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Travis Scott has always encouraged his fans to rage, but it looks like he wants to channel that energy in a new direction. In The Face magazine’s new profile of the Houston rapper, he acknowledges that “we got a voice to try to make change,” although he admits he might not quite know how. To that end, he says, “We want to try to make sure they understand that I’m a tool. Allow me to help in any way. Let me know where we got to go show up. It’s a big picture. It’s like a lot of groundwork we got to do.”

He continues, “You’re trying to get to a point where people are finally seeing the oppression that’s been happening and overlooked, and that we, as a culture, have been fighting through every day. I mean, look how many leaders we have in the Black community.” He says he wants to eventually be one, but first he needs a direction.

Whenever Travis does step into the mantle of leader of the people, his outsized influence may be a huge driver for social change. After all, his collabrative merch with McDonald’s has sold out within days, despite consisting of some of the weirdest items around. That’s a big platform and maybe, like Cardi B, he’ll find ways to utilize it to encourage people to push for progress.

Read the full profile of Travis Scott here.

Sufjan Stevens has offered multiple previews of his upcoming album The Ascension, and a lot of them have been lengthier than your average song. Now he’s back at it again with “Sugar,” a new seven-minute epic.

The single begins with a few minutes of instrumental melancholic electronica before Stevens sings, “Come on baby, cut me some slack / Now that it’s a quarter to 10 / Come on baby, give me some sugar.” The video features a shortened version of the track, and it shows a family dealing with a home in disarray.

Stevens says of the track:

“‘Sugar’ is ultimately about the desire for goodness and purity (and true sustenance). On the surface the song is just a string of clichés, but the message is imperative: now is the time to gather what is good and pure and valuable and make it your own, and share it with others. Feed your soul and speak new life into those around you. Give each other love, respect and sacrifice. Relinquish all the old habits, all the old ways of thinking and doing, all former practices — ‘business as usual’ — and bring new life to the world. This is our calling.”

Stevens also previously said of the album as a whole, “My objective for this album was simple: Interrogate the world around you. Question anything that doesn’t hold water. Exterminate all bullsh*t. Be part of the solution or get out of the way. Keep it real. Keep it true. Keep it simple. Keep it moving.”

Watch the “Sugar” video above, and listen to the full-length song below.

The Ascension is out 9/25 via Asthmatic Kitty Records. Pre-order it here.

This is the way, I mean, this is the trailer for The Mandalorian season two.

Our first look at the sophomore season for the hit Disney+ series is full of Baby Yoda, as it should be, but let’s take a moment to also appreciate the Tusken Raider sitting atop the Bantha, the throat singing, the X-wings, the alien space-wrestling, Din Djarin/Mando using a jetpack to escape Stormtroopers (he flies now?!?), and “the songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore the Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi.”

Which brings us back to Baby Yoda. “You expect me to search the galaxy and deliver this creature to a race of enemy sorcerers?” Mando asks the Armorer. “This is the way,” she responds. It’s the first step (well, second step after rescuing the Child from Evil Herzog) towards Yoda stealing Luke’s dinner centuries later. That’s history in the making.

Here’s more.

The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through a dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire. The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito. Directors for the new season include Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed and Robert Rodriguez.

The Mandalorian returns on October 30.

Dave Chappelle is one of America’s funniest people, so naturally, he made his television debut on America’s Funniest People.

The comedy series, which was basically America’s Funniest Home Videos but with more joke telling and less people falling off lawnmowers into pools, was hosted by a different member of the Full House cast, Dave Coulier, as well as Arleen Sorkin, the voice of Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series. There’s conflicting information online about when the first episode aired, but it was definitely in September 1990, making this month the 30th anniversary of Dave Chappelle telling his first joke on television.

Chappelle appears 19 minutes into the pilot episode. Standing in front of a brick wall and dumpster, the Chappelle’s Show creator cracks, “This is my impression of Batman fighting crime in my neighborhood. ‘Robin.’ ‘Yes, Batman.’ ‘Didn’t we park the car right here? I swear it was here a minute ago.’” He then slaps his legs like a sting. Even in the early days, he was telling race-based jokes. Dave Coulier-approved race-based jokes.

