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Here Are The Selections For The NBA’s 2022 Rising Stars At All-Star Weekend

In late January, the NBA announced a revised format for the annual Rising Stars matchup at All-Star Weekend, featuring the game’s best young players. As part of the new design for the event, 28 players are involved, with four teams of seven in a bracket-style format that features two semifinal games and a final matchup. On Tuesday, the official selections were released on TNT, including 12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and four members of the G League Ignite program.

First, the rookie crop was revealed, headlined by No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Evan Mobley. While top picks are usually projected to appear, the rookie group also features a pair of second round picks from 2021 in Pelicans wing Herb Jones and Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu.

The sophomore crop also features star power with Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and Wolves wing Anthony Edwards, both of whom would be at least peripheral candidates to be selected as All-Star reserves. Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane is also enjoying a breakout this season, making the cut for Rising Stars in the process, and he is joined by Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton and others.

Finally, the G League Ignite squad will be represented by Jaden Hardy, MarJon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels, and Scoot Henderson. Hardy is considered to be a potential lottery pick in 2022 and, while Henderson is not draft-eligible in 2022, he is considered to be one of the best prospects in the world.

The showcase will take place on Friday, Feb. 18 at 9 pm ET on TNT.

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The Directors Of Kanye West’s Documentary ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ Won’t Submit To His Final Edit Request

Later this month, Netflix will release the documentary Jeen-Yuhs, which will document Kanye West’s career. But the rapper has a history of delaying releases, and last month he threw a wrench into its rollout by requesting final edit approval on the documentary. “I’m going to say this kindly for the last time,” he wrote. “I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix. Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image. Thank you in advance.”

Unfortunately for West, the directors of Jeen-Yuhs won’t submit to his request. Rolling Stone says Coodie and Chike, the directors behind the film, denied West’s demand for multiple reason,s including that the documentary and its three parts are already complete. “Me and Chike have a company called Creative Control,” Coodie added, “because you don’t want to lose your creative control.”

Coodie also revealed that he ran into West in Los Angeles on Tuesday where they briefly discussed the matter. “I asked him, ‘Did he watch the film?’ And he said, ‘I have a process,’” Coodie said with a laugh. “I said, ‘That’s great that you got your process.’ And we just talked as brothers from that point.” Chike says that he views Kanye’s Instagram post as “a blessing” because it helped bring extra attention to the upcoming film. As for the idea of someone having a final say of the documentary, Coodie said, “God has the final cut.”

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Craft Beer Experts Name The Absolute Best New England IPAs

It might seem like hazy New England IPAs have been around forever. But this juicy, cloudy, and fruity version of the popular IPA was actually invented in 2004, when famed Vermont-based Alchemist brewmaster John Kimmich first brewed his now-iconic Heady Topper. Back then, the New England IPA sparked plenty of intrigue. In the 18 years since, it has grown into a behemoth — becoming one of the most popular craft beer styles in the country.

Dave Lopez, co-managing partner at Gun Hill Brewing in Bronx, New York has seen so NEIPAs brewed in the past few years, he has trouble picking out his favorite.

“There’s not a specific NEIPA that I want to drink all the time,” he says. “It’s more important to me to have one that is as fresh and local as possible. These beers need to be consumed in a relatively short time frame after packaging, so in many ways, the proximity to the source takes precedence over any specific brand.”

This fresh, floral, juicy, drink-it-right-now nature is why so many drinkers enjoy this hazy beer. To find the best options, we asked a handful of brewers, beer professionals, and craft beer experts to tell us their absolute favorite New England-style IPAs. Check their picks while keeping Lopez’s very insight advice in mind!

Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing

Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing
Sierra Nevada

Ashley Benson, head brewer at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I love to have a six-pack of Sierra Nevada’s Hazy Little Thing in my fridge for pool days. It’s on the moderately dry side of where hazies seem to be these days, so it’s super drinkable in the Arizona summer heat or any time of year. Plus, it has a touch of bitterness on the palate, which helps emphasize the citrus-forward hop profile.

