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For over 20 years, Alife has been playing a part in shaping modern streetwear. The brand’s unapologetically daring design ethos leaves no idea untouched, so long as it resonates with the brand’s core — Tony Arcabascio, Tammy Brainard, Rob Cristofaro, and Arnaud Delecolle. If those four think something’s cool, they run with it. Fearlessly.

Alife originally started as an art collective and workshop for its founders and their graffiti writing friends to flex their creative muscles. Eventually, the crew branched out into the streetwear scene, opening up one of New York’s first high-profile sneaker boutiques, the Alife Rivington Club, where the label would drop collaborations with Nike, PUMA, Reebok, and Adidas. Those splashy collabs soon started to attract around-the-block lines and the type of fanfare that has become a pillar of modern sneaker culture. But Alife never rested on hype alone. They soon began hosting concerts in the Rivington space, attracting talent as varied as John Mayer, Drake, and King Krule.

Alife walked — and by “walked” we mean “presented sneakers in a London tailor shop-inspired boutique” — so that the kids at ComplexCon could run. Their position in steetwear history (and present day) is impossible to argue with. To honor that, we sat down (via Zoom) with Alife founder and Chief Creative Officer Rob Cristofaro and chatted about how the brand helped to shape modern sneaker culture, why they decided to drop a Croc collab (back before the intentionally dorky rubber clogs were seen as “…kind of cool?”), and where fans can expect things to go next.

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The Alife Rivington store, which helped to create modern sneaker culture thanks to its high-profile drops, had this kind of London tailor shop vibe. What made you guys want to present footwear in that way?

It was really just the juxtaposition of a high-end environment in a neighborhood that was really nothing like it. And also, the product that was being offered wasn’t this thousand-dollar suit or whatever. It was really just some of the same products that you would find a block over on Delancey Street, just reimagined in this new environment. So it was really designed to give people an experience where they would walk into this place and be in a totally different world.

That was really the thought behind it — to create this environment that was like nothing at the time.

The brand has a rich history of collaboration, from Nike to Wu-Tang Clan. How did that become such an integral part of what you’ve been building?

I think when we first started doing that, it wasn’t really going on as often. A lot of the co-branded stuff that we had done with a lot of these partners — from Adidas to Levi’s to whomever — a lot of it was their first-time co-branding with other people. It was the first time that they had really put another brand on their product. So it was really before all the hoopla of co-branding even existed, which was the beauty of it. We were kind of able to pick and chose relevant partners to do that with.

Whereas nowadays… the concept has been beaten to death.

So Alife was choosing brands based on what spoke to you guys personally?

Yeah, it was all based upon the personalities of the four people behind the brand, so there were four different things happening. But footwear was always a big part of what we were doing, which still rings true today. The people that we work with are all relevant to us in a personal way.

When did Alife realize that the sneaker scene was going to get as big as it has gotten? Was there ever a point where you guys knew, “Oh, this is really going to be a thing!”? Or was it all just kind of a surprise?

It was really when we were given sneakers from Nike, it was a new product that they brought up to our studio and unveiled. And it was like, “Wow.” For us to say, “Wow,” it was something important and something that we hadn’t seen or something that was not on the market. So they basically came out with a product that was really brand new. Because at the time it was Adidas Shell Toes, it was Puma Clyde’s, it’s all the sneakers that you’ve been seeing forever. And then they came out with this sneaker that was really like nothing that was out before. And it was a techie shoe, it was Nike, it was all their technology that they used. And it was something that was not on the market at all.

Then the ability to just launch that product to our audience. That was the first time that we saw people line up outside the store for products. As soon as we saw that, we knew — and I think we only had 30 or 40 pairs which were given to us to seed. But that was Nike’s whole thing, was to let us kind of release these things to our audience at the time. And right from that day, from the day that we saw the feedback of the people that were receiving this product, we said, “Oh shit, we’re going to build a space that was designated to sneakers only.”

That’s when we built the Rivington Club, and that was 2001. So we were probably releasing Nike’s early 2001, late 2000, something like that.

