Author: GoneTrending

West Coast rap legend Coolio’s death in September 2022 shocked the music world. Today, TMZ reports that investigators have determined the cause of his death: A fentanyl overdose.

This story is being updated.

Sometimes, it happens: A celebrity’s Twitter account gets compromised. That happened to Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner recently, but the whole experience turned out to be not that bad… “wholesome,” even, per Zauner.

On April 4, the Japanese Breakfast Twitter account (@Jbrekkie) shared a photo of Zauner standing by a shelf containing copies of her hit book, Crying In H Mart. The post read, “What an eventful day this was. Thank you to everyone who showed support.” That was apparently not legitimate social media activity, though: Later in an Instagram Story, Zauner wrote, “@jbrekkie Twitter has been hacked [sad emoji] I’ve been locked out so if you receive a message from the account it is not me!!!”

The next day, Zauner returned to Twitter and offered an update, writing that the experience of being hacked actually wasn’t too bad at all. She tweeted, “And I’m back! Honestly a pretty wholesome hacker experience. They just posted a pic of me at Powells and thanked people for their support? Maybe an extreme plea to become my social media manager?”

Speaking of Crying In H Mart, the memoir is getting a movie adaptation and progress is being made on that front: It was reported in March that Zauner has tapped Will Sharpe (aka Ethan from The White Lotus) to direct.

Lil Uzi Vert is kind of a rarity in the rap business, a rapper who just… raps. They’re not a multihyphenate, they haven’t jumped into other industries in an effort to diversify their revenue streams (at least, not as obviously as their contemporaries have), and for now, it seems that they dedicates most of their time to making and performing music as their primary occupation. If the name wasn’t taken (and an SEO nightmare) they could be called “Lil Uzi Vert The Rapper.”

But they could, in theory, add another job to their resume: Tattoo artist.

A video popped up online depicting Uzi patronizing the 6 Skulls tattoo shop in New York City, a shop they frequent for their own piercings and tattoos. However, this time rather than receiving some new ink, they were the one applying it to New York artist Joseph Grazi (according to the caption). It wasn’t a very complicated piece — a small anarchy “A” on the left shoulder — but it appears to come out pretty cleanly, and the customer seems to be having a great time. You can check out the video below.

[Via]

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Early in my conversation with podcaster, Instagram personality, ad agency owner, and all-around creative mastermind Bimma Williams, he tells me a story about launching his podcast at the African American Footwear Forum, on August 11, 2019:

“There were 500 or so people in this audience. These are people who are my peers — everyone from new hires to Senior VP leaders. Footwear News is in the building. ESPN is in the building. It is probably the worst scenario to have as your first time doing anything. And this is when you know there’s something bigger than any of us… because I did four interviews that day and my heart was beating out of my chest. And these are probably four of the best interviews that I’ve done in my life.”

Williams, the host of Apple’s #1-rated career podcast, Claima Stories went on to explain that before launching the podcast, he’d hoped to test the waters of interviewing by doing something small in front of “like, 20 people” at the forum. Instead, he was chucked into the open ocean with no life preserver. But as nerve-racking as those interviews were, their quality was a sample of big things to come. Since that day, Williams has transitioned from working for footwear titans like Nike and Adidas to interviewing folks like Tyler the Creator, Dapper Dan, Aleali May, and a wide range of innovators and icons.

While the idea of “leaving a successful career to do a podcast” is growing increasingly rare (though it is still a plot point in movies), Williams is quite obviously a natural storyteller and comfortable on both sides of the mic. Claima Stories exhibits a certain playfulness on the part of its host that puts guests at ease. On the flip side, Williams has the ferocity of an entrepreneur — so as successful as his guests are, there’s a good possibility that they have something valuable to learn from him, as well. As such, each interview is less about taking wisdom from predominant creatives and more about a natural and open exchange of information.

