Category: News

The Memphis Grizzlies aren’t currently in the NBA Playoffs this postseason, but Ja Morant is still one of the league’s most talked-about players at the moment: Over the weekend, he appeared to flash a gun on Instagram Live, and of course, this comes not long after a similar incident in March that ultimately led to a suspension from the team and time spent in a counseling program. This new video could lead to another suspension for Morant, but while the situation progresses, the memes are flowing.

One tweet that gained traction (with 3.5 million views since it was posted on May 14) reads, “ja morant every month,” and it features a photo of young GloRilla (a Memphis native, by the way) smiling as she proudly holds a large gun. GloRilla shared the post yesterday and added, “I was a menace in high school I’m so embarrassed [crying laughing emojis].”

While GloRilla didn’t address the Morant situation directly, other rappers have. Snoop Dogg, for example, came through with a gallery of memes comedically addressing things like Morant’s agent’s reaction to the video. Fat Joe also came through with a more serious take on the situation, encouraging Morant to reconsider his actions and the people he chooses to associate with.

Post Malone has seemingly been gearing up for a new album, given that he released the single “Chemical” in April. Now, he’s made an announcement: His next album is called Austin and it’s set to drop on July 28.

Malone revealed the news in an informal Instagram video shared yesterday (May 15), also noting that a new song called “Mourning” is coming out this week. Of the album, he said, “It’s been some of the funnest music, some of the most challenging and rewarding music, for me at least. You know, trying to really push myself and really do some cool stuff. I played guitar on every song on the record and it was a really, really fun experience, and I’m super, super excited to share it with you.”

Watch the video above and find a transcript of it below.

“Hey guys, what’s going on? It’s Posty. I wanted to say that I love you guys so very f*ckin’ much. I’m here on tour in Europe right now, and I wanted to tell you guys that I have an album coming out this summer, on July 28th. It’s called Austin, like my name. That is my name. It’s been some of the funnest music, some of the most challenging and rewarding music, for me at least. You know, trying to really push myself and really do some cool stuff. I played guitar on every song on the record and it was a really, really fun experience, and I’m super, super excited to share it with you.

‘Chemical’ is out and that song is on the record, and then on Friday, I have another song called ‘Mourning,’ with a ‘u’… like that. But I’m super excited to get that out for you guys. We just shot a music video in Scotland; it’s absolutely stunning up there. There’s a big-ass ice cube in it, which I thought was pretty badass.

But I’m super excited for you guys to hear it and I love you guys so very much. You know, I hope you guys just keep f*ckin’ being amazing and keep spreading love and just keep being yourself and I f*ckin’ love y’all, man. Have a great f*ckin’ night, have a great f*ckin’ week, and hug your fam, and just keep spreading love. Love you guys!”

Blink-182 is in the midst of a massive comeback. But, the band’s revered drummer Travis Barker’s daughter Alabama’s career is just getting started. However, instead of following in her famous father’s rockstar footprints, the internet personality has lasered in on rap music. The nepo baby debate was stale, but the aspiring musician’s new snippet shared to TikTok might’ve just breathed new life into it.

In the 40-second clip, Alabama dropped a sample of what she’s been cooking up, rapping a whole verse and part of the forthcoming song’s chorus.

Opening with the first verse, Alabama raps, “When we ain’t together when I’m with him, he know that I’m the realest / Ain’t got no opposition all these b*tches in they feelings / But listen who the f*ck y’all talkin’ to / I’m Alabama get to know me I might spazz on you / I’m walking in its twenty b*tches starring yeah I’m cool / I know I smell so good it’s Baccarat and Van Cleef perfume / Treat me like ya momma /Drip me out in some designer / Ice me out like boy I’m wildin’ / You know the type of energy / Don’t treat me like its ten of me / You better not be texting treat your exes like they enemies.”

Before the video ends, Alabama shares a few seconds of the track’s melodic chorus, rapping, “Just pick up when I’m calling / you know my body / Don’t switch up when you got it / You know you got me / I’m out here riding shotty you right beside me / you feeling all up on me / He blow exotic.”

Several users drew comparisons to other social media figures turned musicians, including Matty B and an early Justin Bieber.

Another user commented, “Not feeling it,” to which Alabama replied, “Sounds personal.”

Others called Alabama out for cultural appropriation. Some chimed in to share that her father, Travis Barker, has publicly talked about his love for rap music. Barker even collaborated with a few rappers, including Lil Wayne, Trippie Redd, Paul Wall, The Game, and Run the Jewels. This isn’t Alabama’s first time sharing her music online. In April, she uploaded a teaser of her song, “Diamond In The Rough.”

But it wasn’t all negative. Several users shared words of encouragement with the teenager. “She’s still young. This is her creative phase. I hope she has fun and watches her boundaries and limits,” posted one user.

To clap back at the naysayers, Alabama recorded another video using a song clip of Nicki Minaj dunking on users that claim to hate her but watch everything she does online.

Alabama hasn’t released the track’s name or if it will ever be released publicly. But she’s made it clear that she isn’t going to stop because she does enjoy making music.

