Run The Jewels’ 2020 got off to a slower start than expected, as thanks to the coronavirus and its resulting quarantine, much of the music industry was forced to cancel and change the plans they had in place for their respective bodies of work. Clearing the hurdles and eventually opting to deliver their latest album free of charge, Run The Jewels delivered their long-awaited Run The Jewels 4 album. Continuing to treat their fans to new music, the duo joins Travis Barker for a new collab.
Getting together for “Forever,” Run The Jewels rock out heavily on the new single with Travis Barker. Leading the way, Killer Mike comes out swinging on the rambunctious putting forth a solid verse and a chopped-up hook before lending the mic to El-P, who holds it down as Travis Barker wilds out on the drums and guitar on the track’s production,
Since the release of their fourth album, Run The Jewels have unveiled a new cannabis line and explained the events that led to El-P and Killer Mike coming together to form the group. After revealing that the title track off Run The Jewels was the first Run The Jewels song ever made, El-P explained that early chemistry with Killer Mike pushed them to create the group. “It was originally going to be an El-P project but Mike came to hang and the rest is history. by the time we got to 6 jams we knew it had to be an album.”
Late on Thursday night, dozens of documents related to the case against alleged Jeffrey Epstein confidant/co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell were unsealed by Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska. Attorneys for Maxwell, a British socialite who was the subject of a months-long international manhunt until she was recently captured, tried to block the release of the documents in emergency motions filed on Thursday, an effort that was unsuccessful. The dozens of documents are from a 2015 civil defamation lawsuit brought against Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein and Maxwell of forcing her to be their “sex slave.”
Giuffre has claimed that Maxwell lured her into Epstein’s orbit at 15 years old, under the guise of offering work as a masseuse. Maxwell met Giuffre at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in south Florida, where the then teen was working as a locker-room attendant.
In this suit, which has since been settled, Giuffre claimed that Maxwell had defamed her, by stating that she was a liar for accusing Epstein and Maxwell of sexual impropriety.
As of this writing, some journalists and legal experts are going through the documents and posting their findings to Twitter. That said, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and famed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz (Epstein’s former attorney) might have some explaining to do soon.
The Ghislaine Maxwell (Epstein) documents have been unsealed.
Will be posting excerpts here –
Starting with allegations of minor being trafficked to Maxwell, Prince Andrew, and Alan Dershowitz (as prev. alleged).
Ghislaine Maxwell has pleaded not guilty and is being held in a Brooklyn jail because she is considered a flight risk. Her trial is scheduled for 2021.
At this point in 2020, the only person who will stop Guapdad 4000 is himself. The Oakland-bred artist has been one of the few acts to weather the storm that is the coronavirus pandemic and consistently deliver content to his fans. In addition to his Platinum Falcon Tape Vol. 1 project and his Rona Raps series, Guapdad has delivered quality singles to his fans over the quarantine and he does it once again thanks to his latest release.
Calling on newcomer TyFontaine, Guapdad arrives with “Choppa Talk.” Contrary to his previous releases, which have been either hard-hitting or comical, even both at times, Guapdad lowers the energy and lets his vocals shine for the new single. Giving TyFontaine the spotlight for verse of his own, Guapdad details his attempts to escape the pains of life through love, liquor, and weed. While admitting his inability to “tell what’s wrong from right,” he also questions the faults of his previous lover, asking why they departed when their love had not run its course.
With Arcade Fire, I have learned to entertain two thoughts simultaneously in my head.
Thought No. 1: “This is one of the most important, most popular, and, at times, best indie-rock bands of the last 20 years.”
Thought No. 2: “Even when I really like this band, they can also be extremely irritating.”
Arcade Fire apparently is in the midst of working on a new album, with writing having “intensified” during the pandemic. In spite of myself, I am interested in hearing this quarantine opus, even though I openly disliked their previous album, 2017’s Everything Now. Arcade Fire is also on my brain lately because the 10th anniversary of their third (and I would argue greatest) album, The Suburbs, is coming up on Aug. 2. That album, like all Arcade Fire LPs, is a mix of breathtaking musical moments and grandiose, eyeroll-inducing thematic gestures. And yet I wouldn’t want Arcade Fire to be any other way. Sometimes they miss in embarrassing fashion, and other times they absolutely crush it. But they always swing big.
For this list of my 20 favorite Arcade Fire songs, I took stock of the crushes while also attempting to understand how and why they miss. What I found, again, is a band with the unique ability to dazzle and annoy me, sometimes in the space of the same verse.
20. “Put Your Money On Me” (2017)
Let’s start at the bottom. When I revisited Arcade Fire’s discography for this column, I hoped that the band’s widely acknowledged nadir, Everything Now, might finally grow on me. I was among the many critics who panned it upon release, prompting Win Butler to grouse in The Guardian about how the failure of the public to comprehend the (badly executed) satire of the album’s promotional cycle amounted to an “Orwellian” offense. But after listening to it again recently, it must be reiterated that Everything Now is a frequently ham-fisted, hectoring, clumsy, and all-around bad record … with the exception of “Put Your Money On Me,” Arcade Fire’s sole successful attempt at writing a fake ABBA song (because they essentially just ripped off this song). But even this track, the undisputed peak of Everything Now, looms like a small hill compared with the highlights of previous records.
19.”Neighborhood #2 (Laika)” (2004)
Okay, now let’s go back to an early peak, Arcade Fire’s iconic 2004 debut, Funeral. “Neighborhood #2 (Laika)” typifies the band’s original house style: yelping and ecstatic boy/girl vocals, a chugging and bombastic rhythm section, and an expansive musical stew in which slashing guitars cut against shamelessly surging strings. It’s an incredibly audacious stew, given that it was made by a no-name band from Montreal that couldn’t sell out a broom closet in America back in the early aughts. Not since Oasis had a rock band dared to call its own shot as a future arena-rock attraction as Arcade Fire did with Funeral. (Just imagine how ridiculous Funeral would sound if Arcade Fire hadn’t made it.) Win Butler has singled out “Neighborhood #2” as an especially pivotal track early on. “It was the first time I could hit play and say, ‘Yeah, that’s roughly what I’ve been talking about,’” Butler said in 2011. “It sounded like what it was supposed to sound like.” In other words, massive.
18. “Intervention” (2007)
If there’s a single litmus for determining your personal appetite for what Arcade Fire serves, it’s the band’s 2007 performance of “Intervention” on Saturday Night Live. Watching it now, it’s like a demolition derby pile-up of aughts-era signifiers: Dwight from The Office introduces them, looking very 2007 in his horn-rimmed glasses and ironic T-shirt. The song opens with a church-organ drone and some wicked xylophone plunking. The members of the band look like Amish kids after one sip of beer. Nobody, of course, is smiling. Arcade Fire is going to work on this song like true believers drudging away in a field, somberly collecting this season’s bountiful harvest. Win Butler is beating away on his acoustic guitar and shouting sternly about tasting the fear. The red-headed dude to his right — I know his name is Richard Reed Perry, but his red-headed dudeness is what’s pertinent here — is shouting into a megaphone that is pointed directly at a microphone. It is, clearly, a very loud performance. But (and this is where I must shift my tone from mocking to grudging admiration) this video always moves me, even the part where Win finally, famously, smashes his guitar. Rock theater works for me, and Arcade Fire knows how to chew the scenery like Jack Nicholson prancing to Prince songs in the midst of extreme cocaine intoxication in Batman.