I want to talk a little bit about the Alife Croc. In an interview with Uproxx Style Editor Eli Gesner, I heard that you told him it was kind of a “Fuck you,” to sneaker culture. Why did you guys feel like you needed to be the ones to make that statement? And do you feel guilty that you may have inadvertently made Crocs cool?

I think just the whole culture has been so quick to jump on all of these footwear trends and sneaker trends that it gets boring in a way. And everybody’s doing the same thing. Everybody’s co-branding the same shit. It got to a point of nothing new really happening. Also, we feel that we played a pretty important role in what has become the footwear industry. And when you get almost, I don’t want to say blacklisted, but I will kind of say blacklisted, by a brand like Nike, where we can’t get the product anymore, when we’ve played such a pivotal role in what has become of them, it’s kind of like a “Fuck you,” to us.

For me personally, I’m not really afraid to touch certain brands that are taboo in our industry. A lot of these other brands won’t touch something unless other people do it first, but that’s something that we’ve always been keen on. We don’t really give a fuck about if other people like it or if they don’t like it. If it has some kind of relevance to us, anybody in our camp, then it’s a discussion and if it’s worthwhile, we go from there. And Crocs, in the streetwear game, especially before it became a cool thing, was taboo. People would never, ever wear that shit.

So you look at it now and every month there’s a new Croc with a hip brand. A lot of times we’re ahead of the curve, which is kind of not always the greatest — because we’re the guinea pig and we test the market kind of. And a lot of times we’re early in the trend and people don’t always necessarily get it. So it doesn’t always necessarily translate to dollars at that point. But then you look at it a year away from what we did, and usually, these brands that we work with become part of the culture in some way.

One of the things that I think is cool about the brand is, you guys seem to have this secret language within your own group, like the Crocs being a, “Fuck you,” to sneaker culture, or Espo putting secret messages under the insoles of the Air Woven. How often do Alife collabs have kind of a secret dialogue between the creators that is only known to you guys, and where does that tradition come from?

I think a lot of it is being an independent entity and not really having to have too many cooks in the kitchen. I think when we have an idea, we do it, and we usually do it pretty quickly. A lot of the ideas are kind of authentic and things that we live by. So, whether it’s working with a brand like Lee, who really is not relevant in our world of streetwear but to us it is relevant because we grew up on it and it was part of my youth — a lot of this stuff that I tap into stems from something personal.

A lot of times we want to create pieces that are going to make noise, marketable noise. Where it looks beautiful, it looks crazy, it’s going to generate talk. Sometimes it’s hard to wear, but it’s all authentic.

The brand has linked up with a lot of different legends. What’s your dream Alife collaboration?

I think what I would like to do in the future is a movie, probably. As far as the co-branded product, it’s all been done. Especially now. You have Virgil — who’s at the top of the game. Anything of any relevance, he’s touching. If he wants to do a Mercedes, he does a Mercedes. If he wanted to do a spacecraft, he would do a spacecraft. It’s all game. So I’m not on that level. Alife hasn’t been on that level, although we were pioneers of this, we’re not there. Right now, I have a project that I would like to come to fruition at some point, and it would be an Alife product, but the product is going to be a film.

And it’s going to be a film about authentic New York City that nobody is going to be able to portray unless they actually lived it and have the actual footage and documentation of it while it happened. That’s what I’m working on. Stuff like that, which is less apparel. All the goodies can be built around a project like that, but that’s the type of project that we’re looking into. Museum stuff. We just did a Henry Chalfant exhibition in The Museum of the Bronx earlier in the year. That was relevant in regard to somebody that played a big role in the graffiti world. So that was a nice opportunity to tap into the museum crowd and do something more contemporary in that world. I like to go to places that people don’t expect to see us.

Are any Alife collabs that stand out to you as something that you’re particularly proud of, or you think looks particularly cool?

Really all of them have a certain place in my heart, because I look at them almost as artwork. Personally, I really could give two shits about fashion. I don’t really care. The bulk of our business is t-shirts and sweatshirts and hats and it’s about the content that you’re putting forth on these products more than, “Oh, the cut of our stuff is so good.” That’s not us. So I think for me to touch all of these huge brands, like a Levi’s, like a Nike, or a Timberland. Crocs has a place, Levi’s has a place. They’re all relevant in their own ways. One that really stands out is the Reebok Court Victory Pump that became a kind of iconic shoe for Reebok and put them on the map at a time when they were really doing nothing. But overall. there’s a lot of pieces I think that we have that are relevant in the game.

