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Tekashi 69 has been on house arrest after getting an early release from prison following his high-profile arrest on racketeering and firearm charges and testimony against his former fellow gang members. Since his release from prison, Tekashi has made good on his promise to return to music. Along with his fair share of social media antics, the rapper has released a handful of songs and his “Trollz” collaboration with Nicki Minaj even earned him a No. 1. Now, Tekashi is setting his sights on the future and has detailed his plans for when he’s released from house arrest.

According to Tekashi’s lawyer Lance Lazzaro, the rapper plans on making moves shortly after his release from house arrest in early August. The rapper not only plans on making a series of public appearances, but he’s also allegedly working on an entire album. “I think you’ll see an entire album released the month of August, as well as some music videos that he will release once he’s done with home confinement. He’s going to be busy,” Lazzaro told Complex.

Lazzaro continued: “It’s his intent to appear in public. He’s got a security team made up of former FBI agents and NYPD detectives, so he’s going to be well-protected when he does step out into the public eye, and he does plan on doing that.”

Lazzaro’s comments arrived alongside Tekashi’s decision to delete all social media accounts in his last two weeks on house arrest. According to Lazzaro, Tekashi wants to keep a low profile in order to protect himself against releasing any information that would tip Nine Trey Blood members to his whereabouts. It was formerly reported that Tekashi would be able to go into the witness protection program but he’d have to pay for his own tattoo removal.

The future of soccer video games is set to look a little more interesting thanks to Konami’s annual release, Pro Evolution Soccer. The series released a teaser clip on Wednesday morning that gave a glimpse into the future of the game, and in a corresponding blog post, the PES franchise explained that major changes are coming, even if they won’t happen right away.

The trailer features Barcelona star Lionel Messi — the club and the game have a well-documented partnership, and a Barcelona player has appeared on its cover in each of the last five years, with Messi serving as the cover athlete for eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020.

In an announcement to fans, PES explained that its eyes are set on the debut of its new game engine for next generation consoles, which will be tested in mid-2021 and is expected to come out later next year. Fans of the series won’t want to wait until PES 2022 for a new game, though, and the company made it clear that it still has something in the works for the consoles that are out now.

We recognize that many of you are enthusiastic for new myClub and Master League content, and we are also excited to share that large updates are in the works for both of these modes.

However, the sheer scale of everything we are aiming to achieve for our next-gen debut has made it necessary to pare back our efforts in other areas of development. As a result, we have made the decision to launch this year’s PES as a streamlined offering in the form of a “season update”. That being said, we are still extremely confident that this year’s game offers fans more than enough thrills to tide them over until our next-gen title is ready for launch.

IGN received clarification that there will be a standalone PES 2021 game in celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary, one that the company did note will come “at an affordable anniversary price and will also come with several bonuses,” and there are still questions about what the upcoming “season update” will look like. As for the engine, it stands to reason that PES will use the highly-anticipated Unreal Engine 5, which was announced a little earlier this year.

Since COVID-19 was identified in December 2019, it has spread around the world, wreaking havoc on our daily lives.

As of July 6, 2020, there have been over 11.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported across 216 countries and territories.

Over 500,000 people have died.

Cities and countries instituted strict lockdowns or issued shelter-in-place orders, but as we retreated indoors to flatten the curve, economies ground to a halt. Millions of people have lost their jobs. Hospital ICUs hit capacity. Inequality has been made painfully obvious as the most marginalized communities are forced to bear the worst impacts. Never before has it been more clear just how interconnected our health and the health of the planet truly is.

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Experts have been warning of a coming pandemic for decades and yet, we weren’t ready when the reality hit.

Now, as cities and countries work towards recovery, it’s clear we’ve come to a crossroads. If we want true recovery and resilience in case of a future disaster, we’re going to need both social and environmental justice.

That is why in April 2020, C40 mayors launched the Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force.

The goal is simple: rebuild cities and economies in a way that improves public health, reduces inequality, and addresses the climate crisis — keeping global heating below 1.5°C.

The mayors laid out their collective vision for a better future by detailing what actions they’re doing or plan to do:

Step one is creating green new jobs for an inclusive economy.