New Image Coriolis Effect

New Image Coriolis Effect
New Image

Eric Warner, brewmaster at Karbach Brewing Co. in Houston

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $13 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I’m pretty sure “Hazy IPA” was the category with the greatest number of entries at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival, so it’s getting hard to pick a favorite. That said, every time I’m in the Denver area, I make sure to grab some Coriolis Effect from New Image Brewing. The Citrus and Tropical notes in the aroma are incredibly juicy and like any NEIPA worth its salt, the impression on the palate is smooth and creamy with very minimal lingering bitterness.

Keep an eye out for one-offs of this “flagship,” featuring different hops from around the world.

Platform Haze Jude

Platform Haze Jude
Platform

Luis G. Brignoni, founder of Wynwood Brewing Co. in Miami

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $11 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

Haze Jude from Platform Brewing is probably my favorite New England IPA. It has a great haze on the appearance with a nice fluffy white head. The aroma of the beer is beautiful. The hops create a bouquet of tropical fruits and you get notes of pineapple, orange, and mango with hints of some stone fruit like peach and apricot. It’s incredibly smooth with a very nice mouthfeel. It’s not bone dry and not overly sweet. It has a nice silky body with a touch of honey on there that rounds out the aroma and flavor just perfectly.

I drink it whenever I can get my hands on it and it’s usually my drink of choice among the rest. It’s perfectly crafted.

Zero Gravity Conehead

Zero Gravity Conehead
Zero Gravity

Joe Connolly, director of Springdale Beer Co. in Framingham, Massachusetts

ABV: 5.7%

Average Price: $11 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

I love the IPAs from our friends at Zero Gravity, especially Conehead. It has just the right touch of haze, fruity hop character without ditching the delicious hop bitterness.

WarPigs Foggy Geezer

WarPigs Foggy Geezer
War Pigs

Kelly Laut, brewer at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Foggy Geezer by WarPigs is a great juicy New England IPA. Foggy Geezer is citrusy with some tropical and resinous aromas. With a little sweetness, a medium-bodied mouthfeel, and a quickly fleeting bitterness. You’ll want to take another sip just to experience the aromas all over again.

North Park Art is Hard

North Park Art is Hard
North Park

John “Magic” Montes De Oca, co-head brewer at Barebottle Brewing Company in San Francisco

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $8 for a 16-ounce can

Why This Beer?

I never thought I’d have one of the best hazy IPAs I’ve ever had out of San Diego. North Park’s Art is Hard takes a style that is all about excess and massages all the rough edges out of it. It’s juicy and smooth with an insane aroma. There is just enough bitterness to make it immensely refreshing.

This is the kind of New England IPA you could actually drink more than one of.

Denver Juicy Freak

Denver Juicy Freak
Denver Beer

Lauren McCaffrey, packaging technician at WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley, Colorado

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I regularly find myself drinking Juicy Freak by Denver Beer Co. It’s such a nice fruity New England-style IPA with just enough hoppy bitter character to keep it interesting. It’s definitely an easy drinker.

Drekker Ectogasm

Drekker Ectogasm
Drekker

Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $45 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

Drekker’s Ectogasm is a mainstay at our bar and my hazy New England IPA go-to. The flavor is a berry-medley combination of Mosaic hops and orange citrus from the Citra hops. It’s simple and effective. While brewers add oats for haze, head retention, and body, this is a beer where there’s a present oatmeal grain flavor from the addition. It’s slight but provides a sort of flavor pillow for the papaya and grassy flavor notes to rest on.

Writer’s Pick: Lagunitas Hazy Wonder

Lagunitas Hazy Wonder
Lagunitas

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

This hazy, juicy, tropical fruit-filled beer was brewed with Sabro, Cashmere, and Citra hops. It’s so filled with fruit flavors that it’s the kind of beer that works just as well to refresh you on a hot summer day as a beer to remind you of warmer days ahead in the midst of the dark, cold winter.

Writer’s Pick: Belching Beaver Hazers Gonna Haze

Belching Beaver Hazers Gonna Haze
Belching Beaver

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: $8 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

Why This Beer?

This 6.6 percent ABV hazy, juicy, totally crushable New England IPA is well-known for its bold, ripe flavors of guava, mango, passionfruit, tangerine, pineapple, and a nice kick of herbal, piney hops to hold everything together nicely.

