I love “dad sneakers” and I’m not afraid to admit it.

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Martin Gugino is the “epitome of a non-violent person,” friends and fellow activists told BuzzFeed News.

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A new trailer for the upcoming Bill And Ted Face The Music dropped earlier today. While it was a relatively brief look at the movie, eagle-eyed indie-rock fans noticed an easter egg: Arcade Fire’s Win Butler has a role in the movie.

The trailer starts with the titular duo appearing in front of a floating and futuristic council, and sure enough, Butler is there, wearing an outfit that wouldn’t exactly be a surprising on-stage wardrobe for him. He doesn’t have any lines in the trailer, as he just floats there stoically, but here’s hoping he gets to say a few words in the movie (and perhaps bust out his Robert De Niro impression).

Butler shared the clip he’s in on his Instagram Story and wrote, “Proud and humbled to be a member of the Future Council, formed on Day 1 after the defeat of former president ‘Basement Boy’ in November of 2020. Also, and this is a spoiler…it turns out in the future that spending money on education, universal healthcare and universal daycare is better than prisons and policing. There is an alternate universe where none of this happened and American re-elected ‘Basement Boy’ again… but that is more of a dystopia.”

Watch the Bill And Ted Face The Music trailer above.

Ludacris has been using his platform to publically speak out against police brutality and systematic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. The rapper recently sat down for an interview to discuss how he talks to his children about racism. But the conversation eventually veered towards other iconic rappers. Ludacris revealed his picks for the five rappers with the best flows of all time.

Sitting down with XXL‘s Hip-Hop Moments of Clarity podcast, Ludacris was asked to rank his favorite rappers in terms of their flow. Luda had a hard time naming just five, but he gave an explanation for each choice:

“So, top five flows, man. Andre 3000 is going to be in there. I feel like he always challenges, always challenges. I’ma put Kendrick Lamar in there as number two. I’ma put J. Cole in there as being, like…right now, I’m thinking of people that are versatile and constantly trying to think of different flows that don’t pretty much have a set flow that they always do. Those are three. I’ma go ’head and put Jay-Z in there, man. Jay-Z, you know, he does different things and he does experiment with different flows. And mostly, his different subject matter and how he’s able to weave through and be on a track with anybody. So that’s number four. Damn, man, number five. […] Damn, this is hard because it’s like you got Lil Wayne, you got Eminem, but I’ma have to go with Lil Wayne because the body of work and his consistency and he’s been in the game almost 30 years, bruh.”

The rapper went on to add Tupac and Notorious B.I.G as honorable mentions. But Luda wasn’t the only rapper to recently name their top five contenders. Last month, Drake shared his pick for the top five rappers, including B.I.G., Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Andre 3000, and OVO Hush.

Read Luda’s response above and check out the full interview with XXL here.

Earlier Tuesday, footage circulated of Gunna and his crew dodging gunfire at a recent video shoot with Lil Keed. The clip shows a team of cameramen getting footage of Gunna in front of extras on an ATV when several shots were fired and the group abruptly dispersed. Fans showed concern on social media, but Young Thug aimed to put fans at ease by addressing the gunfire in a video.

Speaking to the clip on social media, Young Thug briefly explained the situation in a selfie video. “Anytime you see like shoot-outs and shootings or anything and we involved in it, no, we the ones that did it,” he said.

While Young Thug offered his explanation, fans aren’t as convinced. Both Gunna and Lil Keed are signed to Thugger’s YSL Records, so it wouldn’t make sense that he wanted to shoot his own crew. If the gunfire was planned, the camera crew wouldn’t have rushed away from the scene.

So far, neither Gunna nor Lil Keed has addressed the gunfire. But Gunna hopped on his Instagram stories yesterday to simply urge fans “don’t believe” the cap, though the rapper didn’t add any further clarification.

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

There’s not much in the way of concert tours at the moment thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. So, artists are instead shifting gears and getting things lined up for 2021. That includes Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, who have just announced a run of tour dates for next summer, for which they’ll be joined by Lucinda Williams.

The brief run of dates, which lasts for a few weeks and takes place mostly on the West Coast, stretches from mid-July to early August and includes stops in Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, Reno, Salt Lake City, Colorado, Kansas, Little Rock, Dallas, and Austin.

Check out Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit’s upcoming tour dates with Williams below, and revisit our recent interview with Isbell here.

07/19/2021 — Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
07/20/2021 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
07/23/2021 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
07/24/2021 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
07/25/2021 — Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
07/27/2021 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
07/28/2021 — San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
07/29/2021 — Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Theatre
07/31/2021 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Eccles Theater
08/01/2021 — Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/03/2021 — Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
08/04/2021 — Little Rock, AR @ First Security Amphitheater
08/06/2021 — Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
08/07/2021 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater
08/08/2021 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater

Racism is a difficult subject to discuss among adults and it can be just as challenging when talking about it with children. It’s important for parents or teachers to talk about it in a way that’s age-appropriate and to address any strong emotions that are caused by the discussion.