17. “Month Of May”
Speaking of memorable TV moments in Arcade Fire history, who can forget the seizure-inducing performance of “Month Of May” from the 2011 Grammys, which occurred right before the band won the Album Of The Year award for The Suburbs? I’ve searched in vain for video of the performance online and come up empty, so I’m forced to bolster my hazy memory with this contemporaneous account from Pitchfork: “A blistering, strobe-heavy performance marred only by the inexplicable presence of guys on BMX bikes doing tricks onstage.” I guess the fact that this is the hardest rock song from The Suburbs somewhat explicably warranted the inclusion of some (here’s an early ’10s term) totally extreme bikers, as in the context of the Grammys Arcade Fire might have seemed like … a pop-punk band or something? Anyway, even the kids with their arms folded tight had to bob their heads to this one.
16. “Haiti” (2004)
From practically the beginning of Arcade Fire’s ascendence, people were comparing them to U2. (U2 returned the favor by using “Wake Up” as their entrance music during their 2005 tour, perhaps to make people think that it really was a U2 song.) But that’s just how Arcade Fire appeared in the moment. While the U2 comparison would continue to be apt as they haphazardly entered the ’10s and tried twice to make their Achtung Baby, a song like “Haiti” doesn’t so much evoke The Joshua Tree as it does the wave of “hey!” bands that were influenced by Arcade Fire, including everyone from passing fancies like Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeroes to enduringly popular nü-heartland rock groups like The Lumineers and The Heart And The Heart. While U2 had the advantage of their home-field European influences to guide them away from guitar-based rock music, Arcade Fire at heart remains an amalgam of hippie-folk crunchiness and super-sleek corporate rock, like Journey for people who shop at Whole Foods. (I mean this is in the nicest possible way!)
15. “Porno” (2013)
“Arcade Fire still sound like gigantic dorks with boring sex lives” is how the Washington Post panned Reflektor in 2013, adding that “it’s an album with a song called ‘Porno’ that you could play for your parents.” Granted, it’s a little rich for a music critic to accuse somebody else of being a gigantic dork with a boring sex life. If anyone has that market cornered, it’s rock writers. (Butler’s response in Rolling Stonesaid as much: “I’m not a dork. I’m a fucking rock star.”) However, it is true that Arcade Fire has never been an especially sexy band. (In fact, the very grandness of their music suggests that they have no interest in foreplay and instead head straight to the aggressive thrusting.) But musically speaking, “Porno” is a relatively sultry song, with deep, fat synth blobs that belie rather schoolmarmish lyrics about the dangers of online pornography. It’s like a PG-rated version of “Take My Breath Away.”
14. “(Antichrist Television Blues)” (2007)
This strummy, Springsteen-esque rocker from Neon Bible was supposedly called “Joe Simpson” in an early draft, a dated reference to Jessica Simpson’s overbearing, fame-obsessed father and a symbol of the era’s American Idol-inspired pop music/reality show hybrids. Arcade Fire’s preoccupation with artistic purity and the commercial encroachment of the underground would achieve full flower on The Suburbs, and it’s now one of the most anachronistically Gen X things about them. As is often the case with this band, it’s better to just focus on the rousing music, which draws from the Boss’ Darkness On The Edge Of Town period more effectively than the same album’s homage to The River, “Keep The Car Running,” though not quite as well as some of the other Bruce tributes from Neon Bible. (More on that in a moment.)
13. “Une Année Sans Lumière” (2004)
It means “a year without light,” by the way, which is a very Arcade Fire song title. Weirdly, this is the first song from Funeral I really connected with. It’s still one of the prettiest melodies in the band’s catalogue, and the part at the end where it speeds up and turns into a Clash song is the most underrated adrenaline rush on the whole record.
12. “Suburban War” (2010)
Here’s another track that has connected with me deeply, perhaps more than any other Arcade Fire song. Though, again, the tribalism described in the lyrics — flanked mournfully by Byrds-ian “Turn, Turn, Turn” guitar jangle — seems like such an inherently Gen X phenomenon that I wonder if anyone under the age of 35 will understand it. “The music divides us into tribes” describes my ’90s-era high school, but does it really resonate for someone born on the internet and raised on Spotify? It’s a reminder that The Suburbs dropped right before social media truly took over the internet. Listening to “Suburban War” is like watching a movie before cellphones existed. It’s as much a period piece as Downton Abbey.
11. “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” (2004)
“Neighborhood #3” is the No. 2 Arcade Fire “Neighborhood” track in my heart. It’s also among the most aggressive tracks in Arcade Fire’s early repertoire, speaking to the band’s confrontational spirit at the time. The degree to which anger and competition — both of which stem largely from the jock-ish Win Butler — fueled Arcade Fire in the mid-aughts has since been underplayed, but it’s really evident on this track, which hits the system like a full-court press from the 2004 Detroit Pistons. “It was a lot more confrontational with the audience because we felt like people in Montreal were expecting certain music from us,” Butler observed in 2006, “and we were like, ‘Fuck that, we want to play louder music right now.’” In some ways, that anger has never left Arcade Fire. The troll-ish aspects of Everything Now are more understandable when viewed through that lens.
10. “Afterlife” (2013)
The triumph of The Suburbs, which in retrospect seems like the culmination of Arcade Fire’s better regarded 1.0 era, was that this band had seemingly won the backing of a critical mass of indie fans. Even conflicted listeners like me, who had mixed feelings about Funeral and Neon Bible, at the very least accepted the idea of Arcade Fire taking over the world. They’ve always been polarizing, but they could at least come up with one song per album — like “Wake Up” or “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” — that even Arcade Fire agnostics could get behind. “Afterlife” might very well be the last Arcade Fire song in that mold, an undeniable single from a deeply polarizing LP, Reflektor, that even those who disliked the album overall couldn’t help but like. Though, when I think about it, putting Greta Gerwig in a viral performance of “Afterlife” might have stacked the deck a bit. Who doesn’t imagine themselves as Greta when this song comes on, dancing away heartache with a battery of child dancers at a hackneyed awards show?
9. “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” (2004)
This song is “Thunder Road” set about 600 miles to the north of New Jersey, in a snow-covered wasteland where the protagonist asks his Mary to escape with him into an underground society beneath the snow. Appropriately, it’s positioned at the start of Funeral, so the band knows that this song must work or else their career is finished. And so Arcade Fire commit to all of their bits — Win Butler’s vocal is so impassioned it sounds like he’s fighting back tears, and the orchestral swell builds and builds and BUILDS — with do-or-die abandon. Incredibly, they had enough left in the tank to make nine more songs after this.
8. “Windowsill” (2007)
The Arcade Fire formula — start on a big emotional note and end on an even more ginormous emotional peak — was already firmly established by the band’s second record, which makes “Windowsill” a bit of a curveball. The song doesn’t explode, it smolders, expressing a rage — against America, American pop culture, and (in another nod to Springsteen) fathers — that is plainly stated but never fully acted upon. Of all the tracks on Neon Bible, “Windowsill” feels the most rooted in the final stages of the Bush administration, when the United States was mired in multiple wars and about to enter a major economic downturn. Though, because this is an Arcade Fire tune, there’s just enough hope (“save my soul, set me free,” Butler prays) to keep the bleakness temporarily at bay.
7. “No Cars Go” (2007)
This song repeats the same dozen or so words several times. Here are some other words they could have used that mean the same thing: “I want to run, I want to hide, I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside, I want to reach out and touch the flame, where the streets have no name.”
6. “The Suburbs” (2010)
Win Butler’s description of The Suburbs as “a mix of Depeche Mode and Neil Young” feels most apt for the album’s opening title track, which really does sound like an attempt to meld the plaintive balladry of After The Gold Rush with the gothic stadium synth-pop of Violator. In a way, “The Suburbs” writes a check that the rest of the album can’t quite cash — it so perfectly states the themes and distills the mood that many of the other songs feel redundant. That might even be true for Arcade Fire’s subsequent career. “Sometimes I can’t believe it / I’m moving past the feeling” sums up their trajectory in the ’10s.