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100 years later, Buster Keaton’s legendary film stunts are absolutely jaw-dropping

There’s no question that filmmaking has come a long, long way in 100 years. Thanks to green screens, digital effects and CGI, today’s filmmakers can make almost anything they can imagine come to life on screen. Moviegoers have grown used to seeing magical worlds, supernatural powers and impossible feats in movies, we get quite finicky if the quality of the effects doesn’t hold up to our high standards.

Sometimes we watch movies from decades ago and giggle at how undeveloped the special effects were. And sometimes we watch old films and marvel at what they were able to do with the technology they had available to them at the time.

That’s where Buster Keaton comes in.


Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were both kings of physical comedy during the heyday of silent film, with Keaton being known for his expressionless physical feats and Chaplin being known for his goofy expressiveness. Both men excelled in their craft, and looking at Buster Keaton’s stunts today is still incredibly impressive.

The man was fearless. And so physical. It’s like watching “Mission Impossible” Tom Cruise mixed with peak Jackie Chan. But what’s most impressive is that he did it all without the benefit of modern film technology. Naturally, there were some 1920s-era film tricks involved in some scenes, but he really did some incredibly difficult and dangerous things—things most people wouldn’t even attempt.

Such impressive feats didn’t come without a cost, however. Despite his stunt skills, he sustained some significant injuries throughout his film and television career, including broken bones, some severe neck damage and a near-drowning incident.

“He’s like a human cartoon,” someone commented, and it’s true. It’s like watching a real-life cartoon. Even today, nearly 100 years later, his physical comedy genius stands out among the best ever. Countless comedians and stunt performers have looked to him as an example and have used his performances as inspiration for their own.

It’s not often that we can look back at something someone did a century ago and still hold it up as impressive by today’s standards, but Keaton’s feats fit that bill. What a treat that we got such a talent captured on film.

Before Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, before Chuck Jones and Jackie Chan, there was Buster Keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy.

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Juliette Lewis offers the perfect advice to a fan who ‘feels alone’

Not that she ever really left the spotlight, but the iconic Juliette Lewis has recently reached a new chapter in her stardom thanks to her role of Natalie in Showtime’s obsession-worthy new series “Yellowjackets.”

Her social media is filled to the brim with excited fan theories, juicy behind-the-scenes questions and enthusiastic character appreciation posts. There’s no question about it; people love her performance as the tough, haunted, shotgun-savvy Nat.

But fun “Yellowjackets” trivia isn’t the only thing Lewis talks about with her following. She recently posted an Instagram Q&A with the caption, “I know some things ‘bout livin, love-ASK ME.”

One fan wrote, “ a lot of times I feel alone and like no one is there for me.”

Lewis’ advice for overcoming loneliness is something I think bears repeating.


“The only cure-all for this feeling- is being there for another,” the actress replied.

In times of helplessness, being there for someone else might feel impossible. Counterintuitive even. But research has repeatedly shown that acts of altruism can help us live longer, lift us from depression and fulfill our very basic psychological need to belong. There’s a reason why loneliness feels so awful, and why generosity is a gift that keeps on giving.

In other words, Juliette Lewis is onto something here.

Lewis really does walk the talk with this. It only took a few seconds of searching on Google to see that she regularly supports charities, including (but not limited to) Little Kids Rock, an organization dedicated to providing music education to disadvantaged schools.

But working with charity organizations isn’t the only avenue. Lewis added that a generous act needn’t be a grand gesture. Your act of kindness could be as simple as “show[ing] up for another in [a way] they’d like–a phone call, give food, give them kindness and show care/interest…chat with them…make them feel less alone…make them feel heard or happier.”

There’s an added benefit of making someone feel heard, too. According to a study published in 2017, by helping others manage difficult emotions, we enhance our own ability to self-regulate and therefore improve our own emotional well-being. Think of it as psychology’s way of saying “what goes around comes around.”

As Lewis advises, the person you help can be someone you know or a complete stranger. The only real caveat here is that it should be “a person you are not trying to get something from in return,” to prioritize “connecting without expecting.”

Odds are, those words of affirmation you long to hear … someone else longs to hear them as well. That longing you have to be surprised with a random bag of goodies … someone else feels the same way. Fulfilling another person’s wish opens us up to our own power.

