If you asked us in 2019 to predict the festival fashion staples of 2020, facemasks and headphones would probably be last on our list. But COVID changes everything, as you surely know. With the world upside down, Denver’s Acoma Street Project — one of the first pandemic-era music festivals — seems sure to turn the facemask-headphone combo into a style staple for our troubled times. One day, your grandchildren will open up their history books (via brain-based uplink, obvi) to see these photos and learn how, even during a global pandemic, their grandparents’ generation just couldn’t stop partying.
The Acoma Street Project is an open-air, six-week, limited pop-up music festival — featuring live-streamed performances and live spinning from DJs around the world in an outdoor setting. It features an immersive art-walk that festival-goers take turns exploring in small groups and a 26ft 4K LED wall for the type of festival visuals that pair so well with electronic music (and, you know… drugs). Each week, the Acoma Street Project invites new talent to perform for small groups of fans under strictly enforced social distancing guidelines. These parameters include mandatory mask-wearing in certain sections of the 5,000 square foot space, crowd limits, and rules against intermingling.
Photos from the event show small parties at distanced booths spread throughout a parking lot — a setting that sort of resembles the VIP section of a pre-pandemic music festival. For the most part, folks look like they’re having fun, but from the outside, we have to admit it looks a little bizarre (and not quite as euphoric as what the festival scene typically fosters). Still, we may be seeing a lot of festivals like this going forward as we wait out a vaccine for Covid-19. Obviously this isn’t a situation to take lightly — Denver county currently has 12,515 cases of Coronavirus and 440 deaths as of September 22nd, Colorado has a total of 65, 936 coronavirus cases and 2,031 deaths, and the United States as a whole has counted 6.88M cases of the coronavirus and over 200k deaths.
To find out more about the Acoma Street Project head to Nightout.
Rexx Life Raj is fresh off a collaboration with G-Eazy, and now he’s back with another team-up. This time, he has joined forces with D Smoke for “Optimistic.” They recorded the song for EMPIRE Presents: Voices For Change Vol. 1, a collection of songs focused on artists sharing their own experiences to bring about hope and change.
Raj says of the track, “I believe in utilizing my platform to support causes that strive for positive change and growth. When my Empire family asked me to contribute my artistry to be a part of this project, I knew ‘Optimistic’ would be a perfect addition of hope and encouragement. I’m honored to be aligned with such a meaningful project and in the company of my peers and colleagues who all believe in supporting something larger than ourselves.”
Press materials say of the upcoming 21-track album, “Voices For Change Vol. 1 is a comprehensive collection of works from a varied and diverse roster of artists spanning genres and geographic regions using their voice to speak truth to power on issues of social injustice. Each artist speaks directly from their own experiences, shedding light on issues specific to their own unique cultures and communities.” Other artists appearing on the project include PJ Morton, Jacob Latimore, and many others.
Listen to “Optimistic” above, and revisit our 2019 interview with Raj here.
Stephen King hailed Clive Barker “the future of horror” after reading Books of Blood, his pre-Hellraiser anthology book series that Hulu has adapted into a feature-length film. For someone who writes horror stories, that’s like Mike Trout complimenting your swing or Julia Butters giving you props for “the best acting I’ve ever seen in my whole life” (Julia > Leo). Speaking of Quentin Tarantino, he also once raved about Barker, calling him “the great imaginer of our time. He knows not only our greatest fears, but also what delights us, what turns us on, and what is truly holy in the world. Haunting, bizarre, beautiful.”
Based on the trailer above, Books of Blood is not lacking in the bizarre. There’s naked mediums, bloody words scrawled on the wall (“i’m not sleeping mommy”), bugs, bumps in the night, unwanted guests in the bedroom, carved skin, and the most terrifying scare of all: someone drinking their tea too loudly. I’d rather play Seven Minutes in Heaven with Pinhead than spend an extra second around that guy, thank you very much.
The Seth MacFarlane-produced Books of Blood, which stars Britt Robertson, Rafi Gavron, Anna Friel, Yul Vazquez, and Freda Foh Shen, premieres on Hulu on October 7.