Los Angeles, for example, is investing in training for new green jobs to transition to an inclusive economy, while Seoul plans to create around 20,000 green jobs by retrofitting buildings by 2022.

This also involves taking steps towards upskilling or reskilling the workforce.

Medellín, Colombia is training 25,000 people in science, technology and innovation. They’re also devoting special focus to empowering women.

“We bet on science, technology, and innovation to deal with the coronavirus,” says Mayor Daniel Quintero. “But [we] also recognize that education is the most powerful tool for transforming, not only this society, but any society.”

“We can’t build a society that leaves half of its people behind.”

Step two is working towards resilience and equity by providing fundamental public services for everyone.

This involves investing in public services, such as clean water, food, sanitation, and affordable, safe housing.

It also means investing in public transit, cycling, electric vehicles, and low emission zones.

London is rolling out one of the biggest car-free initiatives of any city in the world. Ongoing efforts to improve air quality have already reduced air pollution in the city by 35%. Meanwhile, Quezon City has launched an urban agriculture program by changing its zoning ordinances. These urban farms will improve the city’s resilience to climate breakdown. In fact, during the pandemic, the city government and their partners have already provided 3.2 million food aid packages to vulnerable populations in just two months.

Finally, step three is taking action for health and well-being by giving public space to people and nature, reclaiming streets, guaranteeing clean air, and creating livable communities.

Freetown committed to growing and planting one million trees across the city in one year as part of this and Melbourne is planting 150,000 trees and other plants to create habitats, support biodiversity, and create jobs for people unemployed due to COVID-19. Both Milan and Paris committed to adopting plans to transform into “15-minute cities,” where all residents will be able to meet most of their needs within a short walk or bicycle from their homes.

But the C40 mayors aren’t stopping there. They’re also calling on national and regional governments, central banks, and international institutions to join them.

Specifically, they’re calling on them to deliver a green and just recovery by:

1. Ensuring that the only stimulus is a green stimulus
2. Committing to an equitable and inclusive recovery
3. Protecting and championing mass transit
4. Prioritizing and investing in clean energy
5. Investing in resilient cities as the engines of recovery
6. Ending all public fossil fuel investments and subsidies.

Want to ensure your city gets involved? Sign this petition and tell G20 countries to spend public money on a safe and just recovery for everyone in your city.

Long before Brad Pitt was outcool-ing Leonardo DiCaprio (and the entire audience) in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, he was turning down a ton of roles. (No surprise there.) Those roles included what was eventually an iconic turn by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, and now, Cameron Crowe is opening up about another role that Pitt decided to slide past. On a Cadence13 podcast, “Origins,” Crowe visited to celebrate on an episode called “Almost Famous Turns Twenty.” The director revealed that Pitt had crushed hopes and dreams that he’d rock out as charismatic Stillwater lead guitarist Russell Hammond.

Billy Crudup went on to play the role, but Crowe revealed to host James Andrew Miller that he cried after learning Pitt’s decision regarding the semi-autobiographical picture. Pitt was Crowe’s first choice and had even read for the role alongside Natalie Portman (as Penny Lane, who Kate Hudson eventually played, leading to an Oscar nomination), but it simply didn’t come together with the Se7en star. Via Radio.com:

“I wept. I knew that [Brad Pitt] had never fully fallen in love with the character. He had fallen in love with the idea of the character. But maybe there just wasn’t enough on the page. He told me that [the salary] wasn’t the case. I think it was probably half and half. I think he was also uncomfortable with the age difference between Russell and Penny Lane.”

Crowe also revealed that Frances McDormand’s role, that of Elaine Miller, nearly went to Meryl Streep, but clearly, everything worked out well for the movie. McDormand and Hudson both got Academy Award nods, and so did Crowe’s screenplay and film editors Saar Klein and Joe Hutshing. As for Pitt, he’s also doing fine. One can speculate all day about the reasons that he turned the role down, but I like to imagine he was still tired out from a certain cartoonishly violent Meet Joe Black scene.