5. “Ready To Start” (2010)
Circling back to Arcade Fire’s Grammy win for The Suburbs, it really did seem in the moment that Arcade Fire was about to lead indie rock’s hostile takeover of the mainstream. You could feel that enthusiasm bounding through the band as they awkwardly accepted their Album Of The Year trophy, and then played “Ready To Start,” the song with the snarky lyrics about businessmen “drinking my blood / Like the kids in art school said they would.” The irony couldn’t be any clearer! Now, obviously, Arcade Fire absolutely did not lead an indie-rock revolution in the new decade. The Suburbs was not the beginning of the ’10s, it marked the end of the aughts. Arcade Fire was ready for stasis.
4. “My Body Is A Cage” (2007)
I don’t know who the genius was back in 2007 who connected Arcade Fire to Ennio Morricone, but whenever I hear this song I think about Charles Bronson murdering Henry Fonda in Once Upon A Time In The West and feel stirred once again,
3. “Rebellion (Lies)” (2004)
Arcade Fire, at their best, is about experiencing the overwhelming sensation of forward motion. They do not appeal to your brain; they drive your body forward and send your heart shooting out of your chest. “Rebellion (Lies)” is a perfect example — the bassline hooks you in immediately, like a trailer hitching to a runaway semi-truck. And then they step on the gas hard. The centrifugal force is so powerful that you don’t have the time or desire to catch your bearings. If you did, you would notice that that the lyrics are about … how sleep is bad for you. (Sleep is generally frowned upon on Funeral, as we will see again shortly.)
2. “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” (2010)
Is Régine Chassagne a good singer? She reminds me of a Muppet baby version of Bjork, a description I make without judgment. In Arcade Fire songs, her voice is applied sparingly, like a sweet but pungent spice that can easily overwhelm the entire dish if given one too many shakes. But what about a dish as vast as “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains),” the greatest pop song in the Arcade Fire arsenal? The song is so outsized that not even Régine’s spritely warble can overwhelm it. Instead, her aspirational squeak is downright uplifting amid those sky-high synths, an ideal vehicle for the lyrics about fighting to keep from drowning in a sea of mini-malls and fast-food restaurants. This is an adolescent song about adolescent feelings, and even a smidgen of guile would completely derail it. But Régine, mercifully, keeps all guile at bay.
1. “Wake Up” (2004)
I don’t know if this is a great song, per se. (The beat is taken from “We Will Rock You” and the mock-operatic chorus is a lift from “We Are The Champions.” It’s a Jock Jams Frankenstein.) But it is a great performance and a generous invitation to feel part of something bigger than yourself. Arcade Fire is an easy band to mock because of their pomposity and haphazard sense of humor and total lack of subtlety. But that’s only when they fail. When they actually achieve what they set out to do, Arcade Fire makes you forget about Arcade Fire, and instead points out the people that surround you. Put on “Wake Up” in a public space. (I mean, imagine putting on “Wake Up” in a public space.) You feel an electric current connecting thousands upon thousands of strangers. You can’t help but shout along with that incredible wave of whoaaaaaa! coming at you. Well, actually, I suppose it’s possible that you can help it, but why would you want to? Don’t you want to be lifted up? Isn’t it great to feel part of a community? We all yearn to be present, right now, fully awake to the world and its possibilities, don’t we? This song can put you there.
Arcade Fire can be a silly, maddening band, but the spirit “Wake Up” conjures when it’s really working are definitely not those things. From the vantage point of our shut-in existence, they seem like lofty, life-affirming fantasies.
Brand wars have been around for as long as brands have been a thing. Nintendo and Sega, Nike and Adidas, Pepsi and Coke, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods — so long as competition exists in the free market, the fans of similar brands will argue in the streets (or, you know, Twitter) over which company truly deserves cultural dominance.
In the world of hard seltzers, there is only one brand that has “Coke”-levels of name recognition: White Claw. But the brand’s biggest competitor, Truly, is nothing to scoff at. In many cases its flavors are just as good as White Claw; in some cases, they’re better. And Truly’s commitment to pushing the envelope and innovating is helping to close the once-wide gap between them.
Since the last time we ranked Truly’s flavors, the brand has thrown their hat into the hard lemonade ring. So today we’re running it back — with all the new flavors included. Here is the definitive ranking of where each flavor of Truly Hard Seltzer stands, from worst to best.
17. Truly Rosé
Truly
Every ranking has a bottom, and in this ranking, it’s Truly Rosé. Now I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest rosé fan to begin with, but if you’re curious as to what this tastes like in comparison to actual rosé then the answer is — awful.
Truly Rosé is not good. Period. But I get what they were thinking — they wanted to give us the best of both worlds, everything we love about hard seltzer and pink wine. Not a terrible concept, but it definitely doesn’t work. The fizz of the seltzer overwhelms the fruity notes of the Rosé, resulting in an overly candied flavor that tastes cheap.
The Verdict: Everything you hate about pink wine and hard seltzer — in one convenient can! Skip this one.
16. Truly Raspberry Lime
Truly
I don’t know if it was my own expectations that resulted in Raspberry Lime ranking so low in this list, but what I do know is that the combination of raspberry and lime should taste better than this. That’s not to say Raspberry Lime is bad — it isn’t. When you crack open a can you’re greeted with a refreshing blast of fragrant fruity notes that smell way more appetizing than its sister flavor, Truly Lime. But it doesn’t taste better, and it really feels like it should.
Truly has too many flavors — having a Lime and Raspberry Lime flavor is just redundant, especially when they taste this similar — and if we had to lose one we’d choose Truly Raspberry Lime. There’s a tart aftertaste that lingers on the tongue a lot longer than the plain Truly Lime’s flavor. And not in a pleasant way.
The Verdict: Sometimes, less is more, and in the case of Truly, one flavor trumps two. Reach for the Lime instead.
15. Truly Wild Berry
Truly
I don’t know what it is about Truly’s berry blends, but they just miss the mark for me. Wild Berry suffers from the same problems as Truly Raspberry Lime, it’s a muddled mess that is less than the sum of its parts. Raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry — how could you go wrong? I couldn’t tell you, but Truly could, and the answer comes in a can.
It’s hard to appreciate the flavors here because they aren’t distinct enough to differentiate, instead what should be a complex and multi-layered blend of flavors ends up tasting like somebody threw a bunch of random fruit into your vodka soda, and then fished it out with their hands when you weren’t looking.
The Verdict: Alcoholic Capri-Sun, only not as good as your nostalgia might lead you to imagine.
14. Truly Mango
Truly
Of White Claw’s five flavors, Truly makes four of them and they do them all better with the exception of Truly Mango. During the Great White Claw’s initial release on the market, White Claw Mango was one of the hardest flavors to find, and if you turned to Truly’s version as a substitute you probably wrote the brand off then and there — I don’t blame you. It’s not that this flavor is bad, so much as it just tastes overly artificial — which might lead you to believe that all of Truly’s flavors taste similarly fake.
They don’t, but Truly Mango tastes about as much like actual mangoes as sour peach rings taste like actual peaches — it’s this weird Frankenstein flavor that smells overwhelmingly like what it’s advertised as, but tastes like something fabricated in a lab.
The Verdict: Pales in comparison to White Claw’s Mango flavor but if you don’t mind artificial flavors it makes a fine mixer with vodka or gin.
13. Truly Lime
Truly
Lime hard seltzer — it’s just one of those flavors you know you’re going to encounter. It’s the least flashy of the flavors, and probably the most versatile. Use it as a budget margarita mixer, knock it back as a chaser with shots, or crush a few cans on its own.
