Month: February 2023

The remaining members of De La Soul are planning to pay tribute to their fallen friend Trugoy The Dove with a concert at New York City’s Webster Hall. Thursday’s The DA.I.S.Y. Experience will transform the venue with “artwork from the group’s classic album, 3 Feet High And Rising” according to a press release, and will take place as the group’s catalog finally comes to DSPs.

Only 333 tickets will be available — since three is “The Magic Number,” after all — and you can reserve them beginning Wednesday (March) on the concert’s official website. And although that means that there will be plenty of disappointed fans, the De La Soul experience is for everybody; fans will be able to stream the concert live on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel at 8 pm ET, along with interviews with friends of the trio and other special guests.

Trugoy, aka Dave Jolicoeur, passed away at age 54 on February 12. The news of his death was met with a wave of tributes from hip-hop pioneers such as Nas, who saluted Dave during his Madison Square Garden show, Common, who was given one of his biggest breaks on De La’s 1996 album Stakes Is High, and a plethora of artists including Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Q-Tip, and Pharrell.

It’s very scary for a celebrity to be trending on Twitter, because it normally means one of three things: the celebrity said something offensive, just celebrated a birthday, or died. Every once in a while, a celebrity will trend simply because they got a bad tattoo or sang an unexpected rap at a prestigious awards show. Hey, this is the way the world works now!

But if a celebrity suddenly found out that thousands of people were talking about them on the world wide web, it is natural for them to want to know why. As for Kevin Hart, he still seems…confused by the whole thing.

Hart was trending on Twitter over the last few days, and he played into the trend by asking why he was trending, which just caused him to keep trending, which is unfortunately how the internet works. “I have no idea what’s going on,” he tweeted in earnest.

The origin of Hart’s viral moment seems to be traced back to one particular thread which has users sharing their favorite Kevin Hart reaction images. The man makes a lot of worthy reactions.

Of course, trending can transcend social media platforms, which is why Hart also took to Instagram to ask his followers the deal, while sharing some of his favorite memes about himself, “Can somebody tell me why I am trending,” the post said. Hart seemed confused but welcomes the attention. “I got endless memes being sent to my damn phone from a bunch of my dumbass friends. WTF is going on???? Gotta admit that they are funny as hell tho.”

Even though he might not understand it, he is clearly having fun with his newfound increased fame. As for what he’s actually up to lately, Hart will appear in the upcoming Borderlands movie alongside Oscar nominees Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis. So he can expect some more trending moments in the future.

The Charlotte Hornets’ dismal 2022-23 season grew even worse on Monday night. While they picked up their 20th win of the season over Detroit, they saw their star guard LaMelo Ball suffer his fourth ankle injury of the season, this time fracturing his right ankle on a non-contact play.

After three left ankle sprains cost him time at various points throughout the season, Ball’s 22-23 campaign came to an official end on Tuesday when word broke that his fractured ankle will result in him sitting out the remainder of the season, per Shams Charania.

It is a disappointing end to a season full of stops and starts for Ball, who will hope to regroup this offseason and see the Hornets add another foundational piece around him via the draft so they can have a bounceback in 2023-24. Ball will end his season with averages of 23.3 points, 8.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game on 41.4/37.6/83.6 shooting splits, serving as one of the few bright spots in Charlotte this year.

As the Hornets close out the final 19 games of the season, they will continue to monitor the progress of rookie Mark Williams and shift attention to the offseason, where there is considerable roster work to be done to vault themselves back into the playoff contender tier in the East.

The unrivaled queen of memes, Keke Palmer, has given birth to a baby boy.

The Nope actress revealed her pregnancy during her Saturday Night Live hosting stint just a few months ago but she gave fans a quick update on her pregnancy journey earlier this week. Palmer and her partner, Darius Jackson, welcomed their first child together on Monday and shared the news of the birth — and the baby’s name — with fans on Instagram shortly thereafter.

Palmer posted a handful of pictures detailing the day of the birth, showing both her and Jackson on their way to the hospital while listening to the song “Someone,” by El Debarge. The couple then gave fans a glimpse inside the hospital room, showing both Palmer and Jackson holding their newborn before revealing his name, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson.

“Born during Black History Month, with a name to match!” Palmer captioned the post. “LEODIS ANDRELLTON JACKSON, welcome to the world baby Leo.”

Naturally, fans took to Twitter to celebrate the good news.

Even Palmer was hyping the news on Twitter.

We just have one question: will we get a video of the new mom introducing herself to Leo by saying, “Baby, this is Keke Palmer”? Because we’d really like to see that.

The first movie based on author J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy novel came out nearly 100 years ago. There have been plenty of adaptations since, including a pre-M3GAN Allison Williams taking Wendy to Neverland, “Rufio!”, and the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” sequence from Pan that I’m still convinced was a fever dream, but none with Captain Hook being played by Jude Law. Until now!

