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On Friday, news of Chadwick Boseman’s death was shocking. The actor’s family confirmed he had passed away at 43 following a private battle with colon cancer, which he had been diagnosed with several years prior. Boseman is remembered for his roles as Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, and, of course, T’Challa in Black Panther. It seems as though fans are commemorating Boseman by revisiting the Black Panther soundtrack, as its streams have increased over 100 percent in the wake of the actor’s death.

The Black Panther soundtrack was written by Kendrick Lamar and features an array of features from the likes of SZA, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd. According to a report from Billboard, the 14-song soundtrack garnered 3.5 million streams over the course of two days following Boseman’s death. The increase marks an impressive 103.5 percent surge compared to the previous two days, which clocked in at 1.7 million streams.

The report notes the streaming increase could possibly cause the soundtrack to re-enter the Billboard 200 charts next week. The record originally appeared on the Billboard 200 chart in June and remained there for 69 weeks. The soundtrack peaked a No. 1, where it stayed for three weeks.

While music fans remembered the actor through the Black Panther soundtrack, many members of the music community mourned the actor on social media. Following reports of his death, artists like Drake, SZA, The Weeknd, Chance The Rapper, and more shared heartfelt tributes to Boseman.

This week in pop music saw some high-profile collaborations. Groundbreaking K-pop group Blackpink joined forces with Selena Gomez for a sweet tune, Calvin Harris tapped The Weeknd to lend his ascending vocals on a track, and Dua Lipa shared a revved-up album of remixes featuring some big-name musicians.

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

Blackpink — “Ice Cream” Feat Selena Gomez

With one of today’s biggest K-pop groups teaming up with a pop star, it’s sure to make Uproxx’s best new pop list. After weeks of teasing the collaboration, Blackpink and Selena Gomez’s sugary-sweet single “Ice Cream” debuted. The singers consistently switched off verses, half-singing and half-rapping lyrics that implore their sweethearts to indulge in their goodies.

Calvin Harris — “Over Now” Feat. The Weeknd

The Weeknd has had a an immensely busy year thus far. The singer released his simmering album After Hours back in March and was just awarded a VMA this Sunday where he gave a passionate speech about police brutality. This week, the singer also linked up with major DJ Calvin Harris for the revved-up track “Over Now,” which boasts funk-forward production under The Weeknd’s soaring vocals.

Dua Lipa — “Physical (Mark Ronson Remix)” Feat. Gwen Stefani

While Dua Lipa’s sophomore record Future Nostalgia debuted only a few months ago, the singer decided to offer fans the perfect soundtrack of remixes to accompany living room dance parties. Tapping The Blessed Madonna, Mark Ronson, and the iconic Gwen Stefani, the musicians breathed new life into Lipa’s hit track “Physical” as part of the remix record Club Future Nostalgia.

Disclosure — “Birthday” Feat. Kehlani and Syd

Disclosure signaled a new era of music earlier this year after the UK duo dropped a new song every day for five days in a row. Finally, Disclosure’s anticipated full-length third album Energy is here, and with it arrived the slow-burning Kehlani collaboration “Birthday.” Over a sparkling beat, Kehlani wonders if she’s crossing the line with an ex-lover on the buoyant single.

Katy Perry — “Cry About It Later”

This week was a big one for Katy Perry. Not only did the singer drop her new album Smile, but she also welcomed a baby girl with Orlando Bloom. While much of the album saw Perry moving towards empowering ballads, “Cry About It Later” artfully combined thoughtful lyrics with a thumping beat.

Chloe Lilac — “Miss You” Feat. Kota The Friend

Brooklyn-based singer Chloe Lilac shared her sophomore EP Douchebag this week after previewing the effort with a handful of strong singles. Teaming up with Kota The Friend, Lilac shared the kiss-off track “Miss You” on her EP, melting together her husky vocal delivery and wavering, earworm instrumentals. “These songs on my EP are about empowering myself and my listeners to give them strength to manifest confidence,” she said in a statement.