We’re talking about alcohol and artificial lime flavoring. How can you go wrong?
Where the Raspberry Lime’s flavor is muddled and overly complicated, Truly Lime is crisp, refreshing, and clean with a lime zest that isn’t overly candied or too sour. Think less Bud Light Lime, more lime wedge in a vodka soda.
The Verdict: Vodka soda with a twist of lime in a can, but… maybe better?
12. Truly Lemon
Truly
My favorite summer treat as a child was the Fla-Vor-ice pop, a plastic tube of ice drowned in sugary food coloring. The Fla-Vor-Ice came in three flavors, Blue (bubblegum), Red (Cherry), and White (Lemon) — the white one was my favorite. If I had one today, I wouldn’t eat it — because I’m an adult and I don’t eat food-coloring on ice out of plastic tubes anymore — but I just might crush it up, toss it in a margarita glass, and pour a Truly Lemon over it.
Point being: Truly Lemon tastes a lot like the White Fla-Vor-Ice, only alcoholic, making it better. Fair warning: if you like your lemon flavor a little more on the natural side, this isn’t that — you’d still be better off squeezing a lemon into some plain hard seltzer.
The Verdict: It’s hard to imagine Truly Lemon as anyone’s favorite, but as far as lemon-flavored hard seltzers go, this one is as solid as they come.
11. Truly Lemonade
Truly
So let’s get this straight, Truly has a Raspberry Lime flavor, a Lime flavor, and a Lemon Flavor but now they want to roll up with a Truly Lemonade as well?
Truly, sit down, you’re abusing the citrus!
Truly Lemonade might be one of the most boring flavors Truly has ever made (it’s essentially Mike’s Hard Lemonade, but sweeter) but just because it’s boring, doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste better than all the flavors I just mentioned. It does! The Truly Lemonade pack feels less like an addition to the brand’s flavor line and more like a revamp of some of Truly’s original flavors, and, generally, they’re an improvement!
The Verdict: A great starter flavor, if you’ve never tried Truly and you want to see how it stacks up with other hard seltzers and malt beverages, grab a Truly Lemonade. It’ll get the job done.
10. Truly Orange
Truly
Orange is a bit of a rarity in the world of hard seltzers. Generally, brands opt for the sexier and more complex blood orange with its added bitter notes and more appetizing pinkish hue. But Truly tastes best when it keeps things simple and their Orange flavor is further proof of that claim. Subtle bright citrus notes add a hint of sweetness that elevates this flavor just above the Truly Lemon and Lime, offering an after taste that is sweeter than it is sour.
The Verdict: Better than Truly Lemon or Lime because it’s slightly sweeter — but still subtle enough that it doesn’t feel syrupy or overly artificial.
9. Truly Mango Lemonade
Truly
With deep and fragrant tones of mango and sweet lemon, Truly Mango Lemonade has a much more pleasant smell than the base Truly Mango flavor. It’s also a lot sweeter, so if you’re reaching for a Truly for the comforting burn of booze, you’re not going to find a lot of that here — the sweetness really tamps down any bite a can has.
Having said that, Truly Mango tastes so damn good you’ll forget you’re even drinking alcohol.
The Verdict: An ideal mixer, Truly Mango Lemonade is going to pair well as an ingredient in a more complex cocktail. On its own, it’s still one of Truly’s best flavors, but if you’re looking for bite and a slight burn, grab… well, pretty much any other flavor.
8. Truly Watermelon Kiwi
Truly
Truly’s most refreshing flavor, Watermelon Kiwi tastes like someone melted down a million watermelon Jolly Ranchers, poured them into a punch bowl full of chopped kiwis and then spiked the whole thing with a healthy dose of vodka. Tropical and refreshing, Watermelon Kiwi hits you with sweet flavors upfront before finishing off with tart kiwi notes that linger on the palate in the best way.
The Verdict: On its own, it’s refreshing but the 5% alcohol by volume really leaves something to be desired here. So mix it with some gin and a lime wedge and bump this C-tier hard seltzer up to a cheap but effective cocktail.
7. Truly Passionfruit
Truly
Truly Passionfruit tastes more like a tropical fruit cocktail than it does a singular flavor, but that may have to do with the fact that I’ve never eaten a passion fruit in real life and therefore have no frame of reference for what the fruit actually tastes like. Would I dislike this flavor more if I actually knew what a passion fruit tasted like? Maybe. But ignorance is bliss and to this ignorant palate, it tastes pretty damn good.
The Verdict: A fine balance of sweet and tart flavors that tastes unmistakably tropical.
6. Truly Pineapple
Truly
One of the things that sets Truly apart from its competition — namely White Claw — is the brand’s tropical offerings, and of the four flavors in the tropical variety pack, Pineapple is the best. Thanks to its slight sour edge, Truly Pineapple is one of the few flavors we’d consider mixing with whiskey.
The pineapple flavoring is very subtle here, so if you’re not a fan of the taste of carbonated water or Truly’s sugar-alcohol base, then steer clear of this flavor. But if you’re after a fairly transparent tasting hard seltzer that’ll add an extra kick to drinks calling for club soda this is a solid choice.
The Verdict: A solid mixer, the pineapple is subtle enough that you can easily sub a can in for any cocktails that call for club soda to add a little extra complexity. The best of Truly’s tropical flavors.
5. Truly Grapefruit
Truly
I was especially excited to see how Truly Grapefruit would stack up against White Claw’s Ruby Grapefruit because I gave the latter the bottom spot on Uproxx’s White Claw ranking. I was pleasantly surprised to find that what was one of White Claw’s worst is one of Truly’s best.
What struck me first about White Claw’s Ruby Grapefruit was its intoxicating and natural smell — opening a can smells like someone just cut open a grapefruit. Truly’s version doesn’t quite hit those highs in the aroma department, coming off as much more artificial, but at the end of the day, flavor wins, and Truly Grapefruit is delicious. The bitter and artificial smell is betrayed by a bright, refreshing, and natural flavor that expertly balances the grapefruit notes with the alcohol base — delivering a flavor that remains consistent from start to finish.
The Verdict: One of Truly’s best. Toss this in tequila and with some fresh lime and you got yourself an easy low-calorie Paloma that’ll taste great.
4. Truly Strawberry Lemonade
Truly
I was a little taken aback by just how great the experience of drinking Truly Strawberry Lemonade was. Once I popped open a can I was instantly greeted by a fragrant bouquet of strawberry and lemon, which drew me close to the can like Pepé Le Pew to a potential love interest. Weird comparison sure, but that’s all to say that Truly Strawberry Lemonade is enticing and intoxicating (if you drink three cans).
The lemonade here really tamps down the bitterness of Truly’s alcohol base, but doesn’t overwhelm it — much in the same way, the Truly Mango Lemonade flavor does, striking a nice balance.
The Verdict: Smells so good it’ll make you feel like you’re a cartoon, capable of floating via the scent of love.
3. Truly Black Cherry
Truly
Black cherry is to the hard seltzer world what cola is to the world of soft drinks, its the one flavor that every hard seltzer brand needs to nail in order to be taken seriously. Truly delivers here. Truly Black Cherry has a deep and dark flavor that recalls a slightly over-ripened cherry during the height of cherry season. It’s bursting with fruit notes, infusing the alcohol base with a taste so rich that one can feels like enough — and that’s really saying something with a 5% alcohol by volume hard seltzer.
The Verdict: This has a slight edge over White Claw’s Black Cherry thanks to its deep and rich flavor. Packs a kick strong enough to be enjoyed alone, and certainly good enough to convince you that Truly makes one of the best tasting hard seltzers out there.