As Lewis writes, “once you know you can give love to another generously I assure you [that] you will open up this energy flow. And might even notice you are not ‘needing’ as much.”

Shifting our perspective to focus on others while at a low point might at first seem like pouring from an empty cup, but maybe the opposite is actually true. Maybe by realizing how we can affect the lives of others, our cups are then filled with the discovery of how influential we really are.

Next time you’re having trouble keeping your chin up, see how it feels to lift someone’s spirit. This article from Mental Health offers some great ideas to start. But odds are your heart already knows what to do.

Thanks Juliette Lewis for the sage wisdom.

… and seriously, what happened to Nat?!

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Mom’s comics perfectly illustrate the double standard of how society treats mothers and fathers

Last November, Upworthy published a popular story about Chloe Sexton, a mother who went viral on TikTok for a video she made explaining “daddy privilege” or the idea that fathers are applauded for doing things that mothers are supposed to do.

“In my opinion, ‘daddy privilege’ is that subtle upper hand men sidestep into as parents that allows them to gain praise for simply…being a parent,” she said. “You fed the baby? What a great dad! You held the baby while mommy bathed? So considerate of you! You picked up something for dinner? What would your family do without you?! It’s all the little ways mothers do exactly what the world expects of them without a second thought and then watch fathers get praised for simply showing up.”

Sadly, the post resonated with a lot of mothers, because it’s true. Expectations for fathers are so low that men are commended for handling basic parenting tasks. But if a mother falls short of perfection, she faces harsh criticism.

Mary Catherine Starr, a mother living in Cape Cod who owns a design studio and teaches yoga, is getting a lot of love on Instagram for her cartoon series that perfectly explains daddy privilege.


In “An Illustrated Guide to the Double Standards of Parenting,” Starr shares this concept by showing that when a man comes home with fast food for his kids he’s the “fun dad.” But if a mom comes back with a bag from McDonald’s she is seen as a “lazy mom.”

In the comics, the same double standards apply whether it’s how they handle technology or parent at the park.

(Note: Click the arrow on the right-hand side of the image to see the slideshow.)

Starr was quick to point out in the comments that the target of her comics isn’t fathers, but society at large. “This is not a dig at dads, it’s a dig at our society—a society that applauds dads for handling the most basic of parenting duties + expects nothing short of perfection from mothers (or even worse, shames them for every decision and/or move they make!),” she wrote.

The comics resonated with a lot of women.

“This hit a nerve with so many women! I was a single mom living in an apartment,” an Instagram user named Saturdayfarm wrote in the comments. “Next door – a single dad. Neighbors felt so bad for him that they helped him with his laundry, brought over food, and babysat. For nothing. I just shakily carried on somehow. And I had so much less money and opportunities.”

“This is exactly part of the why I feel like being ‘just’ a mom isn’t as valuable. Being so run of the mill. But if my husband has the baby in a sling, the toddler in the pram and is out walking the dog, he’s superman for letting me have one hour for zoom work,” rebecca_lee-close_yoga wrote.

A father who understands his privilege completely supports Starr’s message.

“It actually annoys me when I get those types of comments / ‘compliments’ knowing it’s totally a double standard,” JonaJooey wrote.

Starr’s comics and Sexton’s TikTok videos won’t stop the double standards when it comes to parenting, but they do a great job at holding a mirror up to the problem. Where do we go from here? We can start by having greater expectations for fathers and holding them up to a higher standard. Then, we should take the energy we put into praising dads for doing the bare minimum and heap it on mothers who thanklessly go about the most important job in the world.

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When Is ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 Going To Premiere On Netflix?

(Spoilers for The Karate Kid spinoff Cobra Kai will be found below.)

The Karate Kid franchise celebrates the underdogs, and there’s no greater underdog than a revival series that hits all four quadrants. That’s Cobra Kai to the point where Netflix couldn’t help but immediately greenlight several additional seasons after picking up the show following two YouTube Red seasons. The show’s still infuratingly good, and the show left viewers with several lingering questions: (1) What will happen to John Kreese after Terry Silver betrayed him in the worst way? (2) Will Tory depart from the Cobra Kai dojo after her discovery? (3) Where the hell will Miguel end up after heading towards Mexico to find his father?