Another day, another instance of the Trump campaign feuding with a musician. Over the course of his campaign, the president has continuously found himself in hot water after playing unauthorized music at various rallies. This past August, Neil Young finally sued Trump after years of denying the president’s requests to use his music. Now, Phil Collins is the latest artist to take legal action against the president for the same reason.

Trump hosted a rally in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday. Just before the president took the stage, his campaign blasted Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight,” an ironic song to play at a large gathering during a time when there’s the threat of an airborne virus.

According to Consequence Of Sound, a representative from Collins’ team said they were immediately aware of Trump using the song: “Yes we are well aware of the Trump campaign’s use of this song and we have already issued a ‘cease and desist’ letter via our lawyers who continue to monitor the situation.”

Check out a news clip of the president playing “In The Air Tonight” at his Iowa rally above.

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

HBO’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Outsider left the door ajar for more, which will escape the boundaries of King’s book. Yet considering that the show scored high ratings, more El Cuco (from the imagination of screenwriter Richard Price) will certainly be welcome. Recently, Jason Bateman (who directed episodes and played Terry Maitland) hinted at an upcoming “free ball” of a storyline, and Yul Vasquez (who portrayed the voice of reason, Yunis, against Ben Mendelsohn’s skeptic cop) teased that talks were ongoing on whether Season 2 would officially be greenlit. Now, it seems that Stephen King has let the bogeyman out of the bag.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly to promote Mr. Mercedes on Peacock, King talked about TV’s two versions of Holly Gibney. Justine Lupe’s playing the role on Mr. Mercedes, of course, and Cynthia Erivo gave the character a savant edge on The Outsider. King had nothing but praise for both actresses, and then he expressed hopes for Erivo to continue in Season 2, which he seemingly confirmed is happening:

“Cynthia may get that time, because there’s going to be a second season of The Outsider as soon as they can get the production going… I know exactly where it’s going because I have seen some of the scripts. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. I’ll just say that it’s really great and a real spooky paranormal element.”

It’s hard to imagine how The Outsider could continue without Erivo’s version of Holly Gibney, so let’s hope that a deal is being hammered out. Viewers will want to see what happens after Holly acted strange (for her) in last season’s finale, along with being apparently afflicted with an El Cuco scratch, leading many to hope that, somewhere, there might be a Holly doppelganger out there to shake up everyone’s little world. Robert Englund would probably be so happy to see that happen, and no one wants to see Freddie Krueger be let down.

More than likely, we won’t be seeing Paddy Considine return for a Season 2, however. He’ll be busy sporting a white wig and suiting up for House Targaryen prequel of Game of Thrones. No more Claude and Doppelganger Claude? Well, Paddy is doing just fine.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Perhaps this year more than any election year ever, music stars are using their platforms to strongly encourage their followers to register to vote. With her latest plea, Lady Gaga went all out, going as far as to write a “cheesy” (her words) song about it.

The video serves as a promotion for TurboVote.org, which gives people resources and information related to voting. Gaga prefaced her performance, “Hi, this is Stefani Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga, and I wrote a sing-along about voting!” The lyrics may not be as poetic or poppy as Gaga’s other material, but they’re certainly more directly informative. Seated behind a keyboard, she began the song, “Do you know how to vote? / I know a place you can go / It’s called turbovote.org.” She goes on to explain the process of using the site to get registered to vote with insightful lyrics like, “Have your state or driver’s license / They’ll need your name and birthday / and so you all avoid a mess / have the last four numbers of your social security number / and you’ll need your home address.”

Yesterday, meanwhile, Gaga shared a less musical video about TurboVote.org, in which she takes a couple minutes to talk about the site.

Watch the videos above.