Peter Pan & Wendy is the latest live-action reimagining of a Disney animated classic coming to Disney Plus. It stars Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Jim Gaffigan as Smee, and the Young Pope as the ticking alarm clock-fearing pirate (who looks like a Mike Myers character in the trailer above).

Law is the second best reason to watch Peter Pan & Wendy. The best? The movie is directed by David Lowery, who also made A Ghost Story, The Old Man & the Gun, and The Green Knight. He also directed Pete’s Dragon, the best of the Disney live action “remakes.” Weird career!

Here’s more:

Peter Pan & Wendy introduces Wendy Darling, a young girl afraid to leave her childhood home behind, who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever.

Peter Pan & Wendy, which also stars Disney’s good luck charm Alan Tudyk, comes to Disney Plus on April 28.

Youth Lagoon is returning with their first new album in eight years as Trevor Powers announced Heaven Is A Junkyard will drop later this year.

“Heaven Is A Junkyard is about all of us,” Powers shared in a statement. “It’s stories of brothers leaving for war, drunk fathers learning to hug, mothers falling in love, neighbors stealing mail, cowboys doing drugs, friends skipping school, me crying in the bathtub, dogs catching rabbits, and children playing in tall grass.”

“My mind has always been a devil,” he added. “It tells me terrible things — like I’m worthless, ugly, or broken. It’s like a motel TV stuck on a channel that won’t shut off, with static and endless late-night ads and preachers screaming about the end of the world.”

To celebrate, Powers dropped the first glimpse of the forthcoming album with “Idaho Alien.” He created the chill and hypnotic song after experimenting on the piano — and it’s clear the result paid off. As for the music video, directed by Tyler T. Williams, it finds the younger version of himself running around outdoors and skipping over train tracks before ending with the view of a beautiful sunset.

Powers’ most recent album as Youth Lagoon is 2015’s Savage Hills Ballroom, although he released albums under his own name in 2018 (Mulberry Violence) and 2020 (Capricorn).

Check out “Idaho Alien” above. Below, find the cover art and tracklist for Heaven Is A Junkyard.

1. “Rabbit”
2. “Idaho Alien”
3. “Prizefighter”
4. “The Sling”
5. “Lux Radio Theatre”
6. “Deep Red Sea”
7. “Trapeze Artist”
8. “Mercury”
9. “Little Devil From The Country”
10. “Helicopter Toy”

Heaven Is A Junkyard is out 6/9 via Fat Possum. Pre-order it here.

Foo Fighters will embark on a mini-tour this summer, performing three shows in various American cities. The news arrives today (February 28), and Citi cardholding fans can purchase tickets beginning now.

Last New Year’s Eve, Foo Fighters reflected on 2022 via Instagram, noting the tragic loss of their band’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins. They promised fans that they would see more of the band this year.

“Foo Fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life,” the band said. “And for the past 27 years, our fans have built a worldwide community, a devoted support system that has helped us all get through the darkest of times together. A place to share our joy and our pain, our hopes and fears, and to join in a chorus of life together through music. Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were, — and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward.”

General sales for the three shows will begin Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m. EST. Fans can purchase pre-sale and general on-sale tickets here.

You can see the list of dates below.

05/24 — Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
06/14 — Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
06/16 — Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from The National, Manchester Orchestra, Gorillaz, Wednesday, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Shame — Food For Worms

On “Yankees,” Eddie Green deadpans: “When you’re down / You bring me down / And that is love, so you say.” The song is a cathartic whirlwind of poignant post-punk. It’s a vulnerable moment, followed by the explosive, abstract “Alibis.” Food For Worms takes the listener’s hand, dragging them through the highs and the lows with no choice but to be sucked in.

Miss Grit — Follow The Cyborg

It’s hard to describe the music of Miss Grit, but she did it pretty well in our interview with her about her new album Follow The Cyborg: “Calculated, reserved, droplet, butterfly.” On the jittery “Lain (phone clone)”, she sings: “And what’s the point of being so profound / When all I’ll be is contained in this so vague membrane.” Casual revelations are scattered across the ten songs against sprawling sonic backgrounds.

Gorillaz — Cracker Island

Cracker Island, the highly anticipated new album by Gorillaz, is finally out. The record is packed with highlights, such as a posthumous feature from the late Trugoy of De La Soul on “Crocadillaz” as well as the Bad Bunny collaboration on “Tormenta.” From Snapchat lenses to immersive city experiences, Cracker Island is an extravagant release.

Webbed Wing — Right After I Smoke This…

Right After I Smoke This… is a surprise EP from Webbed Wing, the project of Taylor Madison from cult-followed band Superheaven. The three songs are an endearing dose of vulnerable alt-rock. It tracks the intense swings of existence, contemplating pain and isolation on the twangy “Sure Could Use A Friend” and exploding with temporary energy on the grunge supernova “I’m Feelin Alive.”

