Not long after Lori Loughlin was arrested during the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, reports began pouring in that the actress would be booted from her well-known role as Aunt Becky on Netflix’s Fuller House while she awaited trial for the college-bribing scheme. And sure enough, Loughlin was missing from the final episodes when they began streaming on Tuesday.

As a nod to younger Fuller House fans who presumably have no idea about the college scandal or the media circus caused by Loughlin and her influencer daughter Olivia Jade, the show did provide casual explanation for Aunt Becky’s absence before wrapping up its fifth and final season. Via Entertainment Weekly:

In the episode titled “Be Yourself, Free Yourself,” Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) is seen in a pickle of his own when he tries to turn a playdate into an investigation as to who bit his daughter Pamela.

“You don’t think you should run this by Aunt Becky first?” D.J. (Candace Cameron Buree) asked.

“Becky is in Nebraska helping out her mother,” Jesse said. “I don’t want to bother her with a tiny little thing like this.”

And that was Aunt Becky’s big sendoff: “She had to go help her mom,” which Entertainment Weekly notes is also how her character was written off of The Hallmark Channel’s frontier drama When The Heart Calls.

But Aunt Becky wasn’t the only character who got a passing nod during Fuller House‘s last batch of episodes. The Olsen Twins have been notably absent from the revival series despite Stamos’ efforts to convince at least one of them to come back for a quick cameo as Michelle, which never materialized, and it seems like the sugary-sweet show got tired of playing nice about it, according to Bustle.

While preparing for a triple wedding with DJ and Stephanie, Kimmy Gibler (Andrea Barber) takes the final shot at the Olsen Twins’ absence with the following line: “Hey, how long are you going to keep Michelle’s bike? If she hasn’t come for it by now, she’s not coming.” As if that wasn’t enough, Barber then turns and winks directly into the camera just to make it very clear that audiences shouldn’t hold their breath for a surprise Michelle appearance.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

After the death of George Floyd, many WWE wrestlers were among the voices speaking out about racism, from Titus O’Neill sharing how it feels “to raise two Black Men in this country” to CM Punk making a strong statement on white allyship on WWE Backstage. Yesterday, WWE joined the legion of brands making official statements condemning racism, but many fans weren’t buying it.

WWE’s statement was:

WWE supports an inclusive society and condemns racial injustice. We stand beside our Black performers, employees and fans around the world, and encourage everyone to use their voice to speak out against racism. We offer our sincere condolences to the family of George Floyd and the families of countless others who have lost their lives due to senseless violence.

Like many other recent comments by brands, WWE’s statement condemns racism and acknowledges the death of George Floyd, but remains politically non-specific, attempting to enter the conversation without weighing in on the issue of police brutality or mentioning police at all.

The tweet doesn’t have the dreaded ratio of more comments than likes, but since it was posted yesterday, it has received thousands of replies and quote-tweets pointing out WWE’s history with black performers and it’s involvement in American politics. Examples brought up by fans include:

• the Jordan Myles (now ACH) NXT t-shirt design from 2019 that looked like blackface
• Triple H and the rest of DX doing blackface on Raw in 1998
• Akeem the African Dream
• Titus O’Neill’s suspension from WWE in 2016
• rehiring Hulk Hogan and reinstating him into the WWE Hall of Fame
• Vince McMahon using the n-word in a WWE comedy bit in 2005
• the New Day’s original preacher gimmick
• the racially-charged 2003 feud between Triple H and Booker T that ended with HHH defeating Booker at WrestleMania XIX
• the McMahon family’s relationship with US President and WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump, with that picture of the McMahon in the Oval Office posted many times and some Twitter users specifically mentioning Linda McMahon running America First Action, a pro-Trump Super PAC

Twitter user @arxherarios commented on this mass dunking on WWE by saying “This is going in the This You? Hall of Fame.” It definitely shows that while WWE would like to present itself as an organization against racial injustice, that’s unconvincing to many, and they have examples of past and ongoing company behavior to support that belief.

It’s really worth a listen.

---

View Entire Post ›

Detroit rapper Big Sean joined the chorus of artists’ voices speaking out against injustice over the past weeks, posting a long video to social media explaining the United States’ history of police violence and expressing solidarity with protestors.

The video sees Sean speaking directly to his followers “from the heart,” according to the caption, “Wishing my brothers and sisters strength, ’cause I know we tired and I know we need it now more than ever.” Sean acknowledges that protestors now “got the whole world’s attention and justice has to be served, period. If it’s not, I don’t think things are gonna change or get better.”