Kodak Black is currently serving out his 46-month sentence in a Kentucky prison and is once again speaking out against the reported abuse he’s faced while locked up. A new lawsuit allegedly filed by the rapper further details his situation, claiming Kodak has been beaten by guards, denied access to a bathroom, and barred from seeking council with a rabbi.
According to TMZ, Kodak and his lawyers filed a lawsuit against the warden of the Big Sandy maximum security prison. The report states that in the lawsuit, Kodak says he was not only the victim of a “gang beating” by guards upon arrival at the prison, but he was also “routinely punished and mistreated.”
The rapper alleges he has been detained in a four-point restraint for hours on end without access to a bathroom. The lawsuit claims his medical records will show proof the abuse, as it reportedly details “mouth bleeding, lacerations, and vomiting” as a result of his treatment. Along with physical and emotional abuse, Kodak says he’s being religiously suppressed. The rapper claims he is being denied access to a rabbi, a right that other inmates have been granted.
This isn’t the first time the rapper has claimed he’s been beaten by prison guards. Back in May, Kodak’s attorney took over his Instagram page and detailed alleged abuse he’s experienced at the hands of the Kentucky guards: “Friday night he was badly beaten while in cuffs, by 7 guards at Big Sandy KY. They struck him in the head repeatedly with a metal object then after, one of the guards flicked his genitals and said, ‘You’re not so gangster now, you’re gonna need bigger balls to survive.’”
Kodak Black is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Since receiving her release from Interscope Records last year, Oakland rapper Kamaiyah‘s been on a tear. I need to specify that she’s from Oakland, not the Bay Area; it’s a distinction she makes clear to me as we discuss her new project, the collaborative album Oakland Nights with fellow Town native Capolow. The Bay Area and Oakland are separate entities in her mind and she doesn’t want people to get confused. She’s not from The Bay, she’s from Oakland.
“I tell people all the time,” she says. “That’s the way for people from those subsidiary towns to just be cool.” However, “Oakland is the Mecca, it’s like that’s the center, Oakland is the Mecca, it’s like that’s the center and everything around it rotates, like the planets and the sun.”
Certainly, the sound of the Bay Area is born of Oakland’s specific bounce and attitude. Fittingly, that sound permeates the new project, which Kamaiyah conceived as a way to put on for the city and share her platform with Capolow, a rising star she says sounds unlike anyone else from The Town. “I don’t know anybody else who has that sound,” she says of her collaborator. “I’m a firm believer in, if you got a platform and you can assist somebody, it don’t cost no money if you do that.”
The two rappers have easy working chemistry that shines through all over Oakland Nights. Over upbeat, house party-ready production, the duo glides on tracks like “Players Club,” “Digits,” and “So Much Money,” keeping the energy lighthearted at all times. The summery production makes it perfect for the warmer months, but as with so many other projects this year, Oakland Nights was delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak (which she jokingly refers to as “Covisha”), forcing it from an April release date to one in September.
However, in Kamaiyah’s eyes, that doesn’t undermine the project’s impact at all. “There’s no greater time than God’s time,” she explains. “So it happened when it was supposed to happen and we just going to rock with it how we rocking.”
What brought you and Capolow together and why was now the right time to make it happen?
It was just a natural thing that happened just because of our work ethic together and how it sounded. It just kept going and kept going until it became a project.
Was the intention to put this out in the summertime and catch the day party season?
It was supposed to come out in April, honestly. And then a record would peak by the summer. But you know, due to Covisha we had to pull back, so it is what it is. There’s no greater time than God’s time. So it happened when it was supposed to happen and we just going to rock with it how we rocking.
Do you have a favorite song of the project?
“Finer Things.” Which one you like?
You know me, I’m from Compton, so it’s gotta be “Gang, Gang” with RJ!
That’s accidentally slipped through the cracks too. That’s the crazy part. Technically, I was supposed to have another record on that project. We both submitted solo records. I was on there originally with one verse and at the last minute, RJ was like, “I want to get on this.” That verse came through.