Billie Eilish is a Hot 100-topping pop star with five Grammys and a James Bond theme song to her name, all before she turned 19 years old, but unfortunately most of the conversation surrounding the “Bad Guy” singer this week was over a paparazzi photo. “In 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body,” a gross Twitter user wrote, to which her fans quickly jumped to her defense. As did Kat Dennings.

“Anyone reacting to @billieeilish having a normal body has to take a hard look at themselves,” the 2 Broke Girls star tweeted. “As someone who looked exactly like that at her age, it’d be nice for this unhealthy nonsense to fuck right off. She’s beautiful and normal goodbye!” Actress Liz Jenkins replied to Dennings’ tweet, writing, “This! I do want to take it a step further and say anyone reacting to anyone else’s body at all needs to look at themselves. How you feel about another persons body is a YOU problem..”

Eilish, who has said that she wears baggy clothes because “I have to wear a big shirt for you not to feel uncomfortable about my boobs,” responded to the body-shaming by sharing a video from social media personality Chizi Duru, who said, “Y’all gotta start normalizing real bodies, OK? Not everybody has a wagon behind them, OK? Guts are normal, they’re normal. Boobs sag, especially after breastfeeding. Instagram isn’t real.”

Earlier in the week, Warner Bros. announced that it’s officially moving forward with the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa, which will star Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of the warrior character made famous by Charlize Theron. The film will also star Chris Hemsworth in an undisclosed role, and the Thor actor recently opened up about what it’s like starring in a franchise that has deep roots in his home country and inspired him to become an actor.

“Pretty damn fired up to be a part of a franchise that meant the world to me as a kid growing up in Australia,” Hemsworth wrote on Instagram. “Mad Max was the pinnacle and a huge reason why I got into the business of telling stories.”

Hemsworth went on to praise franchise director George Miller and the original Mad Max, Mel Gibson, who has had some… issues over the years. “Huge respect to George, Mel, Charlize, Tom and all the cast and crew who helped build this epic world. I’ll do my best to continue the tradition of cinematic badassery.”

You can see Hemsworth’s full post below:

Frequently dubbed one of the best films of the 2010s, Mad Max: Fury Road was an action extravaganza that captivated audiences and critics alike thanks to the incredible visuals and Charlize Theron’s performance. While fans will be happy to know that most of the original creative team is returning for Furiosa, Theron has expressed disappointment that she won’t be returning to the Furiosa role. As for Miller’s reason for going the prequel route, he recently revealed that Furiosa’s future would most likely take a dark turn. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“Campbell said that the usual story is that today’s hero becomes tomorrow’s tyrant. The hero is the agent of change. They basically relinquish self-interest in order for some common good,” said Miller. “[Campbell] basically says … you love what you’ve built, or saved, too much. You become holdfast. You become the orthodoxy. You develop the dogma and basically then you have to protect it. That tends to be the rhythm of these things.”

However, in the same interview, Miller also says Furiosa would be “too smart to fall into that trap,” so expect a lot of conflicting feelings on Theron not returning until the prequel hits. And probably even then, too.

(Via Chris Hemsworth on Instagram)

NBA vet Al Harrington is a true believer in the healing powers of cannabis. And he’s on a mission to end the stigmatization the plant faces in the sports world, while uplifting communities that have been historically disenfranchised because of its illegality. That’s a tall order, but Harrington’s a tall dude and feels certain he’s up to it. Inspired by the pain-relieving and healing properties of the plant — which he stumbled into while helping his grandmother cope with glaucoma — he’s fully transitioned from the court to the farm as the head of Viola Extracts.

It should be noted off the top — Viola isn’t just a weed brand. Social issues, particularly Black ownership, are central to its mission. Last month, Viola Extracts teamed with another Black-owned cannabis brand, Chris Ball’s Ball Family Farms, for the release of a collaborative Prince-inspired indica strain, dubbed “Reign.” $1 from every sale of Reign was donated to Root & Rebound, a non-profit helping those convicted of cannabis-related crimes get a second chance by entering the industry.

On the heels of that initiative, we linked with Harrington to chop it up about the stigmatization of cannabis in the world of pro sports and the importance of Black representation in the industry. We took a nice smoke break to enjoy Reign. Before we dive into the interview, here are our notes on Big Al’s latest strain.