2. Truly Black Cherry Lemonade
Truly
Truly Black Cherry Lemonade is a winner. It absolutely makes the base Black Cherry flavor feel redundant — why would anyone opt for the regular Black Cherry over the Lemonade variant? You’d have to truly be a fan of Truly’s alcohol base to not want the Lemonade iteration. And unless you’re a Truly Chemist, you probably don’t love the taste of the alcohol base.
That’s what seems so confusing about the Truly Lemonade line, it makes even Truly’s best flavors feel like a weak first attempt, and leaves us wondering how long those OGs will remain in production.
The Verdict: Make no mistake, Truly Black Cherry Lemonade almost snagged the top spot but our original number 1 is holding steady in first place. The day they make Truly Blueberry Acai Lemonade though? It’s over.
1. Truly Blueberry Acai
Truly
Remember when I said Truly’s berry blends miss the mark? Well, that’s not the case with Blueberry Acai. In fact, I think it’s Truly’s best flavor. Similar to the Black Cherry in its deep and dark berry tones, the Blueberry Acai is slightly more complex — delivering a rich taste that reveals itself distinct layers. As it hits your palate, the bright notes of the blueberry are darkened by rounder full-bodied flavor of the açaí, which then gives way to the bitter bite of the sugar-alcohol base.
The result is Truly’s most natural-tasting and complex hard seltzer, perfect on its own or spiked with vodka, gin, or tequila.
The Verdict: Truly’s best. It tastes the least artificial and has a complexity that the Black Cherry lacks. White Claw wishes they had a flavor this good.
Music is an art form that enhances everyday life in innumerable ways, but sometimes you crave listening to something a little different while away the hours on that morning and evening commute. Over the last decade, podcasts have risen to become one of the new, dominant mediums for intelligent conversation, impactful interviews, and new discovery. Favorite hosts become something like reliable friends you can return to and check in on at any time to seek out their wisdom or humor.
While there are thousands of podcasts that touch on nearly every topic under the sun, the options for music lovers are patently overwhelming. With that in mind, here are 20 of the best music podcasts to help you discover new artists, or go deep on old favorites.
People’s Party With Talib Kweli
People
What happens when one of the most thoughtful hip-hop artists alive gets in a room with an assortment of legendary musicians, athletes, and personalities? Some of the most insightful and surprising conversations available in podcast form. With guests including Lamar Odom, Jemele Hill, and Bun B, Kweli promises the series, which includes video and podcast forms, “won’t be doing the whole late-night talk show song and dance. No gimmicks, no bullsh*t. We need every second we have to discuss art, culture, politics and social justice.”
One of the longest-running music podcasts in the game is also one of the best. Hosted by two of the most esteemed rock critics in the game today, Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis, this Chicago-based pair tackles an impressively wide-range of different topics and genres on a weekly basis, with a kind of authority that only comes from literal decades of experience. With over 650 episodes and counting, there’s no shortage of material here to wade through and discover.
Song Exploder is one of the most fascinating programs to check out if you’re deeply interested in learning how a song is constructed. The idea is simple. An artist comes in and explains in exacting detail the different pieces of equipment they used on a given track, the ideas that went into it, and even the stories behind the lyrics. Thus far, they’ve had 100 Gecs in to deconstruct “Money Machine,” Tame Impala recently unpacked “It Might Be Time,” Vampire Weekend was on for “Harmony Hall,” and Meek Mill explained “Trauma.” Each episode only runs 20-minutes or so, so they are also incredibly binge-able.
This Is Not A Drake Podcast is a limited-run podcast series hosted by Ty Harper, a hip-hop head who has covered the Toronto scene for decades. Throughout each of the six thoughtful episodes, Harper breaks down seminal moments in Drake’s career while also exploring the broader context of the history and evolution of hip-hop in Toronto, R&B, gender dynamics, and Black culture.
Indiecast is a new podcast Indiecast from Uproxx’s very own Steven Hyden and long-time music critic Ian Cohen of Pitchfork and Stereogum fame. Each week, Ian and Steven will talk about all the latest news in indie music. They will review new albums, break down trends, expose exciting new artists, and give you all the necessary context to understand what’s happening in the indie world as well as moments that established the genre’s canon. Of course, they’ll also pointlessly rank things — whether it’s the best indie albums of the aughts, the greatest Phoebe Bridgers tracks, or their favorite chillwave songs. True to its name, Indiecast has you covered on everything indie.
Hosted by Justin Richmond with interviews by legendary producer Rick Rubin, author Malcolm Gladwell, and former New York Times editor Bruce Headlam, Broken Records stands as a modern-day replacement for liner notes on albums. Each episode, a member of the Broken Record team sits down for an in-depth conversation with one of today’s biggest artists ranging from Tame Impala to Pharrell. While the discussion may temporarily divert from music, Broken Record aims to contextualize an album and allow musicians to connect with their audiences on a deeper level.
KEXP is one of the best radio stations in the US, hands-down, bar-none. Operating out of Seattle, KEXP gives a platform to a wealth of burgeoning local and national acts you might not hear on any other broadcast. They bring a similar spirit to their weekly podcast, Music That Matters, which features a wide-ranging collection of songs put together by some of the station’s most knowledgeable DJs like Kevin Cole, Cheryl Waters, and John Richards.
NPR is maybe the most prestigious music podcast platform out there. While there are several incredible podcasts that operate under their banner — you can never go wrong with Tiny Desk — All Songs Considered is the flagship enterprise. If you’re looking to get an edge on what’s happening right now, which albums are dropping, which tracks are popping, this is the place to find out, courtesy of host and musical director Bob Boilen.
Who better to talk about music than musicians? Makes sense right? Talkhouse is the premier place to hear some of the best most intriguing and thoughtful artists out there today discuss amongst one another the trials and tribulations they face in the music industry and the effort and inspiration that goes into their every project. Where else can you hear Questlove from the Roots mix it up with Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney, or Kid Cudi unload with Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman? Exactly.
There are a lot of talking heads out there in hip-hop who enjoying spouting off just to get a reaction. I’m not going to name any names, but if you’ve been following along for any length of time, you certainly know who they are. Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller are two of the most well-respected journalists in hip-hop history and bring a breadth of knowledge and insight to their podcast that’s incredible to behold. Their recent, multi-part interview with Jay-Z just after the release of 4:44 is mandatory listening.
It’s kind of absurd the lack of good and compelling podcasts that deal exclusively with pop music. As you’ve seen already, the wealth of rock and hip-hop pods are incredible, and it’s disappointing that pop has lagged so far behind the other genres. The best of the bunch is probably the Switched On Pop program hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding. The pair take on their subjects like Demi Lovato, Camilla Cabello, and Justin Timberlake with a passion that never drifts into condescension or snark like others might. Whether you’re a Katy Kat or a Swifty, there’s a lot here to like.
The New York Times has long reigned as the paper of record in the US, and lately has rolled out a series of podcasts in a variety of realms to establish its voice in that world as well. Hosted by the esteemed writer Jon Caramanica, Popcast is a semi-weekly series of talks between different writers tackling the major events and album drops of the moment. No topic is too off the beaten path, with chats recently regarding the death of rapper XXXTentacion, as well as American Idol and the Drake Vs. Pusha-T beef.
Presented by the Center For Hip-Hop Advocacy, Hip-Hop Can Save America explores the innovative and astounding ways hip-hop culture and music has been applied to areas like education, science, health/wellness, theater, and more. With an array of guests from academics to entrepreneurs, Hip-Hop Can Save America has it all.
Music writers come and go with every passing era, but some, through sheer wealth of talent and personality manage to stick around for the long haul. Former Rolling Stone writer Jenny Eliscu is certainly among that privileged set. For her LSQ podcast, the writer switches on the microphone to hold engrossing chats with and about an eclectic array of different artists, from Jack Antonoff and Spoon’s Britt Daniel to Angel Olsen and Danielle Haim.