I also really appreciate that you went out and got Keak Da Sneak.
My ex-boyfriend’s brother actually used to manage Keak, that’s how I originally met him. So we was long overdue for record and I just felt like he fit the sound of that. So I was like, “It’s only right.” It’s an Oakland record, so I can’t put E-40. I can’t put nobody but him and Too Short. So him, it was.
That brings me to a funny question because a lot of people equate the Bay and Oakland. Can you please set the record straight? What’s the difference?
Nah, I don’t do that, I don’t. I tell people all the time, that’s the way for people who from those subsidiary towns to just be cool. Oakland is the Mecca, it’s like the center and everything rotates around it like the planets and the sun. We are in the center. Everybody gets their game, their lingo, everything, from us. I might let people who not from there be like, “Oh, you’re from the Bay.” But a person from Oakland will never say they from the Bay, they’ll be like, “I’m from Oakland.” That’s how you know, for real. That’s how we talk. We ain’t going to never be like, “I’m from the Bay.” It’s going to always be “I’m from Oakland.”
Yes. there’s a strong connection between Oakland, The Bay, and the independent music scene. How the process of recording and releasing music changed for you since becoming independent?
When I was on a label, I couldn’t even produce music anymore because I was so stressed out because they were trying to make me into something that I wasn’t. We’ve got somebody that’s trying to make you overcompensate for what you’re already doing, it takes away from the fun of it. When I made “Out The Bottle” and “How Does It Feel” and “F*ck It Up,” it wasn’t me going into it to make a hit record. They were just good records and people liked them. Now I’m in the studio and you’re like, “Oh, this isn’t good enough. This isn’t good enough.” Now you’re making me question my art, first, and secondly, you making me feel like I got to do something that I’m not going in here to do. My intention is always just to make music that feels good to me.
So if you’re telling me that, “Oh, this is not a hit,” well, that’s your perspective, because that’s your perception on it. To me, it may be a hit. That’s why I don’t suggest anyone sign to an artist’s label because their vision of you was always what they determined their career based upon.
It was an uphill battle for sure, just being over there because I felt like it was no longer about me and my artistry, it was more so about people’s egos and what they wanted. I don’t think that’s good business because when you sign an artist, it’s never about you. It’s about, what’s the best thing for that artist?
So when it comes to Oakland Nights, obviously, COVID has delayed plans. But what is a successful version of this album for you? What would be the ideal outcome a year later?
Ideally, the whole project was just to do something for the city. For so long, I haven’t been able to do that. They’d be expecting certain things from me and I’m just like, “Alright, let me this off to let the audience that I’ve obtained see a new artist from my city.”
Yeah, I was excited to see you put Capolow on. I’ve been aware of him for a bit but hadn’t been able to cover him as much as I wanted because of timing so you gave me a redo. What is it about him as an artist that draws you to him and what makes him the ideal “Oakland” artist?
He’s easy to work with, one. Two, he’s talented. Three, I’m a firm believer in, if you got a platform and you can assist somebody, it don’t cost no money if you do that. I’ve always wanted to do a collab project with somebody from my city. We both been knowing each other before he became successful. I knew who he was when he was in his group because I had respect for the group and I always showed them love back before I was who I am now. It came natural. It was just like, “Alright, we know the same people, we f*ck with each other, let’s do a record.” We did it and then that turned into an “Alright, I f*ck with you. Let’s do a project.”
I respect his hustle because he was in the group and left. I always respect anybody who is hungry enough to step away from that and not let that deter them from their dreams. Because typically when you leave a group, they always tell you, “Ah, the reality of you actually haveing success after a move is not high.” Anybody who does that and they actually have some type of retention from that, I think that’s dope. You took that hustle and you didn’t stop your career.
Do you see any other artists who are really just representing the city to the fullest who could potentially be like a Detroit Nights 2?