Ball Family Farms/Viola Extracts — Reign

THC: 27.7%
CBD: .06%

This indica-dominant strain sports frosty greeen buds with flecks of purple hairs that truly do recall the Prince album it’s named for. With 27.7% THC, a single bowl of this flower is powerful enough to surprise even the most hardcore potheads and the high ushers in heavy waves of relaxation upon the first hit.

The flavor is heavily influenced by notes of pine and rich purple grape skins.

The Bottom Line: A great strain for end of the day chilling. Double down on the grape flavors by rolling this in a grape blunt or enjoy through a vaporizer to really savor the taste.

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Where does Viola Extracts get its name, and what’s the mission behind the brand?

Back in 2011, I sent for my grandmother to come to see me play out in Colorado and when she got there she was telling me about the different ailments she was dealing with and one of them was glaucoma. Maybe two or three days before she got there, especially being in Colorado — when the medicinal market was just started to get going — there were all these different articles about the benefits of the plants, and one of the things I saw was glaucoma.

So I talked to her about it, I kept calling it “cannabis” finally she got to the point where she said, “Well, what is cannabis?” And I said “It’s marijuana. Weed.” She said, “Reefer? Boy, I ain’t smoking no reefer! You’re out your mind!” But the next day she was in pain and she was complaining about her eyes and she said, “You know what I’m in so much pain I’m willing to try anything!” So that’s how it started.

I went to the dispensary, bought a strain called “Vietnam Kush,” we vaporized it for her, had her try it, and an hour and a half later I went to go check on her and she was downstairs reading her bible crying. She told me it was the first time she was able to see the words in her bible in over three years. That made me want to get started in the industry.

I named the company after her because she inspired the start of it. Our purpose is about creating opportunities for people of color in the Cannabis industry because right now the industry is dominated by white male owners. People of color represent less than 5% of the total industry and I just have a huge problem with that. Especially growing up in New Jersey, seeing the war on drugs, seeing how it impacted our communities, and even some of my family members who have lost their freedom and every opportunity in life because of a cannabis conviction.

We’re here to uplift, educate, empower, and create opportunities for people from our community.

So that’s what attracted you to transition from a life of basketball to cannabis as a wellness product — grandma?

Fully my grandmother. When you think about someone who is 80-years-old, she was born in 1930 and cannabis has been criminalized since then. For her to be open-minded enough to try it and for it to actually help her, that spoke volumes to me.

It inspired me to learn more. A year later, I was making an investment in my first facility in Denver, Colorado.

I know you have an interest in non-psychoactive cannabinoid products, what’s attractive to you about that space in the cannabis industry?

Well, as an athlete who has had 14 surgeries throughout my career, there was a time for seven years straight when I was taking anti-inflammatory pills. I would take two in the morning and one at night just to be able to keep my body at a level that I felt good enough to go out and compete.

I think about all the harmful side effects of the pills that I was taking, and realize that cannabis could’ve been an option for me all along. It’s all-natural and way safer. An alternate way to medicate. That’s what I’ve been able to do since 2012. I’ve been able to manage all my pain through cannabis, whether it’s through topicals, tinctures, capsules, or different things like that.

I know athletes. I know what they put themselves through. When I was taking those pills, I knew the side effects but at the end of the day, I had to provide for my family. I didn’t have another option. I just want to provide options for other athletes and other people in general who deal with chronic pain, or anxiety, and let them know that cannabis is a real option for them.

Let’s talk about Reign, which you designed in collaboration with Chris Ball of Ball Family Farms — what kind of strain is it, how did you cultivate it, what was the process behind developing it?

The main thing was — before the strain came about — we knew that it was time to put our money where our mouths were. We’ve always talked about group economics and Black companies coming together and supporting each other and doing things together to trying to create a stronger network. We wanted to do something collaborative in that space, so we decided to launch a strain.

It comes from an indica-dominant standpoint. I’m a big fan of OGs, that’s something that I like to consume. It allows me to relax, allows my mind to get at ease, and even my body. Chris had a strain called Daniel LaRusso that has a father strain that is proprietary. We used that crossed with another strain and that’s how we got Reign. We had a couple of different phenotypes of it, we went through six of them and ended up settling on the one that’s on shelves and it did great on the market.