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The 88Rising-spearheaded music festival, Head In The Clouds, is playfully named after a figure of speech. However, it seems as if their budding signee, Niki, might not have gotten the memo. In the video for her standout single “Backburner,” off her sophomore album Nicole, the singer can’t seem to break free from the haze of an emotionally manipulative relationship.

Although the track, co-produced by Ethan Gruska and Niki, was initially released in 2022 to celebrate the announcement of her forthcoming Nicole World Tour, the musician decided to release an official visual for the track. Directed by Isaac Ravishankara, it finds Niki sharing her vantage point of the doomed romance.

As Niki attempts to find a way to repair the damaged thread of connectivity holding together the partnership, she rewatches old footage recorded to restore the fantasy she cooked up in her mind. However, in the end, her mission proves to be unsuccessful. As the final clip end, Niki’s fantasy world has been toppled, and she’s left to pick up the pieces yet again.

Watch the video for “Backburner” above. To view the full Nicole World Tour schedule, continue below.

Local pre-sales for the Nicole World Tour will be held on May 16 and 17. General tickets for the public will start on May 18 at 10 a.m. local time. Find more information here.

05/21 — Forest Hills, NY @ Head in the Clouds
08/01 — Austin TX @ Moody Amphitheater
08/05 — Chicago IL @ Lollapalooza
08/10 — Vancouver, BC @ PNE Amphitheater
08/12 — San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
09/11 — Bangkok, TH @ BCC Hall
09/13 — Manila, PH @ Mall of Asia Arena
09/15 — Singapore, SG @ F1 Grand Prix
09/18 — Brisbane, AU @ Fortitude Music Hall
09/21 — Sydney, AU @ Hordern Pavilion
09/23 — Melbourne, AU @ Festival Hall
09/26 — Jakarta, ID @ Jiexpo Hall D2
10/06 — London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
10/08 — Paris, FR @ Trianon
10/10 — Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg

Later this year The Return of the King, the third and final in the original Lord of the Rings film trilogy, turns 20. Naturally Warner Bros., who are rebooting Harry Potter as a TV show, are planning on making new films in the franchise, with Peter Jackson and his writing team in talks to return. And if they want the guy who plays Gollum while decked out in motion-capture dots and stuff, they won’t have to do much convincing.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Andy Serkis is down to return as the CGI character that made him a big name. “I adore those guys and they are a second family to me,” Serkis said of Jackson and company. “I’ve spent so many years making films with them. I love their sensibility and their take; it’s filmmaking on a different kind of level. You live and breathe it. And so, yes, if some opportunity were to come up, it would be an amazing thing.”

The movies would reportedly be set during the Third Age in Tolkien’s saga — a time when Gollum would have been knocking around. So it’s doable.

Serkis’ turn as Gollum, the hobbit turned into a gnarly monster from exposure to the powerful Ring, was a CGI game-changer. He was the first believable photorealistic digital character in cinema, and Serkis’ mo-cap performance led to more like it, including Caesar in the most recent run of Planet of the Apes movies. If these new LoTR movies get off the ground, then Serkis will become the latest performer who gets more money to do a job he’s already done before.

(Via THR)

Karol G is excited to hit the road this summer for her Mañana Será Bonito Tour. To prepare for the limited run dates across the United States, the “TQG” singer made her in-studio Tiny Desk Concert debut at NPR’s headquarters.

In 2021, Karol G recorded original footage for their Tiny Desk At Home Concerts series. Due to the massive record-breaking success of her album Mañana Será Bonito, there was no doubt that an in-person set would eventually happen. As she reimagined several of the album’s standout tracks, the attendees couldn’t help but to be touched by her emotional delivery.

Karol G and musical director Rob Trujillo were the sonic architects of the blended traditional and modern Mexican musical elements. Backed by musicians Jemma Heigis (pianist), Giulliana Merello (drummer), Patricia Ligia (bassist), Crystal Torre (trumpeter), Hailey-Mae Niswanger (flutist), Katiuska Fernandes (percussionist), Irany Martinez (accordion player), India Anderson (tuba player), and Susana Vasquez (guitarist), Karol G vocally floats across each track sang despite confessing how nervous she was.

“The album is super new, and this is the first time I’m singing some of the songs here, and they feel so good in this version,” confidently declares Karol.

She added, “I feel like I’m in my home, with my people, drinking wine. But now, let’s bring some Mexican vibes to this place!”

The setlist included songs “Carolina,” “Gucci Los Paños,” “Pero Tú,” and “Mercurio.”

Watch the full performance above.

Rudy Giuliani hasn’t exactly had a good last few years, and now things are getting even worse: On Monday the former “America’s Mayor” was hit with a lawsuit from an ex-employee. The accusations are…a lot. Among the claims are that he subjected her to all manner of sexual harassment and abuse. Giuliani still carried on with his usual show, but if you’d somehow missed the news, you didn’t hear about it from him either.

As per Mediaite, on Monday night’s episode of America’s Mayor Live, Giuliani made no mention of the lawsuit, which was filed by Noelle Dunphy. Instead he used the time to talk about the Dunham report, which slammed the FBI’s investigation into his old client Donald Trump’s possible ties to Russian interference in the 2016 election. And he said the killing of Jordan Neely by former Marine Daniel Penny wouldn’t have happened on his watch.