If you didn’t catch it yet, Claima Stories is short for “claim a” as in “claim a seat at the table.” The mission: tell the stories of successful professionals and creatives of color to inspire the next generation; because, as Williams often mentions, “you can’t be what you can’t see, and you can’t do what you can’t do.“

It’s a dilemma all too common for BIPOC and one Williams faced himself, growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While he appreciated the creative and entertainment industries, he didn’t have the access or support needed to pursue those sorts of careers. Then, in the fifth grade, he was given a compass of sorts when his father gifted him a pair of Air Jordan Concord 11s. Through the lens of this iconic shoe, he became bound to the storytelling and emotional component of sneakers. The lifestyle aspect gelled seamlessly with his other use of footwear — running. But as natural as it may appear, a runner/sneaker lover making their way to Nike wasn’t an easy path.

Fresh out of college and stuck in a data entry job, Williams knew he had to start sprinting in another direction. He started documenting his journey in the running community via what would become the Claim Your Journey Blog — which gradually developed a following on social media. Unbeknownst to Williams, the blog was later scouted by executives from the Boston-based footwear company, Saucony, who later invited him to lead their Global Social Media Initiative. Originally, Williams describes laughing in disbelief at this offer. In retrospect, he describes it as “The Initial Invite” of the classic hero’s journey.

Check out our full conversation below for more on Williams’ career arc, approach to creativity, and dream documentary.

***

I love the story of how you “claimed” that opportunity with Saucony — it’s a great origin story.

Well, It’s something I try to remember because, as you evolve, you forget sometimes the mindset of when you didn’t have anything. And at that time, I didn’t have anything at all. After I left the data entry job to focus on the Claim Your Journey Blog, I was living check to check — like $2-in-my-bank-account type of check to check. It was easy to leave because I had no emotional connection to it. What was hard was, I didn’t want to disappoint my mom. Being a single black mom, she’s the one who put so much on the line. There’s so much she’s done for me, and I just felt the sense that I couldn’t let her down — which would be becoming anything less than what I was capable of.

What pushed me even further was that my dad had passed away from his battle with colon cancer. I developed this unhealthy mindset that time is unexpected, time is short, and anything that I wanna do, I gotta do it at breakneck speed.

I listened to your conversation with Douglas Williams, and it seemed like you guys were at a similar place where you had someone close pass away, and it kind of pushed you to get stuff going.

I think, in the absence of therapy, I decided to channel every emotion I was feeling with that. Whether it was abandonment, sorrow, grief, regret, anger, you know… I was upset with my dad. He didn’t give me the guidance that I felt I needed, and so instead of dealing with that in a healthy way, I turned it into work, and I put everything into it.

So many people have those kinds of unhealthy voids, and if you look story for story, they usually center around family and childhood. There could have been a moment where it could have been drugs, but instead it was, “I’m gonna make something of myself and I’m gonna sacrifice everything to do that.”

Where do you think that strength and insight came from?

It came from a place of pure imagination based off what I didn’t have. I got tired of seeing this stuff on TV, Youtube, and Complex magazine. I’m seeing all these stories, and I’m not seeing it in my life or around the people I know. And so, I’m like, dog, I can’t be in my thirties and working somewhere that I’m not passionate about.

I’m an only child, so I know how to sit and create a whole world in my head. But the difference this time was that I was gonna make that world real, and it required me to not only turn in to work but also reconstruct the outside world that wasn’t serving me. It was hard. I stepped away from friendships that I had since I was in high school because those folks weren’t serving me in the right way. I was just trying to go on my quest. I was writing on a post-it note, and you know, it was called “Claim It.” I didn’t even know that that was some subconscious work. What was happening was my brain was actively seeking ways for me to realize this dream I wanted.

When I quit, I remember my friend was like, “Don’t quit before you have something lined up!” And I was like, “Nah, I’m out of here.”

I guess if we’re talking about the prototypical Joseph Campbell Hero’s Journey, there’s Baton Rouge, the old world, and then you make your way into the remarkable world of Saucony, then Adidas, and Nike. What was that like?

[Saucony] felt like the underworld in stranger things. You have to imagine… you got people you could call if things get tough. I never had people I could call. I got no inheritance. There’s nothing. I’m really starting from scratch when I get to Boston and into the industry in general.