(Via Cadence 13 & Radio.com)

Kamaiyah wants an apology from YG, her “Why You Always Hatin?” collaborator and former business partner, for things he said when she left his label, 4Hunnid Records. Despite being a XXL Freshman in 2017, Kamaiyah felt that 4Hunnid wasn’t the most supportive environment, leading to a falling out that dissolved their working relationship. The Bay Area rapper recounted the situation and expressed her wish for an amicable resolution in a recent interview.

“It’s just like, I’m not gon’ flourish here. If I stay here, I’m not gon’ ever be what I’m supposed to be and reach my maximum,” Kamaiyah said. “This ain’t a fit for me. It ain’t what I envisioned myself being.” She explained that although she tried to “stay loyal” to YG, the circumstances surrounding her departure from 4Hunnid have left the two on the outs — she said they haven’t been on speaking terms since, and explained that she won’t even try to reconcile unless she receives an apology. While she doesn’t share what was said between the two, she remains adamant on the apology.

“There was some things said that until you rectify and apologize, I feel like, ‘What’s the point in me having a conversation?’” she elaborated. “”‘Cause then, I’m pacifying your actions. And me being a woman and a queen that stand on my word I felt like you gotta be a man and stand on yours and apologize for some off the things that was said and done.”

Since then, Kamaiyah secured a release from Interscope and independently released her album Got It Made. YG, meanwhile, signed a new rapper to 4Hunnid, Day Sulan, whose Rubi Rose collaboration “Big” has become a sensation due to its racy video.

Yesterday, SZA shared a bit of an update about some music she’s been working on. She took to Twitter to reveal that she sent it to her mother to listen to, writing, “This morning I sent my mom unreleased music for the first time.. no ones opinion matters more than my ma .. cause she don’t know me like dat .. but she know me like det.”

A few hours later, her mother weighed in with some loving feedback. SZA shared a screenshot of the laudatory text her mother sent her, which reads, “Sitting here eyes closed, rocking from side to side to your music. There is no one quite like you and your sound. Soothing and disrupting at the same time. Such rich variations in texture, tone and tempos. And I was surprised and touched by the sweet homa’ge to your granny. Love it and love you and thank you so much for stepping out of what’s comfortable to share it with me. I feel so special [heart emojis]. Excited for you!”

This is a different reaction than it seems SZA’s mother had for Ctrl, as SZA doesn’t think her mother ever listened to her debut album. A fan asked if SZA’s mom still plays the album, and SZA responded, “Tbh ion think she ever did. before it came out she told me Beyoncé album made her feel too naked … so I knew once she heard doves n the wind it was a wrap for me.”

Almost exactly 25 years ago, Foo Fighters released their self-titled debut album. At the time of the band’s inception, Dave Grohl had extensive experience touring with Nirvana, but he wasn’t used to being the center of attention on stage. In honor of the band’s quarter-century anniversary, Grohl reminisced on the “terrifying” experiences of leading the band in the group’s early years.

Speaking about the band’s early years in an interview with Apple Music’s Matt Wilkinson, Grohl addressed the difficulty pivoting from being the drummer in Nirvana to leader of Foo Fighters. “Coming out and standing [on stage]… I mean, f*ck, I’d been sitting on a drum stool for so long that, oh my god, now I have to stand in front of people?” Grohl recalled. “How does my body move? What do I say in-between songs? These are the things that go through your head, and if you’re not feeling it or you don’t have that connection or confidence, it can be f*cking terrifying — and it was for eight years, 10 years or so. It took a long time for me.”

Grohl continued that he’s since gained confidence at center stage: “I mean now when I walk out on stage, it’s just like, ‘Hey. Okay, let’s go.’ But a long time ago, even doing interviews, I was shy. I was just insecure, self-aware. I just felt like I wasn’t used to being put in the forefront like that, and I can not even watch interviews from those days back then.”

Listen to Grohl’s full interview here.

Netflix is famously hesitant to release its viewership numbers, meaning we’ll never find out which season three episode of Fuller House is the most popular season three episode of Fuller House. How rude. But in a rare-if-deceptive peak behind the digital curtain, the streaming service has revealed its 10 most-watched original movies ever.