PVRIS — “Use Me” Feat. 070 Shake

This week, PVRIS released their anticipated third record Use Me. The project arrived with the fluttering title track, a brand-new collaboration with buzzing artist 070 Shake. With the album’s debut, PVRIS vocalist Lynn Gunn said she “fulfilled my own vision of what a role model should be.”

JoJo — “Lonely Hearts” Feat. Demi Lovato

JoJo’s Good To Know deluxe album dropped this week and though the singer removed Tory Lanez from the project following the Megan Thee Stallion shooting, Demi Lovato’s “Lonely Hearts” feature still shines bright. Over a sultry beat, the two singers harmonize their soaring voices while reflecting on life as single women.

Lana Condor — “For Real”

Lana Condor is most known for her breakout lead role in Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before but Condor is now pivoting her focus to music. “For Real” arrives as Condor’s debut solo single. Over a lulling beat, Condor croons about returning home to the one she loves.

Aluna — “The Recipe” Feat. Kaytranada and Rema

One half of duo electronic AlunaGeorge, Aluna has pivoted to solo music with her recently-released record Renaissance. With “The Recipe,” Aluna flexes her expert songwriting, skillfully serving up a hit and marking an exciting new chapter for the musician.

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

Public Enemy has revealed the tracklist for their upcoming Def Jam comeback album, What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?, and it’s an old-school hip-hop head’s dream come true. Not only does it feature Black Thought, Nas, Rapsody, and YG on the group’s “Fight The Power: Remix 2020,” but it also features appearances from rarely-heard rap pioneers like Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock and Mike D, Cypress Hill, Ice-T, and Run-DMC, as well as two appearances from funk icon George Clinton.

While the group prepares to release its first new album in three years — their last was Nothing Is Quick In The Desert in 2017, released independently to the group’s Bandcamp — they are also celebrating the 30th anniversary of one of their biggest hits, Fear Of A Black Planet, this month with an art show in Colorado featuring work from Obey logo creator Shepard Fairey and Public Enemy founder Chuck D himself.

Starting off the year with the announcement that the band had “fired” founder and member Flavor Flav, Public Enemy has seen a turnaround of historic proportions. While Chuck D admitted that the firing was more of a wake-up call to draw attention back to the group, they’ve since capitalized on the renewed interest, releasing a quick blitz of new music and striking while the iron is still hot with the announcement of their return to Def Jam for their new album.

What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? is due 9/25 via Def Jam Recordings. Pre-save it here.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got the back-to-basics new LP from Angel Olsen, the anticipated debut from Samia, and the arrival of Knot, the second coming of cult indie band Krill. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

Angel Olsen – Whole New Mess

After the shimmering, grand arrangements of her 2019 album All Mirrors, Angel Olsen returned to the inspiration of her earlier records on Whole New Mess. Many of album tracks feature little more than an acoustic guitar and Olsen’s haunting vocals as she reconciles with the dissolution of a romantic relationship that also cost her friendships in the process. The simplicity of the record helps to give Olsen’s storytelling new dimensions, taking the listener on a journey through her psyche.

Narrow Head – 12th House Rock

This record sounds like it was made in 1994, and that’s a great thing. With an emphasis on big riffs and Liam Gallagher-esque vocal drawl, Narrow Head has delivered one of the most raw and exciting alternative rock records of recent memory. Across its thirteen tracks, you can hear some Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, and more, all rolled into one very good band.

Samia – The Baby

On her debut full-length album, Samia revels in learning how to be yourself, with no one’s help but your own. On The Baby, Samia’s world is lush and ambient, filled with biting lyrics delivered across a spectrum of different vocal stylings. It’s a truly special album, one that won’t going to soon leave the regular rotation.

Knot – Knot

Five years after the dissolution of cult indie band Krill, its members have formed a new project called Knot. On their self-titled debut, the quartet takes a more mature approach to their music, going into it without a set goal and letting the music take them wherever it might. The resulting effort is freewheeling and thrilling.