I’m feeling several ways: I’m feeling like, “Whoa, I don’t know what this is. I don’t know the language.” At the time, I was the only Black professional in the building. So, I’m there, I’m questioning everything like, “Why am I here?” But what happened was that I doubled down on the breakneck mentality, and I started working around the clock, learning, and networking like crazy. I wasn’t going back to Baton Rouge.

So, over the years, I put up the numbers, and from there took that energy to Adidas and Nike and worked on everything from Supreme to Ambush.

What inspired you to make the first steps toward the podcast?

Well, what I learned at Nike and Adidas was, “Wow, this is dope, but it’s not really… I guess, solving what I thought it was gonna solve for me internally.” What I mean by that was, I hadn’t done the work to really understand what my purpose was and I didn’t know what that was in each of these environments. You know, I felt anxious because I couldn’t really articulate to you why I was there other than it being cool and the validation from other people. It’s important to me that the work I do has a positive impact on society, other than just, you know, selling kids sneakers. But there are many things I love about those brands… except for Adidas. There’s no love there.

In 2018, there was an article about how Adidas wasn’t supporting and advancing the careers of black professionals. They were actually doing the opposite, and there was this “good old boys” culture. I was frustrated and impacted by that for sure. I was like, “I need an outlet.” But also, one of the issues that was rarely addressed, it is now, you see a lot of it, was that there was no exposure to the actual career opportunities within the space. When you grow up like I grew up, you know what you see — you dream of being what you see. What you don’t know exists, you can’t even form an image in your head. And so now, I know people that work with Bad Bunny. I know Donald Glover. I have a network that’s different.

A home girl of mine, Whitney Mitchell, was congratulating me on my journey. But she also said, “You’ve been able to do things that none of us knew were possible, but you haven’t shared that information back.” And that kind of floored me. I was like, “Wow, you’re right. I kind of feel like I’m hoarding information or I’m not doing my part in helping other people along the way.”

When that happened, I was starting to figure out like, “What’s my next thing?” It kind of brought me back to my Claim Your Journey days. And I was like, “Okay, I kind of want to do some storytelling again, and I don’t want it to be connected to my job.” I just wanted to do something of service. I figured, “How can we share the stories of different creatives and underrepresented professionals in the sneaker industry?” The idea was to then expand beyond sneakers.

When I think of an aspiring creative entrepreneur, I’m imagining someone who is very focused on the creating aspect, but maybe the product, the networking, and all the business parts are foreign to them. What advice would you give to them?

The number one mistake I see creatives make is that they turn themselves into something they’re not. It doesn’t mean that you can’t, but it will take away from what you’re genuinely good at, which is creating. What I would advise is you need to find your CFO — the person that has a passion for running the actual business aspects of it.
Because if you’re a person that has a vision for the company and you’re passionate about creating your work, you’re not gonna get as much energy from figuring out HR plans, budgets, and all of those things.

Now, as an entrepreneur, you’re gonna need to balance both of those for quite some time. But as you grow and get it to a certain point, you want to be able to have someone that comes in, so you can have the autonomy space to focus on where the business is going, being the face, working on the creative, etc. So, my advice would be figure out the areas that you really care about as far as the whole holistic approach of what it means to be a creative entrepreneur. That also means knowing your strengths and weaknesses, right? If I had some help — think “what exactly would this help?” You gotta make sure you bring in the right people you can trust.

What’s been your experience with rejection and how do you advise aspiring creatives to face it?

I’ll tell you a story. Early on in the podcast, we were presenting some ideas to people at really high levels. Long story short, this was a very long rejection that did not by any means look like it was going to be a rejection. They sent an email back and said, “Hey, we’re actually going to go in a different direction.” It wasn’t a call: It was a cold email. And I remember feeling like dropping on the floor because this was supposed to be my path to start this after leaving Nike.