I like this cat named AFlacko. He’s really, really good. He’s actually from my neighborhood. I think he’s dope. It’s not a lot of people that I listen to because after a while it all sounds the same, so anybody who has individuality that still stands out to me, that’s the person that grabs my attention. How many people in Oakland sound like f*cking Capolow? It’s only one Capolow. I don’t know anybody else who has that sound. Just like ALLBLACK. Not going to hear a lot of people who sound like ALLBLACK, so it makes you pay attention a little.
So what’s next after Oakland Nights?
Sh*t, I got a project dropping next month.
You got another one? Okay, you know what? Look, please give me a break. You know how much of a struggle it is for me to keep up?
Nah, see, I’m indie now so it ain’t no holds barred. Then, the top of the quarter next year, I’m already working on that project. It’s going to be done and coming out next year. We not stopping. There’s not a lot of female rappers that do that around. I don’t know too many female rappers making quality music at a rapid rate. They put out music, but is it at a rapid rate and is it quality?
There are a lot of female rappers coming out now and getting a lot of attention and what I like is that there’s so much support among you. You were one of like five people that Cardi B shouted out last year in defense of female rappers after JD made his comments and you’re the last one I’m getting a chance to ask about it.
I feel like that speaks volumes of her security in her own lane, the art. That’s what it starts with, your security within yourself, so that just speaks volumes to her integrity as an artist.
Did that create a noticeable difference in attention on your projects for you?
I don’t get too consumed in that type of stuff. I just take it like, “Alright, she a real ass bitch because she did that.” I felt like I’ve always been genuine with her, so that’s why I felt like it was natural for her to do that. I met Cardi on the set of the “No Limit” video. I introduced myself because G-Eazy was like, “Have you ever met her?” I was like, “No.” And she tried to shake my hand. I was like, “No, I give hugs.” I gave her a hug.
That’s why it was normal. The shoutout came right after I sat behind her at the BET Awards and I was like, “You my new best friend. I’m going to talk to you, bitch. What’s up?” So we got a conversation at the BET Awards. So, I think she gets that I’m a genuine bitch and I ain’t on no weirdo sh*t. So it was like, “Alright, I can f*ck with you.”
I feel like that’s the part where people don’t get. I’m really thorough. I’m really real. It’s no fraudness. This no fakeness. It’s none of that sh*t.
Oakland Nights is out now via Grnd.Wrk, Inc. Get it here.
Sunday night provided Anthony Davis with what he called the best moment of his career thus far, as he hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Lakers a Game 2 win over the Nuggets and take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. It was, as he described it, the exact kind of opportunity he wanted when he requested out of New Orleans to join the Lakers: The chance to play for championships and to take and make the most important shots in the biggest moments along the way.
Davis came to the Los Angeles Lakers with a reputation as someone incapable of lifting a team over the top in the postseason as a leading man, and it’s clear that he’s keenly aware of that. He’d twice made the playoffs in New Orleans, winning one series, and as a supposed top-tier superstar, there was an expectation that he could single-handedly do more, because the discourse around stars in a team sport is never as nuanced as it should be.
The failures of the collective always fall hardest on the star, no matter whether expectations for contention were realistic or not, or if their production saw a significant uptick come playoff time. Nevermind that Davis averaged 30.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in 13 playoff appearances — the expectation, fairly or not, for those deemed to have the potential to be the elite of the elite is to carry a team merely by your presence.
It is in large part the fault of Davis’ new teammate LeBron James that burden exists for No. 1 overall picks, as James, while facing plenty of criticism himself for not dragging the Cavs to a title in his first run in Cleveland, was able to take them to a Finals in just his fourth season. LeBron knows exactly what Davis has felt in hearing people question his abilities in the playoffs, even as he posts preposterous numbers, and has no doubt used that to fuel his big man’s drive to quiet those doubters now. James has walked in those shoes, going from a beloved top pick to a reviled villain to some for joining a fellow star (or stars) to make a run at a title, but also knows that excelling en route to a championship or two will, eventually, soften many of a player’s most fervent of critics.