Oceanator – Things I Never Said

It’s hard to tell that Oceanator’s debut album Things I Never Said was written and recorded mostly by one person (with drums and bass performed by the outfit’s touring members). The songs sound so full of collaborative energy that you’d just assume there was a full-fledged band behind it. But Elise Okusami’s songs just have a natural kick to them, as her debut full-length tackles the anxieties of early adulthood head-on.

Phony – Knock Yourself Out

You might know Neil Berthier from his work in indie-punk band Donovan Wolfington, but his solo music doesn’t sound like his former project. Knock Yourself Out is his second LP under the name Phony, and one that takes on a more experimental edge, while still staying true to his inspirations of artists like Pinback, Pile, and Elliott Smith. It’s a vulnerable and hard-hitting album, one that is sure to get Phony on the map.

Deli Girls – Boss

This electronic noise punk duo has been making waves in the New York City DIY scene for some time now, and their third album is quick to show you why. Boss boasts a unique and urgent sound, with noisy instrumentation and harsh vocals. It’s a record that’s instantly engaging and quite unlike anything else we have on this list.

Yo La Tengo – “Wasn’t Born To Follow” (The Byrds cover)

Ever-prolific, Yo La Tengo have announced a new EP called Sleepless Night. The EP is comprised of five covers and one new original song, and The Byrds’ “Wasn’t Born To Follow” is the first taste of what we can expect from the covers section. Yo La Tengo’s version is a pretty faithful rendition of the fifty-year-old track, although with the pristine audio quality of modern production.

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

Actress and comedian Milana Vayntrub, who starred in Yahoo’s sadly short-lived Other Space and voices Squirrel Girl (sorry, Anna Kendrick) for the Marvel Rising franchise, is best known to millions as Lily, the so-called AT&T girl. Lily made her first enthusiastic appearance in 2013, and Vayntrub reprised the role earlier this year in a series of COVID-themed commercials. The popular character’s resurgence has led to the actress being sexually harassed online, as she explained in a recent Instagram livestream.

“Maybe it just has to do with being a person on the internet, or maybe it’s specific to being a woman on the internet,” Vayntrub said. “But all of these comments… it hurts my feelings. I’m hurting and it’s bringing up, like, a lot of feelings of sexual assault. I am just like, you know, walking my dog and getting messages from people who have distorted my pictures to get likes on their accounts.” She added that the comments about her body, in particular the references to one gross meme, are “dehumanizing, a little objectifying, and sad. It makes me sad. I know what you guys are trying to do is be funny, and connect to each other and get props from your friends, but it bums me out.”

AT&T has been deleting inappropriate comments on videos featuring Lily (she’s appeared in over 40 spots), “and we will continue to fight to support her and our values, which appreciate and respect all women,” the company said in a statement.

RMR and Westside Gunn hustle their way out of the projects in the motivational video for RMR’s “Welfare.” The song is taken from the masked rapper/singer’s June EP, Drug Dealing Is A Lost Art, and finds the pair ruminating on the things they had to do to make it out of poverty — namely, well, dealing drugs.

The video opens with shots of a housing projects somewhere in the US, featuring children playing, laundry drying on the metal clotheslines that stand in for mechanical dryers in the projects, and a cloud of smoke leaving an older man’s gold-toothed mouth. The shots set the scene; while humanizing the people who come from such conditions, it ensures viewers know what the conditions are.

Then, Gunn appears, sitting atop a mountainous stack of cash. The video then intercuts shots of RMR and Gunn performing their verses while motorbikes circle them with ones of RMR mugging the camera while flanked by his similarly-masked goons. The contrast between the earlier scenes paints the rags-to-riches tale from both ends, leaving the viewer to fill in the middle part (i.e.: drug dealing).

RMR’s breakout began earlier this year with the release of his “Rascal” video, which went massively viral, paving the way for “Dealer,” “I’m Not Over You,” a “Racal” remix featuring Young Thug, and of course, Drug Dealing Is A Lost Art.