That rejection felt so personal — like I had made the worst decision of my career. You know, I had a mortgage, and I had a lot of responsibilities, and here I am chasing this passion project, and now all the folks that were pointing at me and saying, “He’s crazy for doing this.” Now, they’re validated. That experience taught me some valuable lessons.

One was never to put all your eggs in one basket. But, about a month later, there was another brand that came along that was very passionate about the same things that I was, which were community storytelling, social justice, and fostering the next generation of creatives. It was the first time that I was really on a call and understood what it meant to be seen, and what it felt like to know you were gonna get that business. It wasn’t ambiguous. So, that’s the second thing I learned: Creatively, it’s very clear if someone intends to do business with you. They don’t waste time. They use specific language and try to get you on a calendar and discuss SOP [Scopes of Project].

The third lesson: when one door closes, there’s another one that’s probably better and the one that you should be walking through anyway. But it doesn’t take away from the feeling, like, yeah, rejection fucking sucks. But it’s a process, it’s a part of life and if you can change your mindset to say, “Hey, I could possibly be rejected or I can possibly be accepted, you’re in a way better space to deal with whatever comes your way.”

Let’s say I was at the head of Uproxx and I said, “Bimma, I want to give you a million dollars right now to make a documentary or a show.” What would be the thing you’d get going in a week?

Oh my goodness. I would work on a documentary that focuses on creative entrepreneurs that I admire. What I mean by that is they’re creatives first, but they also own their businesses. So, folks like Chris and Bethy Gibbs of Union. Folks like Melody and Sammy Ross. Some of these different creatives all over the world, but probably pick like ten of them. So, I’d create a documentary that kind of feels like the way Anthony Bourdain went about food. I would go into different pockets of these cities, and I’d uncover not only what creativity is, but understand how they discovered their purpose and the skill sets and habits they use every day to make those things real. Because so many of us see it — but we don’t know what it takes to do this over a long period of time and make it a real thing.

We’d get to see their process, their habits, their routines, and what makes them different from folks that aren’t at that level. Do they collaborate well? Do they delegate well? Is there a certain time that they wake up? How do they balance being parents and creatives and entrepreneurs? Do they have frustrations? I don’t think we’ve seen anything quite like that…

Listen to Claima Stories here.

HOUSTON – Julius Erving has a word for every kid on the court. He brings them in close so they can hear him over the bass rippling throughout the expansive convention center. While many of the children in oversized gray shirts have no idea who he is, their parents certainly do, and they all must’ve let their kids know to be polite and pay attention. It’s Dr. J, after all.

Erving does this often. At All-Star, he still draws a crowd, in restaurants and in hotel lobbies. And he makes time, every time. He’s quick with a story, an answer, a photo, or an autograph that is often on a picture of him dunking. Erving mentions that Bill Russell was the ideal elder statesman for the game, and his loss has impacted Dr. J as much as anyone else in basketball. But Erving relishes his chance to take up the mantle, even if basketball isn’t his only passion as he ages gracefully and enjoys the fruits of retirement.

Before trying to grab a little peace at the hotel, Erving speaks to the crowd that’s gathered, holding jerseys and posters at the Degree activation at Fan Fest. He mentions Russell’s impact, his time at UMass, and the importance of walk-ons to the DNA of a program.

“Walk-ons are the heart of a team,” Erving says. “Their determination is what keeps them around.”

Erving announces the fifth winner of Degree’s Walk-On program, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Braden Reynolds, who played 12 minutes in the team’s incredible upset of No. 1 Purdue during the first weekend of this year’s tournament. Reynolds and the other four winners each got a $25,000 NIL deal, and in Reynolds’ case, complete with an oversized check and a picture with Dr. J.

In the midst of this, Dime got the chance to speak with Erving about NIL, staying young, and this year’s Sixers.

What are your feelings on the NIL generation? And if you had that opportunity, what would that have been like for you?