“We didn’t let people get robbed, we didn’t let them get mugged or raped. We got rid of the unbelievably disgusting pornography houses,” Giuliani said of his time as mayor of New York City. “I mean, even the more reasonable pornography places left Times Square because it was too dangerous.”

Never did Giuliani bring up that he’s accused of doing some pretty outlandish and horrifying stuff, including stiffing Dunphy on payments and subjecting her to all manner of racist and anti-Semitic rants. He was also allegedly addicted to Viagra, which led him to demand sexual favors of her. Dunphy also recorded him asking her to “f*ck me like crazy” for money. Even his old pal Trump, when he’s accused of sexual impropriety, at least acknowledges the allegations — usually while making his problems worse.

(Via Mediaite)

Brooklyn’s latest rising star, BreezyLyn, set out to recruit the hottest rappers and scored big with Lola Brooke and Kali. The Marcy Houses representative’s FckBwoy!-produced single “Bad B*tches” began to grab the attention last year due to its catchy chorus. Now, with fellow Brooklyn native (Lola Brooke) and Georgia native (Kali) joining in on the song’s remix, this is gearing up for BreezyLyn’s breakout moment.

In the track’s official video, directed by Jerry Morka, the musicians encourage all ladies present to embody the epitome of a modern-day “baddie.” One line, in particular, emphasizes this point, “Bad b*tches, mad riches / Bad b*tches, can’t sit with the — / Bad b*tches, mad riches.” The stanza repeated throughout the song’s chorus serves as a mantra.

The track’s featured artists are required to allow their self-confidence to ooze out of them without shame. This declaration is almost mandatory for the listening audience as well.

When asked about the collaboration, BreezyLyn told Complex, “I’m very excited to share this moment with my girls Lola and Kali. They’ve been so supportive of this song, so it was only right they bless the remix. The vibe on set was amazing because we genuinely rock with each other and respect our crafts. We did this for all women who want to feel empowered and confident in their own skin.”

Watch the full video above.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Ed Sheeran’s latest Instagram post suggests he knows that phrase. While appearing to enjoy a break from his Mathematics Tour, the “Bad Habits” singer joined his Academy of Country Music Awards duet partner Luke Combs for a friendly outing.

As the musicians enjoyed the beautiful sunset, Combs took a moment to teach Sheeran a good old-fashioned American tradition: how to shotgun a can of beer. In the video uploaded to Sheeran’s social media, he narrates what’s happening, saying, “Alright, for context, Luke is — what is it, shooting?”

Combs chimes in to correct Sheeran, replying, “Shotgunning.”

Sheeran turns back to the camera to continue, saying, “Luke is teaching me how to shotgun a beer.”

Combs tries to walk Sheeran through the delicate science that is shotgunning as delicately as possible. “You wanna be mindful of where your top is … you want this pointing at the sky,” says Combs.

The pair then proceed to chugging their cans of brew.

If Sheeran found shotgunning difficult, he should prepare himself for when he travels to Australia. Or maybe his friend Harry Styles can give him a run-through of how their beer-drinking tradition goes.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There may be a WGA’ strike going on, but that doesn’t mean America’s entertainment industry can’t at least announce shows they might do when it ends. (And it could be a good while till that happens.) On Monday, Showtime announced not one but two revivals of beloved shows that ended a long time ago: Nurse Jackie and Weeds. They’d be proper returns, too, with the original casts and everything. But one show’s star isn’t sure he’s into it.

Variety spoke with Weeds alum Justin Kirk, who was just seen playing fascist potential president Jeryd Mencken on the most recent Succession, and it doesn’t sound like Showtime got all its ducks lined up before saying they were bringing his old show back.

“Even as a fan, do you really want to see us all old and coming back? By the time of Season 8, I don’t think the general idea was, ‘We should keep doing this!’” Kirk said. “Look, I love those people, I love that character. I probably know as much as you do about any future reboots.”

The series, should it come to fruition, would catch up with the Botwin family 10 years after the show ended, which was back in 2012. It’s not the first time Kirk has heard talk of them reviving it.

“I had heard rumors of various iterations. Once, I heard about it being a prequel with younger characters, and then you just see us in flash forwards. So I have no idea,” Kirk said. “Although weirdly enough, I did recently hear of it again, so they may be trying to drag its tired carcass out.”

Kirk generally sounded skeptical about anything getting done in this town. “There are a million things that are claimed to be in some sort of development,” Kirk explained. “My agents haven’t mentioned it to me in a long time. Maybe they’re going to recast [Andy, his Weeds character].”

When asked if he’d return should Showtime formally ask him to, Kirk was a bit more open-minded.

“That is a $64,000 question. I guess we’d have to see what it was,” Kirk said. He then became more optimistic. “My very favorite piece of narrative entertainment is ‘Twin Peaks: The Return.’ There is something exciting about seeing the people from something you were into however much older. There’s something cool about that. There’s got to be a story to tell, or some reason to do it. So we’ll see.”

(Via Variety)