No musical artist on the planet today inspires as much heated discussion as Kanye Omari West. Whether that means fans ranking his albums, critics decrying his brash personality, hypebeasts picking apart every piece in his Yeezy fashion line, or casual fans wondering where the f*ck the new album is, it’s hard to keep Kanye out of the conversation. Watching The Throne leans into the skid with an impressive understanding of both his music, and makeup. If you’re a real Yeezy head, this is a can’t-miss.
Crime podcasts have become all the rage ever since Serial burst onto the scene a couple of years back, and as everyone knows, the history of popular music has its fair share of bodies. Disgraceland combines the worlds of music and murder together to tell incredible, and sometimes, little-known stories involving some of the most impactful artists of all-time. What, you didn’t know that Jerry Lee Lewis might have killed one of his wives? Find out more about it here.
I think it’s probably fair to say that Questlove has one of the most enviable rolodexes in all of popular music. Fortunately for all of us, he isn’t afraid to spin that thing every so often and call in some of the most indelible creators out there for wide-ranging and deeply, fantastically nerdy chats on his regular Questlove Supreme podcast. His recent sit-down with Jack White is a can’t-miss.
As described by Dear Young Rocker’s host, writer and bass player Chelsea Ursin, the podcast is a story “for the weirdos, the loners, the ugly ducklings.” Executive produced by Disgraceland’s Jake Brennan, Dear Young Rocker is a scripted, narrative podcast that follows young protagonist Chelsea as she struggles to quell anxiety, deals with boys, and tries to find a home in music as an aspiring bass player. The podcast is formatted as a series of letters between Chelsea and her younger self, reminding us all that so many others experienced the same middle school hardships and that women will always deserve a place in rock music.
To all the music lovers who can spend upwards of an hour gushing about a single song, Dissect is the podcast for you. Dissect focuses a single album per season while forensically examining the music, lyrics, and meaning of each track on an album, one song per episode. The podcast is currently focused on dissecting Beyonce’s Lemonade but in the past has turned attention to Kendrick Lamar’s Damn, Tyler The Creator’s Flower Boy, and both of Frank Ocean’s albums.
With 275 episodes spanning over nearly six years, Turned Out A Punk is a binge-worthy podcast. Hosted by Damian Abraham, vocalist to the veteran punk outfit F*cked Up, Turned Out A Punk invites musicians, label executives, and music lovers to explore how punk music has impacted their lives in a variety of ways.
Consequence Of Sound has spent the last couple years building out its robust podcast network, including titles like This Must Be The Gig (focusing on interviews with musicians about live performances) and The Losers’ Club (a Stephen King podcast). And of course, there is Kyle Meredith With…, which offers frequent artist interviews with the biggest subjects from across music genres. As a whole, their podcast flight is impressive, but they are equally enjoyable on their own, too.
“Thriller” is kind of a catch-all term for movies that bleed into multiple genres. It can describe films rich with drama, action, crime, and quite possibly horror. That’s why its Netflix category is such a hodgepodge of entries, varying in tone, subject matter, and quality. A good thriller, though, is going to be suspenseful for any number of reasons. An unstoppable killer. An unsolvable mystery. A gripping world that draws viewers into it. A sympathetic character fighting for survival. Something that can keep an audience on the edge of its seats. And based on that, here are the 15 best thrillers on Netflix right now.
This Spanish-language sci-fi flick is all kinds of f*cked up, but in the best way. The film is set in a large, tower-style “Vertical Self-Management Center” where the residents, who are periodically switched at random between floors, are fed by a platform, initially filled with food, that gradually descends through the levels. Conflicts arise when inmates at the top begin eating all the food, leaving the people lower down to fight for survival.
Writer/director Trey Edward Shults followed up his unnerving family portrait in 2015’s Krisha with a look at another family under the most desperate of circumstances. After an unknown illness has wiped out most of civilization, a number of threats — both seen and unseen — come for a family held up in their home out in the wilderness. It’s a subtle, dream-like tale that stars Joel Edgerton and Christopher Abbot as two patriarchs intent on keeping their families safe, no matter the cost.
What starts out like a Kafka story turns into a tense match between a seemingly innocent man (Hugo Weaving) and a menacing detective with his own demons (Tony Martin). The former is snatched up and interrogated by the authorities for reasons that are slowly revealed to him, and as the hours drag by, both men become more and more desperate. Weaving knocks it out of the park, keeping the detectives and audience guessing as his true demeanor is constantly put in question. Martin is no slouch either as he does his best to expose Weaving’s character for the monster that he sees, even if it costs him his job and sanity. The writing is taut and the environment is claustrophobic, which propels the mysteries behind the two lead characters.
Macon Blair stars in this crime thriller about a man who returns to his hometown to carry out an act of vengeance and discovers he’s in over his head. Blair plays Dwight Evans, a vagabond who learns his parents’ murderer is being released from prison and returns home to kill him. He succeeds but ends up starting a blood feud with the guy’s family that doesn’t end how you expect.
Sandra Bullock’s apocalyptic sci-fi saga has spawned more than just a ridiculous internet challenge, it’s also renewed our love for monster-driven thrillers. Sure, we never actually see the otherworldly beings that cause people to commit suicide if they open their eyes, but the danger they pose and the fear they instill is still viscerally real. Bullock plays a mother trying to protect her two young children and survive amidst a group of strangers with their own agendas and issues. The supporting cast in this one — Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, and Tom Hollander — are fantastic which distracts from some of the more questionable story choices.
A stone-faced Ryan Gosling steers us through the criminal underworld created by director Nicolas Winding Refn in this high-speed thriller. Gosling plays a near-silent stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway man. When he gets involved with his next-door neighbor and her young son, his carefully cultivated life is thrown into chaos, forcing him to align with criminals and take on risky jobs to protect the pair and keep a firm grip on the wheel.
When a punk rock group accidentally witnesses the aftermath of a murder, they are forced to fight for their lives by the owner of a Nazi bar (Patrick Stewart) and his team. It’s an extremely brutal and violent story, much like the first two features from director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin and Murder Party), but this one is made even tenser by its claustrophobic cat-and-cornered-mouse nature. Once the impending danger kicks in, it doesn’t let up until the very end, driven heavily by Stewart playing against type as a harsh, unforgiving, violent character.
After back-to-back big studio bombs, Karyn Kusama returned to her scrappy indie roots with this contained, brilliantly suspenseful study of the darkness that can arise when people don’t allow themselves to feel. The Invitation isn’t a perfect film, but Kusama does a lot with the scant resources she had to play with here, and you have to appreciate her willingness to tackle grief so directly in a genre that tends to have little time for genuine human emotion.
This Spanish crime thriller follows a successful businessman framed for the murder of his married lover. A seemingly straightforward plot, until a car accident, a dead body, fake witnesses, and a family out for revenge is thrown into the mix. Mario Casas stars as the man in question, a young husband and father with a bright future who takes part in a terrible crime and is forced to pay for it in the most twisted of ways. You won’t figure this thing out until the end, we guarantee it.
Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has quickly earned a reputation for delivering highly-stylized dramas, filled with eccentric characters played by more-than-capable actors looking to reinvent and redefine their careers — and he doesn’t change that with this thriller that’s part horror, part mystery. Colin Farrell plays a charismatic surgeon who, along with his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), must make a terrible sacrifice when a young boy he’s committed to helping begins displaying some sinister behavior. To say anything more would spoil some plot twists that you’ll definitely enjoy.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo star in this mystery crime thriller directed by David Fincher. The manhunt for the Zodiac killer — a criminal who committed several murders in the Bay area in the late ’60s and early ’70s — has spanned decades and garnered plenty of media attention, but the film dives deeper into the cost of the search, particularly the toll it’s taken on the men and women reporting on it. Gyllenhaal plays a newspaper cartoonist who becomes obsessed with the case, decoding ciphers sent by the killer and targeting a man he believes could be the Zodiac. Downey Jr. plays a crime reporter who partners with Gyllenhaal on the case and leaks information to the police. It’s a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse that’s fueled by some gripping performances by its male leads.