Well, it would be a different result than what it is now. I don’t know how much different, because I did play for one college team. I played for three professional teams, so the NIL speaks to that, I probably would not have left the school that I went to. I was very happy with UMass. I got a scholarship there. I was moderately recruited my senior year of high school. I grew to 6′ 4”, 175 pounds and graduated at 6′ 4. And in college I grew two more inches, gained 30 pounds and became Dr. J, as they say. So it wasn’t automatic, there weren’t any assumptions being made. I didn’t think seriously about professional basketball until after my sophomore year when I went to the Olympic Development team and I found that I could compete with the guys. And I was the lead scorer and rebounder in this 13-game series that we did over in Europe, and I said, “Whoa, I might be the best guy on this team.”

It was 1970, so that opened a door and it opened my mind. But I never took it for granted, I always wanted to put the work in and wanted to prove myself.

In terms of your evolution, not just as a player but as a representative of the game — I saw you in the media hotel at NBA All-Star again this year and you always take time to take pictures, you always take time to sign autographs, you always take time especially to be around the kids. Where did that come from? And do you feel an extra bit of almost responsibility or accountability now that we’ve lost (Bill) Russell, and being that person now to be the guy that can keep carrying the torch for not just the NBA, but all of basketball?

I think I might be one of the guys who are next in line to follow the path of Bill Russell, of being respected on the court as well as off the court. And it’s not an easy task, not something you take for granted. I mean, I don’t spend 100 percent of my time being involved in basketball-related things. I would say it’s probably closer to 25 percent of my time. And the other 75 percent of the time is family, or personal goals and ambitions, and just taking some downtime away and finding a way to relax and stay healthy. That is a big thing, staying healthy. So, I think my Salvation Army experience had a lot to do with it because their motto is “not for ourselves, but for others.” So the whole idea of doing something and knowing it’s not necessarily for you it’s for someone else, it’s ingrained in me.

And I like that, I believe it, and I like to do that because I like the result at the end, which is people coming back and giving you feedback and saying thank you. And you can never get tired of people saying thank you for being a blessing in their life, being a guiding light in their life. Being somebody who has given them something to believe in, being an influence.

You had mentioned trying to make sure your health is important to you, and aging gracefully is something that I think you’ve probably taken a lot of pride in. What do you do physically now to make sure you keep things going? And then what also do you do mentally to make sure you’re continuing to be the person that you want to be as you continue to get older? You look like you could live another 50 years or so.

Well, maybe not 50. I hope so. Hopefully 15, right? [Laughs] I stimulate my mind, I play Spider Solitaire, I enjoy that. I partake in some casino activities. There is a mental side to that as well as the luck side. And I have a trainer, so several times a week I do a workout with the trainer, a young guy from Philadelphia who I met down in Atlanta, and we go to LifeTime Fitness. And I try to get a sweat and that’s always good. I enjoy playing golf, so on my days that are golf days, I’m really dedicated to getting out and getting the most out of that experience because that’s physical, it’s mental, it’s emotional, and it’s fun.

And it’s competitive too.

Yeah. So I compete with my friends, and we don’t bet a lot, there might be a little bit of betting to see who gets the upper hand on a given day. And the other part would just be traveling. You know? Every other week I’m getting on planes going somewhere for a promotion or appearance, or keeping the [Dr. J] brand alive. Keep our brand alive, and try to stay good with the public. So if I can continue to do that, and if the public wants me, then I’m their guy.

In watching the Sixers’ development this year and the season that they’ve had, they’ve been close a lot here the last couple of years, but it feels like they really figured something out this season. Not just with Joel being able to create the shots that he’s creating, but also James giving him those opportunities and taking some of that pressure off. What do you see out of Joel specifically? And then when you bring in that MVP conversation, where do you sit on that dialog about the MVP? What should Joel’s goals be? Because I know he’s a very competitive guy and he does care a lot.

When I won my MVP awards in the ABA, I was the lead scorer in the league three years in a row. It was almost like when you lead the league in scoring, you’re going to be the MVP. And your team has a winning record. So his frustration comes from being one of the top scorers, top three, top five or whatever, record being in the top five, top six. But this year they’re putting it all together. He’s leading the league in scoring, their team is locked into third in the East. And has he been the best player night in and night out? Not missing a whole lot of games? He has a good argument for himself, but the competition is formidable with Luka, and Antetokounmpo, and the Joker. And probably a couple of sleepers in there. I’m sure Ja Morant is probably going to get some votes.

