!!!! I love it.” She added later, “stop my birthday isn’t until midnight and I’m already *tears*”

Listen to “Wipe Your Tears” and “I’m Not Mad” above, and stream the full expanded edition of Manic below.