The data was acquired by Bloomberg, which notes, “Netflix only recently began to release handpicked data, often disclosed in quarterly financial results, and this is the first time Netflix has released a list of its 10 most popular original movies.” There’s a giant grain of salt we’ll get to, but for now, here’s the top-10 with the number of viewers within the first four weeks of the film’s debut. There’s a reason Bird Box 2 is in production:

1. Extraction (99 million)
2. Bird Box (89 million)
3. Spenser Confidential (85 million)
4. 6 Underground (83 million)
5. Murder Mystery (73 million)
6. The Irishman (64.2 million)
7. Triple Frontier (63 million)
8. The Wrong Missy (59 million)
9. The Platform (56.2 million)
10. The Perfect Date (48 million)

The list is dominated by star vehicles (Sandra Bullock in Bird Box, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in Murder Mystery) and action movies (Extraction, Spenser Confidential, Triple Frontier), while the two surprising inclusions are The Perfect Date (not the Noah Centineo teen movie I would have expected) and The Irishman. A great movie! But a three-hour-plus movie that lacks the crowd-pleasing high energy of, say, Goodfellas. The “oldest” film in the top-10 was released in late 2018, which might explain the lack of Bright and The Cloverfield Paradox; people are watching Netflix now more than ever.

Speaking of that: remember the grain of salt from before? The viewership numbers weren’t confirmed by an outside source, so you have to take Netflix’s word that they’re accurate; also, 99 million viewers sounds incredible, but 99 million people (probably) didn’t finish Extraction, as Netflix counts a view as someone who watches only two minutes. It’s misleading, but this list isn’t so much about the number of viewers; it’s about how much people freaking love Adam Sandler and/or Happy Madison movies.

Let’s start a campaign to get Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in the top 10. I ONLY WANT TO HEAR “JA JA DING DONG” (sorry it’s in your head).

(Via Bloomberg)

Towards the start of the pandemic, Troye Sivan told fans he was growing restless in quarantine and that he planned to release new music soon. It looks like we’ve reached soon: Today, Sivan shared a new song called “Easy” and announced a new EP, In A Dream.

On the track, Sivan reflects on a relationship that’s falling apart, singing on the hook, “I can’t even look at you / Would you look at the space just next to your feet? / The wood is warping / The lines distorting / This house is on fire, woo! / Burning the tears right off my face / What the hell did we do? / Tell me we’ll make it through.”

Sivan says of the EP, “A story that’s still unfolding, this small collection of songs explores an emotional rollercoaster period in my life when the feelings and thoughts were most shockingly fresh. Revisiting these songs and moments is tough, but I’m proud of this music and excited to have it out in the world.”

Listen to “Easy” above and find the In A Dream art and tracklist below.

1. “Take Yourself Home”
2. “Easy”
3. “Could Cry Just Thinkin About You”
4. “Stud”
5. “Rager Teenager!”
6. “In A Dream”

In A Dream is out 8/21 via Capitol Records. Pre-order it here.

Noname won’t let her recent negative experiences with social media backlashes prevent her from continuing to share her thoughts on politics and social justice. Tuesday afternoon, she tweeted — and later deleted — another controversial opinion, this one relating to the current occupant of the White House.

While plenty of folks have expressed their distaste for Donald Trump, Noname warned against setting all of the current issues plaguing the world at his feet, reminding her followers that he’s just the latest in a long line of office holders who have supported harmful policies.

“Framing Trump as the worst president in U.S. history is unproductive and misleading,” she tweeted. “”You can’t measure presidents against each other when they’ve all in one way or another enacted crimes against humanity. Unless a president abolishes this U.S. colonial empire, they are all the same.”

She offered a few examples, writing, “Trump is horrible and has no business in any position of power but let’s not forget who expanded the prison industrial complex. Let’s not forget who had more drone strikes than any other president. Let’s not forget the 200,000 murdered during “War On Terror” which was imperialism.”

The tweets garnered a mixed reception — as they so often do. Of course, some commenters held the opinion that Trump has either severely mishandled a number of crises or outright attacked the civil liberties of marginalized people over the course of his first term. Others, meanwhile, thought that Noname had a point.

Noname herself previously admitted that she is no leader, but that she educated herself and started her book club to help others do the same. However, the outsized influence of her platform has certainly ensured that her opinions will reach a much wider group of people with diverse philosophies and beliefs and that not all of them will agree.