Talking about about race with kids can be difficult, but avoiding the conversation helps perpetuate racism.

“Because institutional racism is so ingrained and so automatic and so accepted, without enough people wanting to enact true, long-lasting change, institutional racism ends up becoming our personal bias. But we still must be held accountable for our actions,” Sarah Gaither, assistant professor psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, told CNN Health.

Over the past few weeks, the topic of race in America has come to the forefront of the national conversation after the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Abrey and Breonna Taylor. While these deaths have caused unbelievable grief anger, they present parents and educators with a teachable moment.

Vera Ahiyya, who’s known affectionately as the “TuTu Teacher,” is a Kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, New York who created a great video explaining the issue of race in America for her students.

Ahiyya does such a great job at talking about a subject at a level that children can understand it’s being viewed and shared by people outside of her classroom.

Let’s Talk About Race

www.youtube.com

“You may have noticed, or heard your family talk about what’s happening on the news … Beyond just the COVID virus, which is spreading, we also are combating a different kind of disease,” she begins the clip.

“It’s something that happens with the way that people think,” she adds.

“Some people have the belief that people with black or brown skin should not have the same rights or privileges as people with white skin,” she continues. “This is called racism, and racism has happened in the United States for over 400 years”

“That’s a very long time, and by now, you would think that something so terrible would be gone. But it’s not that easy. Racism, is everywhere and it is our job to stop it,” she continues.

She then gives her students tips on how to handle racism when they see it in the world to stop it from spreading.

“One way to stop racism is to call it out when you see it,” Ahiyya continues. “That means, if you see someone being treated differently because of the color of their skin, you have the voice, you make the choice, to say ‘This is wrong.'”

via Tim Dennell / Flickr

“You can decide whether to say something, or walk away,” she advises. “But your choice can impact the lives of a lot of people.”

She then shows how people are fighting racism today by protesting in the streets.

“So, right now, what’s happening is a lot of people are making the choice to say ‘that’s wrong, racism is wrong’ and they are talking specifically about racism towards black people,” Ahiyya says,

Ahiyya ends her comments by empowering children to fight back against racism.

“You can do it by writing letters to show your support,” Ahiyya tells them. “You can do it by speaking up when you see something that is very wrong. You can ask questions to your family and friends about how you can do more to help. There’s so many ways to help.”

She concludes the video reading “Let’s Talk About Race” by Julius Lester.

Nostalgia sells. People are constantly looking to some sort of link to a past they remember — think, for instance, of how ESPN just put on a 10-part documentary series about a basketball team from the 1990s that more or less served as an opportunity for sports fans of all ilks to go “Oh, yeah, that team was extremely good.”

This applies to the world of video games, too. Even beyond those who have Triforce tattoos or own shirts that prominently display the Nintendo 64 logo — the hardcore, tried-and-true individuals who tie their identity to their love of video games — more casual gamers will willingly open up their wallets to play something they’ve probably already played before. Think, for instance, of those who forked over enough cash to give Final Fantasy VII Remake the distinction of being the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive in history.

Money talks, but as is the case with almost everything it can all be in vain if a re-release is not able to meet the lofty expectations that come with having a revered name. For instance, if Final Fantasy VII Remake was anything other than one of the best games of 2020, there would have been an air of disappointment around the release. Fortunately for the folks over at Square Enix, though, the game was released to acclaim, both among those who played the original and have long loved the Final Fantasy series, and those like myself, who had an Xbox growing up and joyously experienced Cloud Strife, Midgar, and Avalanche for the first time with this release.

Final Fantasy VII is not the only game to get the re-make treatment, of course. Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have all seen the value in mixing in nostalgia with new releases over the years, particularly if it’s part of a wildly popular, console-specific series like Halo, Kingdom Hearts, or Pokemon. Even if remade games are available for a collection of consoles, nostalgia has worked for, say, Resident Evil 3. And later this year, those who have asked for a new skateboarding game of any sort will get a dose of nostalgia when the first two releases in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series hit modern consoles.

When nostalgia goes poorly, it comes off like a shameless cash grab that disrespects the legacy of something that scores of people hold near and dear to their hearts. When it works, though, nostalgia can breathe new life into something beloved, taking games that everyone remembers and making the process of playing them a joy due to updated controls, graphics, and little touches that just were not feasible due to the limits of technology available at the time of their initial release.

With the console wars set to enter their latest chapter — at least when it comes to Microsoft and Sony — the opportunity to take classic games and give them a modern twist is as tantalizing as ever. Even games that have previously been revamped could get another chance due to the sheer possibilities capable on the PlayStation 5, Switch, or Xbox Series X.