After revealing that he himself has been among the protestors, he also noted like many observers online that much of the disruption to the peaceful protests appears to come from external sources who he says, “look like undercover cops.”

Later in the video, Sean expresses his view that “this government and this country are build on a racist foundation… some of the first police forces ever was made during slavery, down South, and the main focus was to capture, apprehend, beat, discipline slaves,” tying that racist history to modern day tactics and letting the parallels speak for themselves.

The video concludes with Sean comparing that legacy to a gash in the flesh of the nation and admonishes those who don’t see it, “You wanna talk about, ‘land of equality and freedom,’ I don’t feel equal and I don’t feel free… Things have to change.”

Watch Big Sean’s video above.

There don’t seem to be many things going right nowadays, but at least this was another strong month for the best rap albums. The month was kicked off with a mega drop from Drake, and also had a trio of sophomore albums from Gunna, Polo G and KOTA The Friend that were all impressive in distinct manners. Future released his latest project, as did seasoned rhymers like Ka, Conway, and Freddie Gibbs. Check out the full list of the best rap albums from May below:

Drake — Dark Lane Demo Tapes

Drake is one of the most prolific artists of his time. He has so many loosies laying around that he put together a compilation called Care Package last year — and he already has enough for another compilation entitled Dark Lane Demo Tapes. Aside from relatively upbeat moments like “Toosie Slide” and “Demons,” the project is another dose of doleful lamentations and existential discontent for the world’s most distressed superstar. There has been mounting criticism that Drake no longer seems to be leading the wave as much as chasing it. But, songs like “Chicago Freestyle,” “Losses,” and “From Florida With Love” show that even if he’s not in his creative prime (a question his next studio album will answer), he’s still compelling at his best.

Gunna — Wunna

Gunna might have already won the 2020 award for most creative branding around a project. His Wunna era has come complete with and a “Wunnascope” collaboration with @TheHoodHealer but that doesn’t mean he’s all about positive vibes. Consider these bars from “Cooler Than A Bitch” featuring Roddy Ricch: “Your favorite rapper burnt and he runnin’ out of hits / Say the wrong word, and I’ma shoot him in his sh*t.” It’s unmistakable that Wunna’s thematic grounding is still the streets of Atlanta on his latest collection of slinky flows over immersive Wheezy beats. The album’s 19-tracks could eventually wear for those who aren’t diehard Gunna fans, but songs like “Skybox,” the erotic “Nasty Girl / On Camera” and the “Hot”-adjacent “Top Floor” show Gunna at his best.

Polo G — “GOAT”

Polo G’s sophomore studio album Isn’t just one of the best albums of May, it’s some of the best work you’re gonna hear all year. The Chicago rhymer’s melodic flow and technical lyricism is an elite combination. He infuses his lyrical gift with grim, honest depictions of Chicago that explore themes of grief, self-medicating, and violence — and how they’re all interconnected. So many young artists are being forthright about how the trauma of systemic oppression manifests in their life. Polo is doing the same, from chemical dependency (explored on “21” with the late Juice WRLD) to romantic relationships on “Beautiful Pain (Losing My Mind),” where he rhymes, “it’s hard to love with dysfunction, wish my scars was thinner.” Polo’s GOAT title is a lofty aspiration, but in time he just may have a claim as he continues to experience life and refine his artistry.

Freddie Gibbs — Alfredo

Last year, Freddie Gibbs declared himself the best rapper in the world, and he’s given those in agreeance no reason to let up off that claim. He’s been in the zone for over four years now, and that run doesn’t slow up on Alfredo, a soulful collaboration album with Alchemist. Gangsta Gibbs is one of the game’s best examples of sticking to the script and excelling, as the project shows him rattling off flows and quotables like “Michael Jordan, 1985, b*tch, I travel with a cocaine circus” on Alchemist’s soulful, lowkey production. Griselda artists Conway and Benny The Butcher both appear on the album, each giving a taste of what a joint EP with Gibbs could sound like.

Mozzy — Beyond Bulletproof

Mozzy got subversive with the title of his latest project, Beyond Bulletproof, noting that, “In my neighborhood and the ghettos of America, ‘bulletproof’ means ‘love.’” He shows love to his native Sacramento throughout the project, exploring the good, bad, and ugly of Northern Cali with features like Eric Bellinger, Polo G, G Herbo, and King Von. The latter two appear on “Body Count,” an album standout where the three artists trade menacing bars over a piano loop fit for a horror scene. But beyond the no-nonsense bangers, Mozzy is also beloved for his introspection, and “Betrayed” and “I Ain’t Perfect” fit that bill, where he laments the toll oppression has taken on his community and expresses “compassion for the hopeless and the homeless ’cause they been through enough.” Mozzy has been through his own share of turmoil, and the game should be thankful that he’s so adept at expressing it on his latest.

Little Simz — Drop 6

In late April, Little Simz took to Instagram to speak for many right now by lamenting that, “I don’t mind being alone…however choosing to be alone is different from being forced to be alone and that’s where the difficulty comes in.” The forced quarantining in the wake of Covid-19 has society feeling a myriad of emotions, and Simz culled through her own emotional stage on Drop 6, the latest entry of her Drop mixtape series. As she noted on project intro “Might Bang, Might Not,” she’s a “one-woman army” on the five-song project, looming over the album’s sparse production with her vulnerable poetics. The project feels like a portrait of the moment, as she explores matters of life and career, surmising on “You Should Call Mum” that “times we livin’ in don’t seem real / But it was never a fairytale to begin with.”

KOTA The Friend — Everything

KOTA The Friend’s FOTO project was a portrait of Brooklyn through the lens of twentysomethings experiencing life trials amid the beast of gentrification. He has expressed wanting Everything, his latest project, to be a bit more upbeat for his burgeoning fanbase. He accomplishes that goal with fun, feel-good tracks like “B.Q.E.” with Bas and Joey Badass, “Always” with Kyle and Braxton Cook and the title track, which he posits as that “spend a week up in the mountains just to heal some“ type music. His slick, ever-confident delivery bolsters lyrics about his ascension and rhymes about people who are always “jackin that you know me but you knew me” on “Morocco.” Indeed, the versatility of Everything shows that KOTA The Friend is constantly evolving as an artist, which can only reflect personal evolution.

Ka — Descendants Of Cain

There are probably a lot of people culling through the bible these days — but few, if any could transfuse the good book’s contents into a work as compelling as Ka’s Descendants Of Cain, the Brooklyn rapper’s seventh studio album. Ka is one of the rap game’s best-kept secrets, mostly because the lowkey lyricist wants it that way. But tracks like “Solitude Of Enoch” and “Sins Of The Father” with Roc Marciano speak loudly for his presence. The masterful rhymer gets off his thought-provoking witticisms in sparse, spoken word-esque couplets, darting through minimalist beats with reflective gems like “My past bent me, see it half-empty / My theme’s still tryin’ to get clean from last century” that act as passages on their own.

Key Glock — Son Of A Gun

Released right in time for mother’s day, Key Glock’s Son Of A Gun project is a tribute to his mother, as well as an exhibition of why he’s one of the game’s most intriguing trap rappers. He’s in his wheelhouse throughout the 15-track album, rhyming over a collection of hypnotic loops that serve as the perfect framework for his gun-toting, braggadocious lyrics. The beats lure you in, and Key Glock keeps you enthralled with his intense mic presence. He talks big on “Money Talks” and “Flexxxin,” where he lets us know “I still ain’t touch my stash.” But it’s not all good. Album standout “I Can Tell” shows him in paranoia mode, rhyming, “It’s a lot of rappers hatin’ on me, I can tell.” As much as rappers shout out imaginary haters, the knack for quality street music that Son Of A Gun displays makes it believable.

Larry June & Cardo — Cruise USA

If you’re new to Larry June, get ready to bask in a lush catalog of Bay game over laidback beats. But if you’re familiar then you already know what’s going on when June and Cardo link up. They’re one of the game’s most underrated rapper-producer combos, and they got to it again on Cruise USA, a feel-good 8-track project. The title harkens to the ideal vibe to take in June’s game-heavy raps over smooth soundscapes that veer from the glitzy “Meet Me In Frisco” to the hypnotic “Orange Juice” with Dom Kennedy, which is an intriguing fusion of dripped-out Houston with laidback Cali vibes. If you find yourself taking a lengthy drive this June, this is surely one for the rotation.

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

Lovecraft Country — the highly-anticipated (and very timely) HBO series from creator Misha Green and producers Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams about monsters, both human and otherwise — still doesn’t have a premiere date. But it does have a premiere month: August 2020. HBO also released an ominous new teaser for Lovecraft Country, featuring secret legacies, socially conscious horror, mysterious attacks in the woods, a James Baldwin voiceover, and whatever the heck this nightmare is.

I’m both intrigued and terrified. “I love stories. Heroes go on adventures in other worlds to fight unsurmountable odds. Stories are like a living thing,” Atticus (played by Jonathan Majors) says in the teaser. I’m thinking I’ll love this story, too. Here’s the plot synopsis:

Based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff of the same name, Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he joins up with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father (Michael Kenneth Williams). This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.

Lovecraft Country also stars Wunmi Mosaku, Aunjanue Ellis, and Abbey Lee.

Demonstrations are continuing across the United States as individuals take to the streets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and in protest of the death of George Floyd. The fallout from this has included a frank discussion about policing in the United States, both because of how Floyd died and the numerous examples of excessive force that law enforcement has used against those peacefully protesting.

One city where these demonstrations have been particularly notable has been Los Angeles, which has a lengthy history of frayed tensions between its citizens and its police force. On Tuesday, the city’s Police Commission held a virtual town hall in which members of the community excoriated the group and called for chief Michael Moore, who previously said Floyd’s death was as much on looters as it was the police officer who was arrested for murder, to resign.

The call featured someone claiming to be renowned skateboarder Tony Hawk, who echoed the calls for Moore to resign or be removed and said that he lost the faith of residents of Los Angeles.

The voice sounded like Hawk’s, but was just a bit off. That’s because, as he clarified on Twitter, it was not him. Hawk posted that he would have been a bit more eloquent, then advocated for civil rights advocacy organization Color of Change.

Since we are not ones to disagree with Tony Hawk on much of anything, here’s a link to Color of Change’s website.

This week, some of the best new pop music came from big-name musicians. Lady Gaga finally released her long-awaited record Chromatica, Rosalía teamed up with Travis Scott for a rhythmic tune, and Tones And I returns with a new track following last year’s breakout “Dance Monkey.”

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

Lady Gaga — “Sour Candy” Feat. Blackpink

For her Chromatica record, Lady Gaga joined forces with some unexpected collaborators for some of the best new pop music we’ve heard of late. Gaga released “Sour Candy” with K-Pop supergroup Blackpink just ahead of her full album’s release. In a statement, Gaga applauded her collaborators: “When I called them and asked if they wanted to write a song with me, they were so happy and motivated. It was a really exciting collaboration. I wanted to celebrate them because they love powerful women like us, and they also wanted to celebrate me, and we had a great time together with this song. I was excited to hear them interpret the song in Korean, and told them that the part was so creative and fun. I was impressed when I heard their singing voice. I’m a woman, really talented and proud to be the fifth member of Blackpink (in this song).”

Rosalía x Travis Scott — “TKN”

Rosalía and Travis Scott’s “TKN” is an irresistibly-rhythmic single. In a statement alongside the track, Rosalía praised Scott for his work: “Travis is an artist who I’ve admired a lot since the beginning of his career and I can’t imagine a better artist to collaborate with on this song. I feel that now is the moment to release this song, after so many months of staying indoors, missing freedom or being with people we love. I hope ‘TKN’ gives you energy, makes you dance, and gives you strength if you’re going through difficult times. With all my love <3.”

Tones And I — “Ur So F**cking Cool”

Following two tracks released earlier this year, Australian songwriter Tones And I returns with a buoyant tune that aims a blow at fake influencers. “I wrote this song after I went to a party and everyone there thought they were the coolest thing ever and I just thought, ‘This is sh*t, I’m leaving,’” the singer said about the single.

Kim Petras — “Broken Glass” Feat. Kygo

Kim Petras tapped Norwegian producer Kygo for the effervescent “Broken Glass.” Petras said the single is a reflection of her state of mind when she penned the song: “‘Broken Glass’ really connected with me and what I was going through at the time. Kygo and I have written a couple of songs together in the past, but we’ve been trying to make something happen. I think the song is amazing and I’m a big fan of Kygo, so I’m really excited to be on his album and for it to come out!”

Tayla Parx — “Dance Alone”

Tayla Parx’s groove-driven “Dance Alone” is her latest effort following last year’s acclaimed debut album. “‘Dance Alone’ is about that deep desire to connect with someone in order to cope,” Parx said of the single. “We all have that special someone who makes us feel things where we literally ache for them or feel for them. It’s about human connection, which we all desperately need right now, and how we realize we are not alone.”

Griff — “Forgive Myself”

At 19-years-old, songwriter Griff not only writes and producers her own tracks, but she also makes her own clothes. Her acclaimed debut EP The Mirror Talk showcased her devotion to craft. Now, Griff expands her catalog with “Forgive Myself,” a lilting ballad about overcoming and learning from past mistakes, however big or small they might be.

Ali Gatie — “Running On My Mind”

Ali Gatie’s 2019 debut EP cemented the songwriter as a poignant voice in music. Now, Gatie returns with “Running On My Mind.” Arriving on his birthday, the track features Gatie’s soulful delivery over a rolling, earworm beat.

Duckwrth — “Find A Way”

Hailing from South Central LA, Duckwrth shares some motivation in the form of “Find A Way.” Intricately layered, Duckwrth said the track is meant as uplifting inspiration: “In this journey we call life, us as humans will inevitably fall off the path. Sometimes due to forces outside of our control. But we always find our way. This is the theme song to Our Comeback. Let’s Find A Way.”

Phil Good — “Everything’s Good”

LA singer/songwriter Phil Good shares his sarcastically-cheery track “Everything’s Good” this week. “Even though I’m sarcastically saying that ‘everything’s good’ in the song, I think it’s important to be optimistic and remind yourself and those around you that things could always be much worse,” Phil said about the single. “You’re still here, reading this on your phone, maybe on the couch or the toilet.. who knows. But you’re alive and breathing and that alone is pretty ‘everything’s good’ right now.”

Gashi — “Paranoid”

Gashi’s sophomore album 1984 arrived this week, and along with it came the stand-out track “Paranoid.” Gashi said that although he wasn’t alive in 1984, he feels connected to the time period: “I wasn’t alive during that decade, but I connect so much with everything from that era. I love everything about 80s culture from the music to the films to the fashion and I always wished I could have experienced that time in history. My parents got married in 1984 and some of the greatest music ever made came from the 80s. I just wanted to make music that made people feel the way I feel when I hear anything from that era.”

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

As protests continue across the country, many musicians have offered their unabridged support to George Floyd’s family the Black Lives Matter movement. But others, like Nirvana’s former bassist, have instead shared a tone-deaf response to the demonstrations. Founding Nirvana member Krist Novoselic deleted his Twitter account after facing backlash over comments made about the president’s “strong and direct” speech Monday, in which Trump declared himself the “the president of law and order.”

In a since-deleted post on Facebook, Novoselic commended Trump on his speech and applauded the president for saying he “would stop the violence.” Novoselic wrote, “I know many of you can’t stand him, however, Trump knocked it out of the park with this speech. I agree, the president should not be sending troops into state — he legally might not be able to anyway — nevertheless, the tone in this speech is strong and direct.”

Novoselic received backlash for the post and as a result, deleted his Twitter. Novoselic still chose to clarify his comments on Facebook, though he made no mention of police brutality. “And it feels insane to have to say this, but I don’t support fascism, and I don’t support an authoritarian state,” Novoselic wrote. “I believe in a civilized society and that we all have to work toward that.”

Read Novoselic’s posts above.

The flying of Confederate flags in the U.S. has been hotly debated for decades, which is kind of baffling, to be honest. When you know the history of the Civil War, understand that the Confederate states were attempting to secede from the United States so that they could keep enslaving Black people (they said so themselves—in no uncertain terms), and recognize that their actions against the U.S. government amounted to treason, it’s hard to fathom why people would fly the flag that represents that history.

I’ve heard some people say it’s not a racist symbol and it just represents Southern pride, but how? If you’re equating the South with the Confederacy, and using that flag as a symbol of what you’re proud of, and the Confederacy that flag represents was founded specifically to perpetuate racism…umm, yeah. That’s racist and weird.

A Republican group called The Lincoln Project has created an ad that explains this, and asks why the flag is so commonly seen flying with pro-Trump signs:

---

The Lincoln Project is a group that views “Trumpism” as a danger to the nation. And they harken back to the Civil War era as they describe their inspiration for forming on their website:

“President Abraham Lincoln led the United States through its bloodiest, most divisive and most decisive period of our history. He fought not because he wanted to, but because he knew the dual goals of preserving the Union and the end of slavery would be achieved only through armed conflict. Lincoln always kept the enormous human cost of the struggle in the front of his mind. At Gettysburg, he implored us not to forget those that had given “their last full measure of devotion” to preserving the American experiment. As it became clear that the Union would be victorious, Lincoln’s thoughts turned to how the nation would “bind up its wounds” and move forward together.

Today, we find ourselves divided again – sectionalism in the country and factionalism in government has led to ever uglier examples of how our political system is failing. President Donald Trump and those who sign onto Trumpism are a clear and present danger to the Constitution and our Republic. Only defeating so polarizing a character as Trump will allow the country to heal its political and psychological wounds and allow for a new, better path forward for all Americans.”

It’s all tied together—the Confederate flag and what it represents, the president supported by those who fly it, and the unrest and upheaval we are currently experiencing as a result of racial injustice that has gone unchecked for too long.