Hannibal Lecter is one of horror’s most iconic characters, but it’s a testament to the creepiness of Anthony Hopkins in a leather muzzle that, no matter how many times the film gets quoted, hearing him tell Clarice Starling that he’s having an old friend for dinner still sends chills up our spines. Jodie Foster plays the FBI agent tasked with catching another serial killer with Lecter’s same M.O., and she does it by striking up unnerving conversations with the guy, but Hopkins is the real star here, playing Lecter with a restrained insanity that makes his small talk of enjoying human liver with fava beans so much more nightmarish.
This gritty crime drama hailing from the Safdie brothers transforms star Robert Pattinson into a bleach-blonde sh*t-stirrer from Queens desperate to break his developmentally disabled brother out of prison. Pattinson plays Connie, a street hustler and bank robber with grand plans to break out of his urban hood while Benny Safdie plays his brother Nick, who gets roped into his schemes. When Nick is sent to Ryker’s Island for a job gone wrong, Connie goes on a downward spiral to get him back. Pattinson’s manic energy carries this thing and there’s plenty of police run-ins, shootouts, and heists (however botched) to keep the adrenaline pumping.
Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun stars this psychological thriller from South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong. Yeun plays Ben, a rich millennial with a mysterious job who connects with a woman named Shin Hae-mi on a trip to Africa. The two journey back home together where Ben meets Shin’s friend/lover Lee Jong-su. The three hang-out regularly, with Lee growing more jealous of Ben’s wealth and privilege while he’s forced to manage his father’s farm when his dad goes to prison. But it’s when Shin disappears, and Lee suspects Ben’s involvement, that things really go off the rails.
Now, audiences can absorb — from the comfort of their own living rooms — the full gravitational effect of Adam Sandler in the most intense performance of his career. The Sandman arguably got robbed of an Oscar nod for his turn in Josh and Benny Safdie’s electrifying crime thriller that accelerates tension to a fever pitch. He’s superb as a charismatic New York City jeweler who grows increasingly desperate while walking a tight-wire amid relentlessly threatening adversaries, and keep your eyes open for a supporting turn from the always great LaKeith Stanfield.
It’s been quite a dramatic ride for The Rum Diary co-stars Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, who divorced four years ago (after one year of marriage) but are embroiled by a lawsuit (filed by Depp) against British tabloid The Sun. The former Tim Burton muse is seeking “to clear his reputation” from potentially irreparable harm, so he desires “vindication” (not monetary damages) after an April 2018 article labeled him as a “wife-beater.” This led to three weeks of mud-slinging from both sides in a trial full of wild revelations that can, in all fairness, be summed up as a circus.
All along, Depp has denied abusing Amber before or during their marriage, and he has, in fact, claimed that she’s the abusive party. His stance has been marred by photos submitted by Heard in 2016 to secure a restraining order. At the time, one of Depp’s ex-managers, Joel Mandel, sided with Heard regarding an alleged violent incident from 2014. And during this trial, former Depp partners Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis stated that Depp was never abusive toward them. However, neither Heard nor Depp has ever filed criminal charges against each other, so instead, both sides presented all kinds of evidence, not only about physical abuse (and how Depp lost part of a finger) but about everything from Amber supposedly taking a “poo in the bed” to Depp allegedly dangling a dog out a car window. Yikes.
Neither ex-spouse comes out looking fantastic here, so, what’s next? Potentially, quite a lot, including verdict fallout and another lawsuit to come. And then there’s the pressing question of whether this trial might help (or hurt) Depp’s career longevity.
– What The Verdict Will Mean: The sensory overload of the trial ended with Depp’s lawyer calling Heard “a compulsive liar” and Heard telling the press, “I stand by my testimony and I now place my faith in British justice.” Now, it’s in the court’s hands.
The verdict isn’t expected to arrive until September, but the burden of proof in United Kingdom courts for libel may be on Depp’s side, since it’s notably lower than within the United States. English law holds that libel suit defendants — in this case, The Sun‘s publisher, News Group Newspapers, and executive editor Dan Wootton — are working against the presumption that the allegation in question (that Depp guilty of domestic abuse) is false. Therefore, the defendants must prove that the allegation is true in order to prevail (which is a reversal of the U.S. standard).
Media attorney Mark Stephens has pointed out to Billboard that, even though the odds are in favor of libel plaintiffs in the U.K., Depp may have done himself more harm than good, even if he walks away a legal victor. That is, his stance in filing the lawsuit is that The Sun‘s story damaged his career, yet this trial has invited a global audience into the allegations made against both sides of the case.
It’s a fine point. Even if Depp wins against The Sun, the world’s still seen photos of him passed out cold while covered in ice cream. That may not inspire too much studio or audience confidence in him. So whether Depp wins or loses, people will be aware that the standard of proof in winning a U.K. libel suit isn’t too high, so it’s not necessarily the reputation-clearer that he’d prefer. (And god only knows how much money he’s spending in legal fees here, apparently without seeking any monetary damages.)
Heard seemed to realize this inevitability when she told reporters that she’d (obviously) have preferred not to spend weeks (in a public forum) wading through the dirty laundry of her marriage. “It has been incredibly painful to relive the breakup of my relationship, to have my motives and my truth questioned,” she declared. “And the most traumatic and intimate details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast to the entire world.”
– Another Lawsuit On The Way: Depp’s also planning to take his chances with a U.S.-based trial. In 2021, he’s heading to Virginia for more legal proceedings, this time against Heard over a Washington Post story about domestic violence. Heard wrote a 2018 op-ed for the paper on that subject, and in doing so, she accused institutions of protecting alleged domestic abusers; it seems that Depp was not pleased, and this time, he’s seeking damages. He’s asking the court to award him $50 million if he wins. Mark Stephens told WaPothat if Depp “loses in London, he’s almost certain to lose that American case. So this is in some ways a dress rehearsal for the second case.”
It’s worth nothing that Heard reportedly donated her $7 million divorce settlement (in 2016) to domestic violence charities after her and Depp’s “irreconcilable differences.” And it looks like their battle will continue, five years after the split.
And meanwhile, this is still happening:
– The Missing Half-Billion (At Least) Dollars: Strangely, that wild 2018 Rolling Stone profile is back with a vengeance and surfaced during the trial. In the piece, Depp admitted to making $650 million from movies and still somehow being in debt. In that piece, he bragged about his exorbitant expenditures with these quotes: (1) “It’s insulting to say that I spent $30,000 [per month] on wine. Because it was far more”; (2) “By the way, it was not $3 million to shoot Hunter [S. Thompson] into the f*cking sky [at his funeral]. It was $5 million.”
On the witness stand in London, Depp reiterated that he’d made $650 million since he climbed aboard the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as Jack Sparrow. And he admitted that he still ended up $100 million in debt but blamed his financial advisors for failing to pay his taxes for up to 17 years. He also talked about the $5 million he spent on Thompson’s funeral, but somehow, he still owns houses around the globe.
His lavish lifestyle remains notorious and undoubtedly weighs into him wanting to clear his reputation, although (for reasons stated above) this trial might not have the healing effect — no matter what the verdict — on Johnny Depp’s career as he’d hope.