We plan on having future drops of it.

How long did it take you guys to come up with that label design and name? Obviously, it’s recalling a certain famous artist.

To develop it took us about a year, but the name of it we came up with pretty quick. We wanted to do something honoring “purple” because of Viola, and I had a deeper personal meaning for it. We all know that Prince suffered from pill abuse and I felt like we could create an interesting narrative around that but we had to honor the estate’s wishes so we ended up just naming it “Reign.”

A lot of the sales went to contribute Root & Rebound, can you expand on what that is?

Root & Rebound is very important for us. After meeting with the people at Root & Rebound and seeing what they were doing — bringing together a group of attorneys that volunteer their time to help people who have dealt with cannabis convictions try to get back into society and back on their feet — that was something that I felt was very important.

We’re all benefiting from this opportunity which some people have had their lives ruined over.

Obviously, representation in the cannabis industry is incredibly important and incredibly uneven. Why is it important for Black-owned brands to collaborate?

It’s super important because there is no representation. There have been industries before cannabis that black people have pioneered. Rice, sugar, cotton, the lottery, even alcohol. When you look at those industries now, there is no meaningful ownership from people of color. That’s why it’s so important to continue to come together and continue to push our narrative.

Because we are somewhat behind, it’s important for companies of ours to come together to make bigger statements and broaden our audiences.

Cannabis is losing the stigmatization that it’s held previously, but it’s still not legal in every state. Could you speak on the stigmatization that exists in the NBA space, specifically?

People still believe it’s a gateway drug and all these different things. Like maybe it’ll affect how competitive players are or how focused. But just look at the fact that the NBA is not testing these guys while they are in the bubble. There has to be some belief that there are guys who are using cannabis in the bubble, and if that is the case you see how high the level of play still is with these guys having access.

If you look at other sports and how they’re loosening their bylaws in regards to cannabis, I think we’re on that path. Bruh, I think people are starting to realize that cannabis is just an alternative way to medicate, and as an athlete, these guys should have it. Because look at what the alternatives are.

We’ve seen guys who use pills, and then they abuse them and lose their careers. Guys that drink alcohol and fall into alcoholism. With cannabis, I don’t see that. And the players that I know who have always used cannabis, have always used it responsibly. A player who respects his craft is going to respect his craft. Players don’t come to the court drunk, but they have access to alcohol, its the same thing with cannabis. Why would you come to a game-high when you know you need to compete at a high level?

The stigma is changing, but it’s still there. The more guys who speak out on it, especially retired guys who can talk on it when they’re done — if you can say “You know what? I was a hall of famer but I used cannabis the whole time!” That’ll help the people who feel strongly against it realize they shouldn’t feel that way.

What do you hope to see change in the cannabis space going forward?

More participation of people of color — that’s just such a huge issue. We need to focus on creating more opportunities because this is generational wealth is at risk for our people and I feel like if they allow us to participate and give us a fair shot, I think we can really change our communities for the better through this plant.

Travis Scott’s McDonald’s partnership went so well that the fast food giant had to alter the ordering process because they were continuously running out of ingredients. Following the collaboration’s immense success, McDonald’s decided to tap another superstar. J Balvin announced his McDonald’s partnership earlier this month and has now unveiled an exclusive line of McDonald’s merch, and it boasts some unusual items.

Balvin’s retro-inspired merch has some classic items like bucket hats and sweatshirts in the collection’s signature neon colorway. The line also features a handful of head-turning items such as sunglasses in the form of McDonald’s recognizable arches, a $90 water bottle, neon burger slippers, and a temporary tattoo that is just a receipt of Balvin’s go-to order.

Explaining the McDonald’s partnership in an interview with Complex, Balvin said: “I grew up with McDonald’s. I wasn’t born in the States, but since I was a kid, I was eating McDonald’s meals. When I had my very first chance to go to the States, it was like a dream to me, coming from Colombia to my first time having a McDonald’s meal. It’s those types of moments that connect with me as a child. And when they called me saying that they wanted to work with me, I immediately said yes because it connects with me and my childhood. I’ve always been a big fan. It’s crazy to have your own meal.”