I’m certain America’s Funniest People was canceled after four seasons, compared to 30 seasons (!) of America’s Funniest Home Videos, because the set caused permanent eye damage to anyone who tuned in. Anyway, that Batman joke was Chappelle’s creative peak. Not Chappelle’s Show, not the standup specials, not Half Baked, not winning a Mark Twain Prize, but the Batman joke. Go to 19:10 in the video below to see Chappelle.

(Via Reddit)

After releasing two advance singles, Atlanta (by way of Austin and LA) band Mamalarky have announced their debut self-titled album. Across ten tracks, the quartet deliver blissed out fuzzy indie-pop tracks that are nostalgic for a simpler time. They are a band that emanates cool factor, with technically impressive instrumentation and a rhythm section that serves as an anchor beneath flowing synth lines and buzzy guitars. The latest single “Schism Trek” is another indication that Mamalarky is definitely not a record to sleep on as the leaves turn and fall sets in.

Ahead of the new album, the band sat down to talk wearing suits on stage, cute pigs, and the space-time continuum in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

fuzzy gooey cookie melt.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Like a dream sequence in the movies where there’s a harp playing and the screen gets blurry before it takes you to the dream, where we’re all wearing suits and playing the album to you from a cloud. that would be ideal for us, please.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Atlanta, it’s so beautiful and it was the best crowd we’ve ever had. The bands were all really great and nobody had their arms crossed.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Each of my bandmates!

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Noor makes ridiculous sweet potato sandwiches and they’re some of the best things to have after a long drive. I miss those tour sammys.

What album do you know every word to?

The new Orion Sun album, Hold Space For Me.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Palm Sunday at 529 blew us away, please check her out, her voice is otherworldly. It was a solo set too! Nothing could have prepared us for the real-life angel that took the stage that night.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Any two-piece suit kind of deal. It saves time to throw on the same two things before you play every night and feel somewhat presentable without having to think about it.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

@Cutest.Pigs on Instagram is our biggest influence.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney, we have harmonies all figured out it’s a production.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

How many table spoons are in a quarter cup. Dylan was makin’ braised beets at work and yeah they were f*cking good.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

The absolute perfect album to gift is the Spanish ABBA album, Oro. Noor has given it to many people and it’s never disappointed.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

We stayed at a Mormon farm once in Taylor Arizona. We didn’t know beforehand and it was kind of intimidating but they were a really sweet family and they had newborn puppies to play with and fresh out of the oven apple pies for us upon arrival. For breakfast, they had fresh milk and made us spiced peaches and hard boiled fresh eggs that Dylan collected in the morning with their son Mordecai. It was all there.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I would say my favorite tattoo is my magnolia seed pod, I always gravitated towards them as a kid and now they remind me of home so I’m happy to carry that with me now

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Noor and Michael helped Livvy in the Texas summer heat when my old car broke down just last week. Definitely one of the nicest things I’ve experienced, both their energies are grounding and sweet in those kinds of moments. I really like this question it made me think of good memories!

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t listen to anything I say or it’ll disrupt the space-time continuum.

What’s the last show you went to?

It was actually Mamalarky’s last pre-corona set at Bootleg Theatre in LA. Check out Eyeshadow, they were amazing that night.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Ratatouille is America’s finest film.

What would you cook if Obama were coming to your house for dinner?

We’d prepare our previously mentioned famous sweet potato sandwiches and then find some way to start a pointed dinner conversation about deportation.

Mamalarky is out November 20 on Fire Talk. Pre-order it here.

Billie Eilish works closely with her brother Finneas on her music, and he has been generous with insider info about how work on her upcoming material is coming along. Nearly a year ago, he shared that he and his sister were “deep into the creative process on new material,” and they seem to still be on that track now. In fact, Finneas is discussing when the project might be released.

In an interview with Australia’s Herald Sun, Finneas said he doesn’t want Eilish upcoming album, or his own, to come out during the pandemic: “Billie’s album, and my album, they won’t be a bummer COVID record. I have a desperate desire not to release them during COVID-19. It’s the vaccine record! I want it to be the album everyone’s out dancing in the streets to.”