YG has spent much of the year working on his upcoming fifth album Laugh Now Kry Later! Three singles have been released, its title track, “FTP,” and “Swag,” meaning the album could quite possibly arrive before year’s end — a fairly quick turnaround from his 2019 4Real 4Real album. YG stopped by the The Morning Hustle radio show to speak about something a bit more personal than his new album, recounting the events of his 2019 house raid.
#YG goes into detail about the traumatizing raid when police came into his house guns drawn on him & his family earlier in the year.
— The Morning Hustle (@MorningHustleAM) July 29, 2020
“The police came, raided my house – like my house, house with me and my family and my kids. They come through like four in the morning. We asleep, the helicopter had come around and all that,” YG said during his interview. “They bang the door in trying to get in the door, so I go downstairs, I open the door – boom! They draw down on me. That’s normal, but my kids at the time were 4 years old and 6 years old. They upstairs in the room with their mama.” YG then went on to explain how the LAPD crossed the line threatening his children as well, despite his compliance with them.
“They go up in the room and they got the big AKs all in my little kids’ face like, ‘Don’t move!’” he recalled. “I’m like bro, what the f*ck is y’all doing? Y’all got me f*cked up! They doing this to my little kids! And these are little girls!” Despite his feelings about the situation, YG suggested he understood why it played out the way it did.
“I been through a lot of other stuff with the police but I’m from the streets though, you feel me?” he said. “So it’s like I got a target on my back already from that and I know that, so it ain’t really nothing to talk about. Because it’s like when you’re from a certain area, the police gon’ f*ck with you.”
There’s simple, straight to the point marketing, then there’s a Beyoncé announcement. Earlier this month, the music icon announced Black Is King visual album with a simple trailer. Few people knew exactly what the visual was, but speculation hit a fever pitch. The moment harkened to the Homecoming documentary announcement, which was a Netflix tweet of a photo and release date.
Beyoncé fanpage @theyoncehub joked that the pitch meeting for Homecoming consisted of Beyoncé telling Netflix to “tweet it the week before with no caption or context,” because “they’ll know.” And even if they don’t, the Beyhive will anxiously anticipate whatever she announces just because.
Beyoncé is a superstar of superstars. There’s a reason that her Instagram posts are loaded with comments from other celebrities acting like stans. Imagine how big of a star one must be to have Drake bringing them drinks at basketball games or incite jokes about Jay-Z being the mere sidekick of their relationship. She’s earned that stature not just with her catalog, but through a prodigious work ethic, an unforgettable live show, and the discernment to nurture her fans’ fascination through image conservation. You’ll never catch her slippin’ cause you’ll rarely catch her at all.
She undoubtedly has a mystique — but she’s relatable at the same time. Fans find personal solace in her love for her hometown Houston and her deep vulnerability about marriage and pregnancy struggles throughout the years. Consider the dichotomy of having fans belt out her “Flawless” lyrics while resonating with an earnest essay in part about embracing her FUPA.
Every star operates in their comfort zone. Some artists are introverted recluses, and some can’t stop oversharing on social media. Somewhere in the middle, high above the fray, is Beyoncé, who is a master of balancing mystery and accessibility.
One could credit Beyoncé’s 30 years of industry experience with shaping her dynamism. She was cultivating her artistry before social media was a thing and TMZ could catch you at the most awkward angles possible. Stardom was protected by PR and limited access in the ’90s, giving stars the ability to tell their own story.
Michael Jackson was the era’s superstar of superstars. Even as the tabloids dogged him, the fans who chose to ignore or disbelieve scandalous allegations could simply feed into the “King Of Pop” mystique. He knew that fans wanted to believe in something bigger than themselves, and he projected it to them. His 1993 Superbowl XXVII performance started with him appearing simultaneously at opposite ends of the stadium (symbolizing his ubiquity) and standing in place for two minutes, radiating that even being in his presence was a privilege. His music video premieres would be simulcast on multiple TV channels, essentially making him a trending topic before it was a thing. Similar to a young Kobe studying Michael Jordan, Beyoncé saw all of this and incorporated the knack for spectacle into her momentous live performance.
In a 2014 letter, she said that Jackson, who is polarizing, but undeniably impactful, “changed her and helped me to become the artist I am.” She recalled her first producer making her watch Jackson’s live performance of “Who’s Loving You” on a “back to back to back” basis for hours. From afar she absorbed his work ethic, careful cultivation of his image, and absorbed the idea that “you could hear his soul,” as she described.
Her own god-given gifts have manifested a similar brand of fandom. It’s harder to maintain privacy in 2020, but Beyoncé does her best. She’s joked about fellow partygoers signing nondisclosures — but the dearth of info that comes out about her infers that maybe she’s only half-joking. Her relationship with Jay-Z is one of the world’s most scrutinized partnerships, but they’ve been meticulous about what they let the public in on. But they’ve both spilled when it was time to let the people hear their soul.
Their 2014 Met Gala incident, in which Solange accosted Jay-Z, was infamously memed as the fight that spawned three classic albums — including the one that most exemplified Beyoncé’s lyrical vulnerability: Lemonade.
Music video director Melina Matsoukas, who directed “Formation,” has said that Beyoncé “wanted to show the historical impact of slavery on Black love” with the 65-minute visual companion to her personal excavation. The project focused heavily on her relationship with Jay-Z, her parents, and how her conditioning — and theirs — affected her womanhood.
Lemonade’s cultural relevance is a form of access in itself. Being accessible isn’t just about being on social media; it’s about engaging an audience on terms they understand, in ways they appreciate. There was a renewed push for more Black imagery in 2010s pop culture, and Beyoncé fed that better than anyone. Lemonade’s lyrical content contributed heavily to already-relevant dialogues of infidelity, generational trauma, self-worth, and body image. And the Lemonade film showed Beyoncé engaging with Black fans through their shared heritage instead of a carefully curated, larger-than-life aesthetic typical of much popular music. It was undoubtedly this generation’s biggest star at her creative zenith — but it wasn’t about supremacy as much as community.
She also keeps up that connection by staying attentive to what’s going on in the culture. It may seem like because she and Jay-Z are secluded they’re detached from what’s going on — but neither of them miss a thing. There are numerous examples of her being aware of what’s going on at the moment, from her aforementioned contributions to progressive discussions, to doing the Shmoney dance in 2014, to her “Apesh!t,” “Top Off,” and “Savage” remix verses, which all sounded fresh and of their moment. One has to stay on top of the game’s movements to stay on top of their game commercially, and Beyoncé embodies that dynamic.
Her work ethic is momentous, and nothing demonstrated that more than 2019’s Homecoming, another personal offering from the Queen. The Netflix documentary chronicled the leadup to her 2018 Coachella performance — a set so spectacular that it spurred debate about who was better between her and MJ. It would have been simple enough for Beyoncé to merely leave fans awestruck at what she did that night, but Homecoming let fans be a fly on the wall while observing the personal obstacles she overcame toward the moment.
Fans were made aware of the difficulties of her pregnancy with Rumi and Sir Carter, and her journey to get down from a post-pregnancy 218 pounds. She allowed candid access to her day-to-day life, showing aspirant viewers the symbiotic relationship between sacrifice, dedication, and achievement. Her fans often joke about her utter perfection, but Homecoming displayed a level of humility and resilience that makes her highs even more impressive.
Cultural ubiquity isn’t given; it’s earned. The most underrated aspect of stardom is being able to handle stardom. There are many celebrities who have offput fans with errant tweets, impulsive comments, and overall grating personalities. But in 20+ years, one would be hard-pressed to find moments where Beyoncé undermined her stardom or overplayed her hand. She’s both vulnerable and exclusive, candid and alluring at once. That mesh is what has allowed her to become — and stay — an icon.
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