After Davis’ shot and the exuberant celebration with his teammates, Davis and LeBron shared a smile and a handshake, with James glowing as he embraced his teammate; a knowing look that Davis had reached a pivotal moment in his evolution as a star. That was the moment Davis came to L.A. for and he nailed it, putting aside questions of his “killer instinct,” something that had been uttered by Charles Barkley an hour-plus before on the halftime show. It not only served as a rebuke of his doubters, but further lifted Davis’ belief that he belongs in those moments, proving that his productivity is far from empty, and wins can come from his efforts.
Game 2 was won by Davis, with LeBron taking a backseat to his star teammate down the stretch. Davis scored the final 10 points of the night for the Lakers, with them needing every single bucket to withstand a furious comeback from Denver and a similar stretch of play late from Nikola Jokic. Davis, who had just nine first half points while LeBron had 20, reversed the script in the second half with 22 of his 31, willing the Lakers to a win.
James has been spectacular for the Lakers and is irreplaceable to what they do, but Davis’ play this postseason has been unassailable and is a large part of why they’ve cruised through the first 12 games of their playoff run at a tidy 10-2 clip. In 421 minutes with Davis on the floor, the Lakers have a +15.1 net rating, which craters to a -8.5 in the 155 minutes he’s sat this postseason. While there’s always noise to on/off net rating, the Lakers play with and without him is noticeable on the eye test.
He’s dominated every matchup he’s been tasked with, big or small, adapting his game as needed to the opponent. In the first round, it was the size, length, and strength of Jusuf Nurkic and Hassan Whiteside, with Davis using his athleticism to slice through the Blazers’ two big lineups. In the second round, after an early stumble against P.J. Tucker, he found his groove and asserted his presence through physical dominance on both ends of the floor. In the conference finals, it’s been Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap who have worked to slow him, but have yet to find a recipe for continued success.
Davis’ averages of 28.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game are slightly below those he had with the Pelicans in the postseason, but that was to be expected with LeBron sharing the usage burden. What’s been impressive are the various ways Davis has dominated and the efficiency with which he’s producing. His 65.4 true shooting percentage is by far the best mark of his career — regular season or playoffs — aided by the fact that he’s hitting threes at a 40 percent clip after shooting just 33 percent during the regular season. On top of that, his assist rate has skyrocketed to 19.2 this postseason, averaging 3.9 dimes per game, which is more than double his highest playoff assist rate in New Orleans. For a team with questions about playmaking, Davis has been able to facilitate and create some opportunities for shooters on top of his own scoring, as he has simply upped his game in just about every facet thus far in the playoffs.
It’s that ability that defines the very best players, and while his numbers indicated he was more than capable of that in New Orleans, people demand to see it on a title contender (or even better, a title winner). There’s no doubt that playing with James helps Davis, but the opposite is true as well. Davis bailed out James in Game 2, as the all-time great stumbled a bit down the stretch, stepping aside to let his star teammate carry the Lakers to the finish line. Finding that balance in having stars that can both co-exist but also are equally capable of taking over when needed is a tricky and at times perilous proposition — just ask the Clippers — but Davis has embraced that challenge and has more than held up his end of that bargain thus far in the playoffs with LeBron.
Colin Quinn is a comic probably best known for his stint as the host of SNL‘s “Weekend Update” from 1998-2000, and for hosting Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn 2002-2004. After building a career largely through his commentary on modern American culture and politics, Quinn has a new book, Overstated: A Coast-to-Coast Roast of the Fifty States, that’s available for purchase now. Previously, Quinn roasted each state with a special that aired on CNN (and now lives on Netflix),Red State Blue State.
Colin recently took a few minutes to participate in our twenty questions questionnaire series.
1. You walk into a bar. What do you order from the bartender?
I tell him I’m a scout for Jon Taffer and I order him to close the place.
2. Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
Russian bots.
3. What’s currently waiting for you on your DVR or in your streaming queue?
Taxi Driver,Mean Streets and 27 dresses. The best of New York movies IMHO.