Discussing working from his newly-bought LA-area home, Finneas said, “Billie and I are full steam ahead on her next record. I’m working on my own album, too. I haven’t suffered at all because of my set-up. Billie and I can work one-on-one, and I’m working remotely with other artists who FaceTime me and ask if I want to work on a song.”

He also addressed musicians speaking politically, saying, “The argument in America that entertainers should stay out of politics died when an entertainer became president. You can be a Trump supporter and listen to my music I guess, but if you’re following me on Instagram you’re probably not going to like what you see.”

Read the full feature here.

Last night, Kanye West took to Twitter to express discontent with his current contract situation, proclaiming, “I’m not putting no more music out till I’m done with my contract with Sony and Universal.” He has apparently done some more thinking since then, and he appears to be exploring potential ways to get out of his contract.

It looks like Kanye is considering taking legal action against the labels. He shared a screenshot of a text conversation with an unidentified other person, presumably a lawyer or at least somebody with intimate knowledge of Kanye’s contract situation. Sharing the image, Kanye wrote, “No one from Universal or Sony has responded so it’s Go time.”

The other person wrote in their texts:

“Meaning that we can argue that Universal and Sony have not supported you fully. And that as a result they have breached. This is the lawsuit/termination nuclear option.

If we went that route we would litigate and ask for your masters as part of a settlement. This is a high risk but high reward strategy.

Re masters ownership we can look into buying. But if Taylor’s cost $300 million yours would cost a lot more I assume. Remember that if you re-recorded these songs you could own these new masters outright.

A much more radical consideration would be to propose an entirely new relationship or joint venture with Universal. One this is equal and not one sided. I am not sure you are interested in that. But if could be a Yeezy Media/Universal joint venture play but one where you have the power.”

To that, Kanye responded, “I’m not open to any form of business with Universal or Sony.”

Now, it remains to be seen whether or not Kanye will take any of the steps outlined, or if he’ll actually get apologies from Drake and J. Cole.

Unlike Daniel Radcliffe, who criticized J.K. Rowling’s misinformed anti-trans remarks, another Harry Potter actor has unfortunately come to the author’s defense.

Robbie Coltrane, who played Rubeus Hagrid in all eight films of the series, told the Radio Times, “I don’t think what she said was offensive really.” Rowling made a terrible joke about trans people and later tweeted, “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.” Her new book also has an anti-trans plot. So, what were you saying about Rowling not being “offensive,” Hagrid?

Coltrane continued:

“I don’t know why but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended. They wouldn’t have won the war, would they? That’s me talking like a grumpy old man, but you just think, ‘Oh, get over yourself. Wise up, stand up straight and carry on.’”

Coltrane, 70, stopped there, not because he realized he was reaching peak Old Man Yells at Cloud with His Backwards-Ass Opinion and wanted to change his ways, but because, “I don’t want to get involved in all of that because of all the hate mail and all that sh*t, which I don’t need at my time of life.”

You know who else doesn’t want to deal with “all that sh*t” from Rowling? Trans people.

(Via the Huffington Post)

Towards the end of 2019, Ariana Grande told her fans, “I’m just going to be chilling a lot more next year.” 2020 has been a quieter year for Grande, but not a silent one; She had No. 1 singles with Justin Bieber (“Stuck With U“) and Lady Gaga (“Rain On Me“), after all. It seems she’s been working on some solo music as well, as she took to Twitter last night to share something new.

The snippet isn’t much in terms of length, but the six-second video shows off some smooth Grande vocals.

This follows another snippet of new music she shared back in March, writing alongside the audio, “i miss making things. can’t wait to get back to work. but for now, let’s stay inside pls.” She also shared how she was handling the pandemic, telling a fan, “i’m fine. i’d be an asshole if i complained. just watching things, calling friends, cooking and looking for ways to help ppl who don’t have it as easily as i do rn. if any of y’all need anything, any help at all pls tell me to check DMs.”