At the time of its release on the Nintendo 64, GoldenEye 007, the first-person shooter based on the James Bond film of the same name, was considered groundbreaking and is high on the list of the greatest video games of all time. In the 23 years since its release, FPS games have taken a gigantic step forward, and even though GoldenEye 007 received updated releases for the Wii and, in the case of GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the sheer magnitude of what is possible for these sorts of games is vast enough that a remake has the potential to be groundbreaking once again. It feels like high time to try it again.

Sticking with legendary N64 games, Star Fox 64, the rebooted version of 1993’s Star Fox, was groundbreaking in its own right. From its multiplayer mode to its choose-your-own-path story mode, the game was a marvel and continues to be a fun, engaging title even today. Personally, there was perhaps no game I poured more time into as a child than Star Fox 64, and the concept of an updated version was a major influence on deciding to write this post.

While a remake for this came out on Nintendo 3DS in 2011, advances in technology could make a more modern Star Fox 64 release even better. For example, this game in particular seems tailor-made for online play. The possibility of building out an entire world and not having a single linear story also seems like it could work perfectly here while paying proper homage to the original.

Nintendo 64 isn’t the only platform that lends itself to fun remakes — although I, for one, would love to see remakes of Donkey Kong 64 and Super Mario 64 on modern platforms. Imagine, for instance, if PlayStation followed a similar script to when it packaged the first three Uncharted games for PlayStation 4 in Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, only it went a half-step further and remade the first three games in the Metal Gear Solid series. Released in 1998 (Metal Gear Solid), 2001 (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty), and 2004 (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater), the trio of games have been packaged as part of collections in the past.

The catch here is that the collection that featured the original game dropped in 2004 for GameCube, while the one that included the second and third games received less-than-stellar reviews for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in 2011. For a series as popular and influential as Metal Gear, especially considering that it boasts a number of overarching themes that were relevant at the time of its release and are still relevant today a la Final Fantasy VII, a well-done remake that builds on what the series does well while simultaneously using the advancements in tech that have made stealth games some of the most complex in all of gaming would be a joy. And besides, we have not had a Metal Gear Solid release since 2015.

With how vast the world of video games is, the possibilities of doing something with beloved old games is endless. Imagine a remade Perfect Dark, or an updated version of Red Dead Redemption that comes on the heels of 2017’s massive prequel, or any of the games in a series, whether it’s one where we’ve seen other remakes (Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, etc.) or one where that territory hasn’t been covered all that much in the modern era. Any number of titles you loved on an old console fits here, especially if it’s largely been left behind in the modern gaming era.

There is ground that can be covered once again, and as long as it is covered in a way that respects what made the original so great while simultaneously taking advantage of years of technology and progress in the world of gaming, those who fell in love with those games will open up their wallets and sink hours upon hours in the name of nostalgia.

Reality TV stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute have been officially fired from Vanderpump Rules after a former African-American cast member revealed that the two falsely reported her to the police because she looked like a burglary suspect.

Last week, Faith Stowers participated in an Instagram Live Chat where she shared how, in 2018, Schhroeder and Doute saw a Black woman wanted for theft in a Daily Mail article and jumped to the incorrect assumption that the woman was Stowers. Not only did the two reality stars report Stowers to the police, which can have very grave consequences for a Black woman in America, but they bragged about it in interviews and on social media. Variety reports:

Schroeder had talked about the incident in the past and confirmed calling the police during a 2018 appearance on the “Bitch Bible” podcast. Doute tweeted a link to an article at the time about the woman involved in the alleged crime, posting, “hey tweeties, doesn’t this ex #pumprules thief look familiar? someone put her on mtv & gave her a platform for press. I didn’t wanna go there but I’m going there.”

After Stowers’ revelation went viral during the first week of June, Schroeder and Doute apologized, but the damage was already done. Schroeder was dropped by both her publicist and her agent, and she and Doute now join controversial cast members Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni in being fired from Vanderpump Rules over racist actions.

(Via Variety)

Dublin post-punk rockers Fontaines D.C. released their well-received debut record in 2019. Now, the band is already setting their sights on the future. Fontaines D.C. shared “I Don’t Belong,” the second single off their forthcoming album A Hero’s Death.

“I Don’t Belong” hones the band’s sound while staying true to their post-punk roots with droning guitars and cerebral lyrics. Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten insouciantly delivers each lyric over nodding percussion. “I heard him serving as a soldier / In the attics of the earth / Threw himself before a bullet / Threw the medal in the dirt, it’s a man’s worth,” Chatten sings.

Upon announcing A Hero’s Death and sharing the eponymous lead single, the group reflected on their time as a band since releasing their debut album in 2019. “It feels like time hasn’t ticked since we announced our first record just over a year ago,” they said. “We wrote these songs during the 12 months after finishing Dogrel as a necessary reaction to assure ourselves we will always be the band we set out to be. A Sincere thank you to everyone who has supported ur music since and before then.”

Listen to “I Don’t Belong” above.

A Hero’s Death is out 7/31 via Partisan Records. Pre-order it here.