Watch RMR’s “Welfare” video featuring Westside Gunn above.

RMR is a Warner Records artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Kevin Morby’s latest album, 2019’s Oh My God, is barely a year old, but he already has another ready to go. Today, Morby announces Sundowner, his upcoming sixth studio album. This news is accompanied by an outdoorsy video for “Campfire.” The clip features Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee), and perhaps as a reference to her album Saint Cloud, a vintage Ford pick-up truck makes an appearance.

Morby says of the album:

“It is a depiction of isolation. Of the past. Of an uncertain future. Of provisions. Of an omen. Of a dead deer. Of an icon. Of a Los Angeles themed hotel in rural Kansas. Of billowing campfires, a mermaid and a highway lined in rabbit fur. It is a depiction of the nervous feeling that comes with the sky’s proud announcement that another day will be soon coming to a close as the pink light recedes and the street lamps and house lights suddenly click on.”

Press materials also provide a dictionary definition for “sundowner,” which is, “One who feels increased melancholy during twilight hours.” The term originated after Morby moved from Los Angeles to an empty house in his hometown of Kansas City, Kansas in 2017. The press materials note, “Kevin’s isolation was given a subtle lift when Katie Crutchfield began visiting. She would stay weeks at a time, living quietly beside him — their love taking shape in a quiet refuge from their lives on the road. They shared many things, including a mutual melancholy that seemed to appear every night around sunset. They began to refer to themselves as ‘sundowners.’”

Additionally, Morby has announced a run of virtual performances on upcoming Thursdays, and each show will see a complete performance of one of Morby’s albums.

Watch the “Campfire” video above, and below, find the Sundowner art and tracklist, as well as the dates of Morby’s upcoming virtual performances.

1. “Valley”
2. “Brother, Sister”
3. “Sundowner”
4. “Campfire”
5. “Wander”
6. “Don’t Underestimate Midwest American Sun”
7. “A Night At The Little Los Angeles”
8. “Jamie”
9. “Velvet Highway”
10. “Provisions”

09/10 — Harlem River
09/17 — Still Life
09/24 — Singing Saw
10/01 — City Music
10/08 — Oh My God
10/15 — Sundowner

Sundowner is out 10/16 via Dead Oceans. Pre-order it here.

The end of August is the unofficial end of summer for many. This year, the rap world ended the season in strong form, with compelling projects from a variety of artists. Nas’ King’s Disease was his first project since 2018’s Nasir. Young Dolph came back from a 2-year-hiatus of his own with Rich Slave. Newcomers Mulatto and KenTheMan dropped projects, as did Duckwrth. There were also releases from Vic Mensa, Jaden and Burna Boy. There was a lot of great music, but only 10 could make the list. Here they are:

Coi Leray — Now Or Never

Coi Leray impresses throughout Now Or Never. On “Slide” with Gunna, she longs to “make your dreams come true” alongside a slinky Gunna verse. On the breezy “Fuq Boa,” she asserts that she’s not for the games while crooning about a situation where “nobody know what we do.” But the mood isn’t all good on the project, as she laments a relationship where “all the back and forth just depressin’” on album closer “Messy.” Coi Leray’s steadily gained a following that’s drawn to her melodic, genre-bending style, and the syrupy Now Or Never is a potential breakout project that will endear her to more new fans.

Duckwrth — SuperGood

Duckwrth has been one of the most exciting, genre-bending artists in the game for some time. There may be some who are just getting acquainted with Duckwrth on his major-label debut SuperGood, and they got an impressive exhibition on what they’ve been missing out on. The 16-track album is an exhilarating ride full of fun, with dancefloor-ready beats from the smooth “Quick” to the rambunctious “Say What U Mean.” The project features a range of guests, such as Jean Deaux on the feel-good “Money Dance” and Earthgang, who matched his charismatic presence on the aptly-named “Super Bounce.”

Lecrae — Restoration

Leave it to Lecrae to give a crummy year a shot in the arm with Restoration, a cathartic project where he explores his mental health battle, a struggling marriage, and the chaotic world that those hardships took place in. “Set Me Free” with YK Osiris is a triple-pronged plea to shake the shackles of the industry, society, and the temptations of evil. “Self-Discovery” isn’t just a curious excavation into who he is today, but where he came from. John Legend’s chorus soars on “Drown,” a track where Lecrae lyrically navigates his way to the light from “deep in the darkness.” Restoration is an inspiring listen devoid of finger-wagging or dogma, just forthright narratives of Lecrae’s social and spiritual journey over a smooth, modern soundscape.

The Lox — Living Off Xperience

Sure, The Lox’s latest project came out on the last weekend of August, but it didn’t take long to realize that the Yonkers legends impressed again. Living Off Xperience is what the LOX acronym means, and it’s also the primary theme for their 14-track album. The trio’s rhymes are as pristine as ever, as evidenced by going toe-to-toe with Benny The Butcher on “Think Of The Lox,” which is buoyed by a charismatic Westside Gunn appearance. They also impress on “Story,” an impeccably narrated track that’s immediately one of the year’s most memorable offerings. T-Pain, Jeremih, and Ruff Ryder comrade DMX, who tore the frames off of “Bout Sh*t,” all show up to help.

Nas — King’s Disease

There’s not much bad that can be said about Nas the musician, besides one glaring gripe from even ardent fans: his beat selection. He got with revered producer Hit-Boy to clear that up on Kings Disease. He’s lyrically locked in throughout the project, most notably spitting toe-to-toe with Firm partners AZ, Cormega, and Foxy Brown on their reunion track “Full Circle.” Hit-Boy’s beats are a masterful fusion of the modern and classic, typified by “Ultra Black,” “Car #85.” and “Spicy,” where talks his sh*t alongside Fivio Foreign & ASAP Ferg. Bolstered by other guests like Lil Durk, Anderson .Paak, and Big Sean, pieces of Nas’ latest entry are sure to be in the rotations of fans of all ages.

Quando Rondo — Diary Of A Lost Child

Savannah, Georgia’s Quando Rondo is one of the rap game’s most heartfelt, honest MCs. He decided to get more personal than ever on Diary Of A Lost Child, a 16-track scribe that serves as his life and testament to this point. Rondo used his vulnerable lyricism and knack for melody to delve as deep as he ever has on the album, with songs like “Depression,” “Materialistic Pain,” and “Felon,” where he notes “I ain’t have a dollar to my name, when I called you, you wasn’t there.” Rondo is one of many young rappers being forthright about the painful toll of the streets, contextualizing an everlasting struggle for a generation for a new generation.

Rich Brian — 1999

Rich Brian has come a long away from his entry into the rap game. He was at one time polarizing, and still may be to many, but the only adjectives needed to describe 1999 are pleasant ones. The 88 Rising artist’s first project of 2020 is a lush, melodic showcase of his sonic growth. He displays his improving lyricism and earworm harmonies throughout the project — showing off both skills on most tracks. When he rhymes “I don’t care if I fail, I’mma make this jump” on album intro “Sometimes,” he set a bold precedent. Luckily for him, he soars through the rest of 1999

38 Spesh — 6 Shots

38 Spesh is as busy as ever, steadily releasing collaboration projects with the likes of Che Noir and Rasheed Campbell. With 6 Shots, however, Spesh is on a solo mission. There are features from Ransom on the piano-driven “Mind Over Matter” and Eto on the stirring “Flour City,” but the rest of the project is a head-nodding exhibition of 38 trying to outwit himself bar after bar. On “The Showdown,” he rhymes he’s in a “car so clean, when I drive it I like to wear slippers.” And on “Overkill,” he stays true to the song title by letting us know, “your b*tch don’t care if the kids is sleep.” There are few doing it as prolifically, consistently, and hilariously as 38 Spesh at this moment.