Those questions will have to wait for answers. In the meantime, when will we see Season 5 and more crane-kicking goodness? Creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg have been running a (relatively) tight ship during the pandemic by continuing to shoot at warp speed (working with a half-younger cast means that is a very smart approach), so we’re still receiving new seasons like clockwork. And here’s what Hawk actor Jacob Bertrand recently told us about the already-wrapped Season 5:

“We actually just wrapped… It was weird because we filmed two seasons in one year. In 2021, we filmed both Season 4 and Season 5, so it’s really hard to differentiate what happened before in Season 4 and things that I’m not even allowed to bring up about Season 5. This year has felt long but short at the same time.”

Jacob obviously couldn’t spill too much about what’s going down with the questions that need answering. However, we do know that Hawk will be back and fresh off his trophy-winning spree. And we know that the creators are committed to staying faithful to the spirit of The Karate Kid franchise. They’ve kept things authentic and real here while staying just serious enough about the characters’ struggles. And we can probably expect the show to stick with a Winter 2022-2023 release, so it’ll either mean new episodes in December 2022 or January 2023. And more knockouts at the dojo(s).

Netflix’s ‘Cobra Kai’ is currently streaming the first four seasons on Netflix.

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David Letterman Rang In The 40th Anniversary Of His First ‘Late Night’ Show By Launching A YouTube Channel For His Greatest Hits

Forty years ago today, a former wacky midwestern weatherman who’d become a Johnny Carson-era Tonight Show staple and scored his own morning show, moved to late night television. That man was David Letterman, and 40 years ago today, on Feb. 1, 1982, he bowed Late Night, the show that’s now run by Seth Meyers. To ring in the big anniversary, Letterman — who has his own, very different chat show now — debuted his very own YouTube channel, which will be a great place to watch high-def clips you probably had to watch as low-res bootlegs for far too long.

Letterman bowed the channel with a tease on Twitter, which showed the very first moments from the very first show: a suitably out-there clip of Larry “Bud” Melman (real name: Calvin DeForest), the longtime regular who would appear on almost 200 Late Night and, later, Late Show episodes up until his death in 2007.

Letterman’s first show was a real banger. His first guest was no less than Bill Murray, who busted out a seemingly impromptu rendition of Olivia Newton-John’s sleazy new hit “Physical.” That clip, sadly, is not yet on Letterman’s new channel, but there are already 100 videos on there, among them iconic interviews with Andy Kaufman, Robin Williams, Carrie Fisher, Joaquin Phoenix, and more. You can also watch plenty of famous comedian’s first late night appearances, as well as the first-ever iteration of “Stupid Pet Tricks.”

Letterman had been teasing this big reveal throughout the week, including with a video of him blowing through multiple attempts to record an intro.

Letterman’s channel, described as “artisanly-produced, carefully-curated, and chosen completely at random by an old computer that used to pick numbers for the New York Lotto back in the 90’s,” can be found here. You can watch an old clip of Martin Scorsese swinging by the show in the video above.

(Via The Wrap)

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All The Best New R&B From This Week That You Need To Hear

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, Ella Mai returns with “DFMU,” the latest single from her yet-to-be-titled second album. It follows “Not Another Love Song,” which she released back in 2020. Pink Sweats drops off Pink Moon, his second project in under 12 months, with features from 6lack, Blxst, Tori Kelly, Kirby, and more. Lastly, PartyNextDoor teams up with OG Parker for his first song in almost two years with “No Fuss.”

Ella Mai — “DFMU”

Later this year will mark four years since Ella Mai dropped her self-titled debut album, which arrived after three strong EPs and her highlight single, “Boo’d Up.” There’s no telling what her sophomore album will sound like, but thanks to her latest single “DFMU,” the signs are pointing in a good direction. The new song finds her speaking to a new lover at the early stage of the relationship. Ella is ready to let her guard down for them, and she prepares to do so with a stern warning: “Don’t f*ck me up.”

Pink Sweats — Pink Moon

Less than a year after he released his stellar debut album, Pink Planet, Pink Sweats is back with another project. Pink Moon channels the same tender acoustic vibes that appear on his debut. This time, Pink Sweats recruits some outside help on the project’s eight songs. 6lack, Blxst, Kirby, Tori Kelly, and Sabrina Claudio all lend their vocals to Pink Moon.