Wednesday — “Bath County”

“I can walk on water / I can raise the dead,” Karly Hartzman sings, opening the haunting new Wednesday track “Bath County.” It builds quickly into a hypnotizing, heavy whirlwind of heady guitars while Hartzman’s refrain resonates: “Every daughter of God / Has a little bad luck sometimes.” One second, she’s watching an overdose in a parking lot; the next, she’s listening to Drive-By Truckers on the radio. Life is just scraps of weirdness collaged together.

Slow Pulp — “Cramps”

Slow Pulp’s brand of indie rock is inexplicably nostalgic and familiar, making their 2020 album Moveys a memorable collection of songs. Off the bat, “Cramps” is louder than they usually get; the guitars lurch forward with untrammeled force and Emily Massey’s vocals elevate the song into a meaningful place: “I’ll take anything / That you wanna give / But I want everything.”

Feeble Little Horse — “Tin Man”

Along with the release of their new single “Tin Man,” Feeble Little Horse have announced their highly anticipated debut Girl With Fish. This follows the scattering of idiosyncratic songs, hooking listeners in with loads of distortion and unpredictability. “Tin Man” continues this theme, rocking back and forth on playful riffs, bursting with ardently weird noise. They cite both A Country Western and Slint as influences, of course.

The National — “New Order T-Shirt”

The National have shared another taste of their new album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. “New Order T-Shirt” is a portrait of a person from the past: “I keep what I can of you / Split second glimpses and snapshots and sounds / You in my New Order t-shirt / Holding a cat and a glass of beer,” Matt Berninger recollects, a vivid image in a sea of memories, flowing through this song beautifully.

Chvrches — “Over”

Chvrches made their grand comeback with the infectious “Over,” an ’80s-influenced anthem that grapples with sexism: “I try my best to turn down the noise / And I tell myself that boys will be boys / It’s getting harder to breathe / So, baby, put me to sleep / Till it gets better.” It’s a blazing return.

Manchester Orchestra — “Capital Karma”

The Valley Of Vision is the newest project of Manchester Orchestra. Not only is it their next album, but it’s their virtual reality short film that will be accompanying the music. “Capital Karma” is the first taste of it, and it’s an evocative, poignant piano ballad. Andy Hull’s vocals are gut-wrenching as he sings, “All I wanna do is wait / For you.”

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

The Pete Davidson dating rumors continue to have Twitter in a chokehold.

The Saturday Night Live alumn has been linked to everyone from actress Kate Beckinsale to Kim Kardashian, Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor, model Kaia Gerber, singer Ariana Grande, and recently, model Emily Ratajkowski. But, the latest round of romance gossip involving Davidson has some fans completely losing their sh*t on social media.

On Tuesday, the Instagram meme account @itsfinisher shared a post linking Davidson to 23-year-old rapper Ice Spice whose real name is Isis Gaston. She’s best known for her 2022 breakout hit “Munch,” and for being one of North West’s favorite artists — so, kinda rude, Pete.

Naturally, the Twittersphere was in an uproar over the whole thing.

But fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on where you stand), the post shared by @itsfinisher was confirmed to be a joke intended for “entertainment purposes only.” In fact, Davidson is likely already in a relationship with his Bodies, Bodies, Bodies co-star Chase Sui Wonders. The pair have been vacationing together in Hawaii, hitting up NASCAR events this year, and packing on the PDA on trips to Universal studios since the beginning of 2023.

Despite the romance rumors being debunked, it’s probably going to take Twitter a while to recover from this close call.

Via Newsweek

It’s pretty common for the U.S. to steal ideas from hit U.K. shows–we’ve seen it with The Office and Veep and television’s latest hit, Love Island. But it’s less frequent that the U.K. actually adapts an American show, besides their random Jersey Shore spinoff that recently wrapped after five seasons. But it seems like ITV is catching on to what the people really want, so Jeopardy! is making its way across the pond!

The U.K. take on Jeopardy will be hosted by Paddington narrator Stephen Fry and follow the same structure as the American version, though hopefully, these contestants will actually know the answers instead of giving their home country a bad name.

Fry, a longtime fan of the gameshow, expressed his excitement in a statement to Variety: “In the United States, ‘Jeopardy!’ is a phenomenon like no other. Whenever I’m in America, I do my damnedest to catch it every weekday. The idea of hosting it here in the U.K. makes me dizzy with delight. Such a dedicated quizzing nation as ours will, I hope, welcome this uniquely beguiling and endlessly rewarding game.”

This actually isn’t the first time Britain has dipped its toe in the Jeopardy universe, as there were various one-off seasons throughout the ’80s and ’90s. But the 2023 iteration of British Jeopardy will also allow contestants to play an extra round, so it’s not real Jeopardy, right?

U.K.’s take on Jeopardy is expected to air this fall on ITV1 and ITVX.

(Via Variety)