Vic Mensa — V Tape

Vic Mensa’s sonic ambition is polarizing. Some fans love to see the Chicago artist exploring the different sides of his artistry, while others just want to hear him spitting the way he was when they were introduced to him. He fed those latter purists on V Tape, a seven-song reminder that the bars are intact. Mensa fuses smooth tracks like “Machiavelli” and “XGames” with lyrical exercises such as the Hit-Boy-produced Dirt On My Name, where he lets us know “I’m sprayin’ everything I ‘on’t need a aim.” He puts his demons in the crosshairs on project closer “Rebirth,” where he explores the turmoil of his earlier career, poignantly reflecting on “throwin’ up the Roc as I stood on stage with Hov / while my own father could barely walk like he two years old.” But luckily, it seems like he’s in a better place now.

Young Dolph — Rich Slave

As is the case with most rappers, when Young Dolph announced his retirement from the rap game, it mostly led fans to ponder when his next project was coming. Luckily for them, Rich Slave dropped in August and it wasn’t a disappointment. The Memphis MC came back as impressive as ever on the 16-track project, feeding his fans flashy, gritty lyricism over thumping production. On “RNB,” Megan Thee Stallion take turns talking that “rich sh*t” over frenetic, 808-based production. But it isn’t all good in Dolph’s paradise, as the album title suggests. On “The Land,” he delves into the stress of Blackness, lamenting, “I keep pourin’ lean to take away the pain, but I gotta quit it,” and reflecting on when “the police pulled me over for nothin’, just because she racist.” Rich Slaves serves his fans exactly what they were expecting, but also offers nuggets of insight that reflect artistic growth and a desire to reflect the times.

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

Instead of focusing on the, let’s say, polarizing final season, let’s remember the good times on Game of Thrones. The first five seasons are unimpeachable, with some of the most thrilling scenes (the Red Wedding, the Red Viper vs. the Mountain, Joffrey getting slapped, etc.) in TV history. Keep that “Hardhome is a masterpiece” positivity in mind before reading the rest of this sentence: Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are adapting Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem novels into a Netflix series.

The trilogy, also known as Remembrance of Earth’s Past, depicts humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization, and as Benioff and Weiss wrote in a statement, “Liu Cixin’s trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we’ve read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe. We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.” They will be joined by writer-producer Alexander Woo (True Blood) and executive producer Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi).

“As ardent fans of the books, it was especially meaningful to us to get the support of Liu Cixin who created this expansive universe. Cixin has gone one step further and has joined as a consulting producer alongside Ken Liu, who wrote the English translation for The Three-Body Problem and Death’s End. Having Cixin and Ken involved will help ensure that the spirit of the books remains intact,” Netflix’s VP of original series Peter Friedlander wrote. The rights didn’t come cheap: Amazon was reportedly set to spend $1 billion to adapt the series in 2018, but two years later, Netflix swooped in.

The Three-Body Problem does not currently have a premiere date or announced cast.

(Via Netflix and EW)

In his new interview with Vulture about his upcoming album Detroit 2, Big Sean addresses many of the rumors that have followed him in his music career, including one about one of his biggest hits. “IDFWU,” a feisty breakup anthem produced by Mustard and featuring E-40 from 2015’s Dark Sky Paradise, has long been attributed to his then-recent breakup with TV star Naya Rivera. In Vulture, however, Sean denies that the song is about her and admits that had he known how things would ultimately play out, he wouldn’t have released the song in the first place.

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about it because I want to respect her,” he confesses. “She’s made such an impact on people, and she’s done so many great things in her life and her career that it was hurtful to even have that [song] be associated with her. It wasn’t a diss to her. I truly made the song and played it for her. She knew about it, and she liked it. We had a breakup that was very public, and we were young and we forgave each other and moved on from that. If I would have known something this tragic would have happened, I would have never made the song.”

Sean also addresses rumors about a July tweet some fans thought was about Kanye West, as well as the long-speculated-upon “beef” between Sean and Kendrick Lamar after K. Dot demolished Sean’s 2013 hype single “Control.”

Read the full interview here.