4. It’s your last meal — what are you going out with?
The fourth season of Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show wrapped up back in 2016, but now he titular host is ready for more. The program is set to return for its fifth season on October 25. Ahead of then, some of the guests have been revealed, and it’s a musical roster.
Set to appear during the new season are Grimes, Anderson .Paak, Lil Yachty, Joey Badass, Toro y Moi, Big Freedia, Machine Gun Kelly, and Odd Future’s (and Dave‘s) Taco Bennett. Grimes is set to be in a skit called “Grimes And Punishment,” while Joey Badass will portray Joey Fatass, and Yachty will participate in the “Rapper Ninja Warrior” segment.
Andre noted in a recent interview that the show finished filming in February (pre-pandemic), so there shouldn’t be any social distancing or remote appearances in play. Meanwhile, in a June interview with Uproxx, Andre described the progress of the new season, saying, “I’m finishing editing The Eric Andre Show. We’ve got a few weeks left of editing. Everything is in the can. I just have to put the finishing touches on the last couple of episodes and deliver them to the network.”
Jeff Goldblum isn’t the actor who uttered the “clever girl” line in 1993’s Jurassic Park, but that doesn’t mean he can’t rock a mask with that phrase. In fact, he did just that while posing during Jurassic World: Dominion filming with O.G. cast members Laura Dern and Sam Neill (who is in love with his hat, apparently) while they regrouped and urged people to make it happen on National Voter Registration Day.
What I love most about this photo (other than “voting”) is that Dern and Goldblum are standing next to one another, looking totally normal, like co-stars tend to do. Yet Dern wasn’t aware until quite recently (April 2019, when she spoke with Uproxx) of the Goldblum shirtless memes that have sprawled all over the internet. She called this revelation “hysterical” before giving all due credit to Goldblum being “one of the greatest improvisational actors ever.” Do you think they’ve discussed the shirtless memes? I am pretending that they laughed merrily over the subject.
To recap briefly, Goldblum admitted that he’d improvised the scene basically because “Costa Rica is really hot and so was I.” Given that Dominion is currently finishing production at Pinewood Studios outside London, which has been hovering in around mid-60s temps this week, it’s not likely that Goldblum is taking the same shirtless stance. Yet you never know with this guy. One thing is certain, you should vote!
Jurassic World: Dominion arrives (hopefully) on June 11, 2021.
Sanders held a press conference on Tuesday and alluded to having assembled a coaching staff that features 84 years of NFL playing and coaching experience, noting that the staff has been together for “months” and has already worked through some installs via Zoom for offense, defense and special teams.
Terrell Owens as WR coach? Warren Sapp as D-Line coach?
As for who will be part of that star-studded coaching staff at JSU, a report from Joe Cook indicates Warren Sapp and Terrell Owens will headline the names joining the Hall of Famer in Jackson, with plenty of former NFL players and coaches filling out the staff that looks to make Jackson State a power in the SWAC once again.
BREAKING: According to sources Deion Sanders coaching will be Jason Phillips-Off. Coordinator Terrell Owens WR Coach Warren Sapp Def. Line Coach Dennis Thurman-Def. Coordinator Mario Edwards Sr-Defensive Backs Coach JSU holdovers TC Taylor and Otis Ridley also on staff
However, Sanders quickly responded that list was wrong on Twitter — although, it should be noted, initial reports of Sanders being the coach at Jackson State were also denied vehemently.
As Sanders noted in his presser, there are still some things to workout with getting his staff all together, with some of them currently employed by other schools, but it’s clear that JSU and Coach Prime are trying to make a name for the program immediately. We’ll have to wait to see what the final list of names is, but one would assume they will draw plenty of attention from recruits whatever the group is given Sanders’ explanation of their credentials. That’s always the first step to building a powerhouse program, but from there it will be incumbent on Sanders and company to develop those players and have an identity as a team to make the most out of this initial rush of attention and spotlight on the Tigers.
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AD lines up and KNOCKS DOWN the triple to WIN Game 2 of the WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS! 
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