A couple months after that, she noted that she and Doja Cat had worked on something together: “I was able to work with her earlier this year on this song that I want to save for whenever it’s time again, to drop.”

In 1945, the world had just endured the bloodiest war in history. World leaders were determined to not repeat the mistakes of the past. They wanted to build a better future, one free from the “scourge of war” so they signed the UN Charter — creating a global organization of nations that could deter and repel aggressors, mediate conflicts and broker armistices, and ensure collective progress.

Over the following 75 years, the UN played an essential role in preventing, mitigating or resolving conflicts all over the world. It faced new challenges and new threats — including the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, a Cold War and brutal civil wars, transnational terrorism and genocides. Today, the UN faces new tensions: shifting and more hostile geopolitics, digital weaponization, a global pandemic, and more.

This slideshow shows how the UN has worked to build peace and security around the world:

Malians wait in line at a free clinic run by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Mission in Mali in 2014. Over their 75 year history, UN peacekeepers have deployed around the world in military and nonmilitary roles as they work towards human security and peace. Here’s a look back at their history.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Marco Dormino

In May 1948, the UN Security Council authorized the first UN peacekeeping mission. It deployed a small number of unarmed UN military observers to the Middle East to form the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The UN also played an important role in mediating that armistice in the Arab-Israeli war.

Photo credit: United Nations

On June 25th, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea and that same day, the UN Security Council called on North Korea to withdraw to the 38th Parallel. On September 15th, a multinational coalition under a UN banner helped South Korea defend itself.

Photo credit: United Nations

In 1956, the UN Security Council deployed the first armed peacekeeping operation in UN history to address the Suez Crisis in the Middle East – a major evolution in UN peacekeeping.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata

In the 1970s, tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border increased and on March 11, 1978, there was a deadly attack in Israel that resulted in Israeli forces invading Lebanon. The Security Council called on Israel to cease military action and established a UN interim force to confirm withdrawal, restore peace and assist the Lebanese government.

Photo credit: UN Photo/John Isaac

On September 29, 1988, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the UN peacekeeping forces for their work observing armistices, monitoring peace agreements, protecting civilians from harm and human rights violations, and their peace enforcement missions against terrorists and aggressors. In 2001, the UN itself and its Secretary-General Kofi Annan were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize again.

Photo credits: UN Photo/John Isaac and Saw Lwin

Since its founding, the UN has worked tirelessly toward disarmament – Weapons of Mass Destruction and conventional. These efforts facilitated the negotiation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Convention. This work continues today through the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN Conference on Disarmament, the UN Office for Disarmament and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, and others. In 2007, the UN was involved in destroying weapons in Côte d’Ivoire as part of the “Flame of Peace” ceremony to signify the beginning of the country’s disarmament and reconciliation process. IAEA inspections are a critical barrier against nuclear proliferation.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Basile Zoma

After the Cold War ended, there was a rapid increase in the number of peacekeeping operations. Between 1989 and 1994 alone, there were 20 new operations and the number of peacekeepers grew from 11,000 to 75,000. In the mid-1990s, there were three challenging peacekeeping operations that caused setbacks but the essential role of UN Peacekeeping was soon re-affirmed.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Eric Kanalstein

9/11 marked a turning point for the UN in terms of terrorism and proliferation. It began sanctioning terrorists and terrorist organizations and those who proliferated weapons of mass destruction.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Stephenie Hollyman

The UN has worked to advocate for the concept of “human security,” which elevates the safety of people above that of territory. In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals linked security and development. They also enshrined the goal of building peaceful societies and reducing all forms of violence.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Martine Perret

Today, more than 85,000 troops and police from over 120 countries work as part of United Nations peace operations. These operations help to prevent the outbreak or renewal of conflict, build peace, and support countries as they transition out of conflict and/or authoritarianism.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

On March 26, 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made an appeal for a global ceasefire and for a focus on “the true fight of our lives.” COVID-19 has fueled nationalist policies and authoritarians’ tightening grip, which threatens to intensify existing conflicts. It is also stressing fragile countries already tackling multiple challenges, including conflict and climate change. An active and effective UN has never been more important as we work to recover from COVID-19.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider