Ariel: “Look at this stuff. Isn’t it neat?” Everyone else: No, it’s a mess Ariel.
Nearly 4,000 people watched the fatal police-involved shooting of the victim who friends and family identified as 21-year-old Sean Reed.
Yaron Oren-Pines, who never delivered a single ventilator to New York, took to Nextdoor in his bid to sell at least 18 million masks to California.
The ACLU said Wednesday that the immigrant “died because ICE refused to release him when he still had a chance to survive this deadly virus.”
Fans of the Assassin’s Creed series have been eagerly anticipating the next installment in the franchise since 2018, when Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was released to widespread praise. It’s been 13 years since the original AC game came out, and a rabid fanbase has followed it every step of the way.
Last week, fans finally got a glimpse into the next game when Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was unveiled. This iteration is one that fans have been asking for since the early days of the franchise — you will finally get to play as Vikings, and it looks just as cool as everyone wanted it to be.
While cinematic trailers are cool, what everyone really wanted to see was the gameplay. And on Thursday, fans were given a brief glimpse into what that may look like come launch, which is currently slated for Q4 of 2020. A gameplay trailer was shown during the Xbox Series X event, and while it was merely 90 seconds, we were again brought into the world in which Valhalla will occur.
The game unsurprisingly looks gorgeous — which you would expect from what should be a next gen release — but it doesn’t give enough of a glimpse into what gameplay will actually look like. It does look like you may have access to boats again, a feature that fans of the series have been in love with since Black Flag and the popular “Eagle vision” where you take over a literal Eagle to explore the world through an aerial view appears to be returning as well, but we do not know for sure.
The entirety of the trailer uses quick shots of what looks like gameplay as it smash cuts away to other potential features. It all looks excellent, but it’s unfortunate we can’t get a little more time to see what it will inevitably look like. That said, I don’t doubt that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be another fantastic addition to the series. Odyssey and Origins were both huge hits among fans and seen as a much-needed breath of fresh air into the franchise. Valhalla should take what those two did well and master it.
Another week with a stacked offering of the best new hip-hop albums. As the COVID-19 quarantine continues, artists have been busier than ever, with fewer distractions to keep them from getting in the studio. Of course, with the music industry more connected than ever thanks to social media and streaming, the unforeseen circumstances that would have crippled the supply chain before are only minor speed bumps on the way to dropping albums, EPs, and mixtapes. While some big-name artists hold off in the hopes of utilizing national tours to maximize their profits, up-and-coming and indie artists art using the opportunity to drop their latest work and snap up some market share while potential fans have free time between marquee material. Case in point, the best new hip-hop albums dropping this week include projects from established underground vets Bishop Nehru, Lil Durk, Little Simz, and Nav, while up-and-coming artists Jean Deaux, Lil Tjay, and Ric Wilson share some profile-boosting releases of their own.
Here are all the best new hip-hop albums coming out this week.
Bishop Nehru — My Disregarded Thoughts
At just 23 years old, this New Yorker is already a mainstay on the city’s independent rap scene, with a collaborative project with MF Doom under his belt. My Disregarded Thoughts is Bishop’s first full-length project since 2018’s Elevators. Split into two acts, Nehru calls this is most eccentric project yet.
Jean Deaux — Watch This!
Chicago rapper Jean Deaux has bounced about from R&B to straight-up rap and her latest EP finds her firmly in the latter mode for six tracks of swaggering rhymes and uptempo beats. It also has two features that perfectly highlight Jean’s style: Yung Baby Tate and Saba, who reflect her slick lyricism and her unapologetic femininity.
Lil Durk — Just ‘Cause Y’all Waited 2
Lil Durk has been one of most consistent rappers from the Windy City, releasing at least one project in each of the last nine years, with the most recent one,
Love Songs 4 The Streets 2 dropping in 2019. The latest, which features Gunna, Lil Baby, Polo G, and G Herbo, is another display of Durk’s mashup of melodic sensibilities and drill-style authenticity — that is, if his latest track, “3 Headed GOAT,” is any indication.