But this could be a year where Embiid gets all of that. I think the year I won MVP, in the NBA we got knocked out of the playoffs by Boston, of all teams. [Ed. Note: 1981, when the Sixers lost the Eastern Conference Finals after leading the Celtics 3-1 in the series.] So MVP doesn’t mean anything if you can’t advance and carry your team, at least to the Finals. So I wish him better luck with that than I had.

And I think the team, what I see, because when we celebrated our anniversary of the 1983 team, we went to practice, and saw how they look in practice and I was very impressed with the way they move the ball around, the way they find the open guy, when they isolate with the two-man game they get something out of it. Turnovers happen, and you just can’t be sloppy with turnovers, particularly in the playoffs or whatever. So that’s probably the last thing that they need to overcome because they’re a good rebounding team and they’re physical and they got plenty of power in reserve with the guys on the bench. This is the deepest this bench has ever been.

This interview has been lightly condensed and edited for clarity. Dime was invited on a hosted trip to the Final Four through Unilever USA for reporting on this piece. However, Unilever USA did not review or approve this story in any way. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.

As the age-old saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. Musician Dende is here to prove that this also applies to the music scene. The “Georgia” recording artist has found the perfect balance of creative endeavors. From his work as a singer, rapper, producer, and instrumentalist, Dende has laid the groundwork for his latest album, ’95 Civic.

Dende dropped by Uproxx Studios for a tear-jerking performance of his single, “Nightmares,” off his album for Uproxx Sessions. The track outlines a devastating denial post-breakup. Dende carries that heartbreaking vulnerability with him into his performance as he uses a vile to serve as a symbol of his runaway lover.

Singing, “Early mornin’ / When I miss you most inside my bed / You be runnin’ laps inside my head / But I just keep movin’ on ahead, yeah / Late at night / When I just can’t sleep, my heart is heavy / ’Cause I miss you here to hold me steady,” Dende simultaneously holds back tears as he recounts the events.

When discussing his latest album, in a statement, Dende said, “Releasing ’95 Civic feels like the last thing I needed to do to move on to the next phase of my life. Although it’s a sad project, the time it allowed me to spend with A&R Mizz and producer Billy Blunt is something I will never forget. This is our best work yet.”

Watch Dende’s Uproxx Sessions performance of “Nightmares” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Maggie Rogers and Zach Bryan have more in common than just their January single, “Dawns.” Bryan sold tickets to his 2023 The Burn Burn Burn Tour via AXS shortly after expressing his distaste for Ticketmaster with All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.

Rogers is going one step further for her newly announced Summer Of ’23 Tour.

“in an effort to eliminate bots and lower fees — i’m going analog,” Rogers tweeted today, April 6. “come buy a ticket like it’s 1965. i’ll be in person selling tix at music hall of williamsburg tomorrow for the forest hills show. see you there !”

Rogers attached a photo of a much longer statement, which explains, “There’s a lot of conversation right now about combatting bots and making sure tickets get directly into the hands of fans, and at a reasonable price. Ticketing fees have never been higher and a lot of people, me included, are justifiably frustrated and concerned.”

She later notes, “On Friday [April 7], for one day only, we’re running an in-person pre-sale where you can go directly to your local box office to buy a ticket. There’s a two ticket per person limit, but you can choose any ticket you want — all of the prices and tiers will be available, along with exclusive merch and a special playlist I cooked up just for box office day.”

After tomorrow’s in-person presale, there will be an artist online presale on Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. local time. The Spotify and venue/local presales are both scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, at 10 a.m. local time, with the latter extending to Thursday, April 13 at 10 a.m. local time, and the public on-sale will begin Friday, April 14, at 10 a.m. local time. All ticketing information can be found here.