Check out items from J Balvin’s McDonald’s merch collection below.

Despite being in a Bubble like the NBA, the WNBA this season partnered with career activists and politicians to draw attention to police brutality, voting, and census registration. At one point, the players used their platforms to advocate for specific political candidates.

In a detailed new story at The Athletic, Chantel Jennings outlined the decision made by a number of players to endorse Rev. Raphael Warnock in the U.S. Senate race in Georgia. Most know the backstory of incumbent Kelly Loeffler, a part-owner of the Atlanta Dream, and how she bashed the league aligning itself with the Black Lives Matter movement, but Jennings explains how leaders in the WNBA arranged a call to learn more about Warnock’s candidacy.

In consultation with (former Georgia state representative Stacey) Abrams and former WNBA commissioner Lisa Borders, players arranged a Zoom call with one of Loeffler’s Democratic opponents, Reverend Raphael Warnock, for July 27, two days after their 2020 season had started.

Warnock wasn’t really sure what to expect from the call. He had followed the emerging storylines in his Senate race with his Republican opponent and he wanted to express his support of the players in using their voices and platform.

So, he was a bit surprised when they began asking about his platform.

Was he an ally of the LGBTQ+ community? What life experiences helped shape his political viewpoints? What was his record on reproductive health issues? What were his thoughts on criminal justice and police reform?

Hearing about how Warnock had led protests against police shootings as a young man and worked for a non-profit dedicated to voting rights convinced players to fully endorse the candidate. The Dream and Phoenix Mercury wore t-shirts as they entered the arena for a nationally televised game in August that said “Vote Warnock.” Kurt Streeter of the New York Times has noted Warnock’s campaign raised an uncharacteristically high $236,000 the day the teams donned those shirts.

In response, Warnock praised the women of the league.

“They’re showing a lot of courage, because I think there’s a lot of pressure for athletes not to take these kinds of risks, and some have chosen not to,” Warnock said. “But I think they heard, coming from the owner of the team in a way that was just unacceptable, that you should just shut up and play, and all they were trying to do was express their solidarity for the human rights of every citizen. And they decided that it was important for them to stand up and say, ‘You may own the team, but nobody owns our voice, and nobody owns our vote.’ ”

Added Warnock:

“It’s not surprising to me that athletes who experience the intersectionality of oppression — race, gender and sexual orientation — would be leading the way in this regard. I think it’s the ways in which they experience marginalization in so many ways that gives them a unique perspective and, yet again, a kind of courage and voice that is really leading the way for other athletes.”

Recent polling shows Warnock now leading both Loeffler and fellow Republican Doug Collins in the special election for a seat in the U.S. Senate — he would not automatically get the seat if he wins November’s election, though, because if no one in that race receives at least 50 percent of the vote then the top-2 candidates, regardless of party, will move on to a run-off early next year.

Mulatto never does reveal what’s in the “Mulatto sauce” in her colorful “In N Out” video but the revelation apparently has some interesting effects on the counter clerk at Big Latto’s drive-in diner. Mulatto and guest rappers City Girls are flanked by a group of racy, roller-skating carhops while serving up confident, coquettish rhymes about their sexual and moneymaking prowess.

“In N Out” is the fourth single from Mulatto’s RCA Records debut album Queen of Da Souf, which was released August 21 after a week that saw her share lead single “Muwop” with Gucci Mane, cameo in Cardi B’s viral video for “WAP,” and appear on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class cover. She then shared the video for “Youngest N Richest” as well as one for “On God” before landing a spot on the remix to Chloe X Halle’s popular single “Do It” alongside City Girls and Doja Cat. City Girls previously collaborated with Doja Cat on their “P*ssy Talk” single from City On Lock.

Mulatto also made waves during the XXL Freshman Class cypher, when her flirtatious punchline about Fivio Foreign elicited a hilarious reaction from the man himself and caused the video to go viral on Twitter.

Watch Mulatto and City Girls’ “In N Out” video above.

Queen Of Da Souf is out now via RCA Records. Get it here.