Lil Tjay — State Of Emergency
After celebrating his 19th birthday — and causing controversy with his antics all the way — New York’s Lil Tjay follows up his breakout debut album, True 2 Myself, with the versatile State Of Emergency mixtape. Although I criticized his debut for being too one-note last year, his new one splits the difference between the singsong style pioneered by fellow Uptown native A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and Brooklyn’s drill adherents like Fivio Foreign, Pop Smoke, and Sheff G — all of whom appear on this tape.
Little Simz — Drop 6
A surprise drop from the London native, Drop 6 features five songs written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the sixth EP of Simz’s Age 101: DROP series, following her 2019 release of the full-length Grey Area.
Nav — Good Intentions
The Torontonian producer and rapper picks up where he left off with last year’s Bad Habits. After launching the promotion for this album in earnest with his hit song “Turks” featuring Travis Scott and Gunna, fans have plenty to look forward to. Featuring appearances from Future, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Pop Smoke, Don Toliver, and Lil Durk, Good Intentions is a star-studded affair to showcase Nav’s extensive contact list and polished production sensibilities.
Ric Wilson and Terrace Martin — They Call Me Disco
A collaborative effort between emerging Chicago rapper Ric Wilson and veteran Los Angeles jazz revivalist Terrace Martin, They Call Me Disco is a breath of fresh air for anyone looking for a departure from the trap-focused beats and the boom bap-styled alternatives that dominate hip-hop’s modern landscape.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Andy Serkis is able and willing to get a little bit (actually, a lot) “precious” to raise money for pandemic relief. On Friday, May 8, he’s going to settle in for an epic, 12-hour armchair reading of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit from cover-to-cover, and the entire event will be livestreamed. As all Middle-earth fans (and even casual nerds) are aware, Serkis’ most famous role to date would be the voicing of Gollum in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring trilogies. The motion-capture master hopes to channel that (unsettling) appeal for the greater good, no matter how long-winded the effort.
The live-reading will benefit NHS Charities Together (a gathering of 200+ charitable organizations) and Best Beginnings (a childrens’ charity). As Yahoo reports, Serkis has set a goal of raising £100,000, or roughly $125,000, over the course of what he’s referring to as “The Hobbitathon” in his Twitter announcement.
I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written. Join me for a 12-hour armchair marathon reading of “The Hobbit”, in aid of two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need@NHSuk @bestbeginnings #hobbitathon pic.twitter.com/q8qIO3diPT
— Andy Serkis (@andyserkis) May 7, 2020
The live-stream will begin at 10:00am GMT/5:00 am EST/2:00am PST on Friday morning, all geared toward funneling money toward the The Hobbitathon’s GoFundme page. In a video announcement, Serkis explained why he’s taking this journey:
“So many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown. While times are tough, I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written, a 12-hour armchair marathon across Middle-earth, while raising money for two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need.”
You can find more information about this event at the link provided (from Serkis) below.
— Andy Serkis (@andyserkis) May 7, 2020
(Via Andy Serkis & Yahoo)
T.I. and Killer Mike have committed to helping out their Atlanta community in any way they can during the pandemic. Tip and Mike recently sported gloves and masks to post up outside their restaurant to hand out over 500 meals to families affected by the coronavirus.
TIp and Mike partnered with the community organization PAWkids and have committed to donating 1,000 meals each week to families in the area. They kicked off the partnership Wednesday and handed out meals in brown paper bags alongside volunteers, all while snapping photos with fans.
In an interview Tip posted to social media, the rapper said he has a “sincere passion” to give back to his community. “To participate in business in this community and not give back is a travesty,” he said. “So, we’ve always had genuine and sincere passion to feel together. This is just one of the many ways we intend to do so.”
Mike echoed Tip’s message, saying that they aim to support organizations like PAWkids: “This is really what it’s about. It’s about us supporting the organizations that make sure this can happen even when celebrities don’t show up. Every single day the neighbors are taking care of one another.”
The rappers went into business together to purchase the Bankhead Seafood Market restaurant back in 2018 after it closed. Mike told GPB News that he had grown up eating there and had many fond memories of the place. He didn’t want to see it permanently shut down, so he and T.I. bought the place and opened up operations. “T.I. and I went in and bought a business and wanted to keep it going. And in the middle of that, a pandemic happened,” he said. “So, whether money is being made the priority is human beings and people. People need to eat.”