The Summer Of ’23 Tour will kick off on June 3 at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain and extend throughout Europe until July 14. Del Water Gap will open for those dates.

Alvvays and Soccer Mommy are Rogers’ North American openers. That leg kicks off on July 24 July 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rogers’ Feral Joy Tour wrapped last month and supported her July 2022 album, Surrender.

Last year, it was reported that Kanye West‘s Donna Academy was shut down and then unexpectedly reopened shortly after. Now, TMZ reports that the school is allegedly being sued by two former teachers.

TMZ obtained a lawsuit by two female teachers — the only Black teachers working there — who were fired for calling out education, health, and safety violations. They claim their termination was due to retaliation and racial discrimination.

For starters, the only food being fed to students is apparently sushi, which has to be eaten off the floor, without any tables or chairs. Students are not permitted to bring any outside food or drink aside from water. West is allegedly spending $10,000 a week on sushi. They’re also not permitted any utensils. Also, no classes can take place on the second floor because West is “afraid of stairs.” Similarly, students aren’t allowed to wear jewelry because he “did not like jewelry.”

The dress code for students is that they must wear all black, which can be viewed in pictures on TMZ’s post. Nike and Adidas clothing is also forbidden. There’s also no janitor or a school nurse. The two teachers also alleged that their paychecks were often short up to $2,700.

It seems like only yesterday that conservatives were mad about Bud Light cans, and that’s because it was yesterday. However, in surprisingly quick fashion, Fox News and its right-wing viewers are already furious about a new change: The updated lyrics to “Kiss The Girl” in Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.

The live-action film has already been a lightning rod for conservative scorn thanks to Halle Bailey being cast in the lead role of Ariel, prompting Josh Gad to call out “racist trolls.” And now it’s back on Fox’s radar. The controversy stems from composer Alan Menkin, who wrote the music for the original animated film, revealing to Vanity Fair that he adjusted the lyrics so the song respects Ariel’s boundaries.

“There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken said.

That was enough for Fox News to get all worked up. Via The Daily Beast:

On Thursday, the film’s “woke lyrics” debate made it to Fox News, where one anchor cringingly joked, “The Little Mermaid used to sing ‘up where they walk, up whether they run,’ now she might sing ‘up where they woke!’”

Fox’s predictable response was roundly roasted on Twitter, especially considering the network was whining about the wrong song.

However, it should be noted that non-conservative Little Mermaid fans are puzzled by the lyrics change.

“I’m telling u NOBODY thought kiss the girl was implying this stuff!!?” tweeted one Disney fan.

Meanwhile, others noted that the lyrics change missed the forest for the trees.

“Looool the movie is about a woman who literally has to give up her voice and be mute to get a man,” Jezebel editor-in-chief Laura Bassett tweeted. “I don’t think changing the f*cking kiss the girl lyrics is going to make it a bastion of progressivism.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

Russell Westbrook picked up a big win at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night in a game that involved the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, Westbrook does not ply his trade for the Lakers anymore, as the team traded him ahead of the deadline to the Utah Jazz, which bought him out and gave him the chance to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent.

While he didn’t put up the sort of numbers that he did during his MVP days, Westbrook had a respectable 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting with four assists, three rebounds, a steal, and a block in 21 minutes of work in the Clippers’ 125-118 win. And apparently, Westbrook had some fun letting his most prominent ex-teammate know that it was his team’s night, as several folks have pointed out that he kept pointing at LeBron James.

This wasn’t only happening after jumpers. At one point, James threw a pass out of bounds right to Westbrook, who — you guessed it — stood up and pointed at him.

“We’ve been telling Russ for the past two days, ‘Russ, we’ll match your energy. We got your back. We’re gonna come out with this win,’” Clippers guard Bones Hyland said after the game, per Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register.

The two teams entered the night with the same record, but with the win, the Clippers moved into fifth place in the Western Conference. The Lakers, meanwhile, have the 7-seed, and are one game back of the Golden State Warriors for the final top-6 spot in the West.

(Via ClutchPoints)