OG Parker & PartyNextDoor — “No Fuss”

After a quiet 2021, PartyNextDoor kicks off 2022 with “No Fuss” produced by OG Parker. The song is set to appear on OG Parker’s upcoming EP Moments and finds PND waving the white flag to his partner. It’s a solid follow-up to the strong body of work that PND presented in 2020 with PartyMobile. As for OG Parker, “No Fuss” grants him back-to-back successful singles following last year’s “Rain” with Chris Brown, Layton Greene, Latto, and PnB Rock.

Nija — Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You

At just 23 years old, Nija has written songs for some of the biggest names in the music industry. Beyonce, Cardi B, Summer Walker, Meek Mill, and more appear on her list of collaborators. Now she’s is stepping out to show off her individual artistry and it begins with her debut project, Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You. Through its ten songs, Nija blends R&B with hip-hop’s drill sub-genre for a uniquely strong project that details the highs and lows of her love life.

Amber Mark — Three Dimensions Deep

With the first month of 2022 already in the books, New York native Amber Mark has submitted her entry for the R&B album of the year with her long-awaited debut, Three Dimensions Deep. Mark lives up to the album by showing off her vocals, songwriting, and overall vision as a singer. Through 17 songs, Mark makes you feel love, glory, pain, and everything in the middle. This is absolutely an album to spend any of your days listening to.

Sinead Harnett — Ready Is Always Too Late (Deluxe)

Sinead Harnett’s 2021 debut album, Ready Is Always Too Late, stood as one of the highlight R&b releases from that year, delivering 11 songs with features from Lucky Daye, Earthgang, Masego, and VanJess. Now, just eight months later, Harnett returns with its deluxe reissue. She adds three songs to the project: “Let Go,” “Where You Been Hiding,” and a live cover of “At Your Best (You Are Love).”

Col3trane — “Bag” Feat. Lucky Daye

Since releasing his third project, Heroine, in 2019, Col3trane has stayed extremely consistent in the singles department. The latest example is “Bag” with Lucky Daye, which is Col3trane’s first single of the year and his and Lucky Daye’s first song together. On the track, the singers voice the pain that a past love has left them. Col3trane’s latest release joins impressive songs he’s released over the past couple of years with artists like Kiana Lede, Mahalia, GoldLink, and more.

Samm Henshaw — Untidy Soul

Over the past few years, English singer Samm Henshaw earned worthy attention for himself thanks to strong singles like “Church” with Earthgang, “Only One To Blame,” and “Grow.” All that was left for him to do was release a new project, which would be his first since 2016’s The Sound Experiment 2. At long last, Henshaw did just that with his official debut album, Untidy Soul. The project is a soulful experience backed by Henshaw’s hearty vocals and guest appearances from Tobe Nwigwe, Maverick Sabre, and Keyon Harrold.

Lady Wray — Piece Of Me

Years after she was discovered by Missy Elliot and granted the crown of “first lady” of Roc-A-Fella Records, Lady Wray, who previously went by Nicole Wray, is back with her third album under her new stage name. Piece Of Me offers 12 songs and features from Kenneth Wray Sr. and Melody Bloom Bacote. Altogether, Piece Of Me continues the approach Lady Wray has taken throughout her career.

Eli Sostre — 566

Brooklyn singer Eli Sostre had a quiet 2021, which is unusual for the normally-active singer, but everyone deserves a break, right? Thankfully, he’s back in action in 2022 and it comes with his 566 EP. It bears three songs to its name and is an appetizing follow-up to Emori, his most recent project which he delivered in fall 2020.

BenjiFlow — The Thrill

Back in spring 2020, London singer BenjiFlow dropped off his debut EP with six songs. Less than two years later, he’s back in action with his second EP, The Thrill. This body of work is produced by BenjiFlow himself and Nigerian producer Juls for an effort that showcases guest appearances from Oxlade, Juls, and Niji Adeleye.

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

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Vice Reportedly Organized A Music Festival In Saudi Arabia After Claiming It Wouldn’t Do Business There

In the wake of the state-sanctioned murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia in 2018, many corporate entities condemned the Saudi government and vowed to divest from business interests in the country, including Vice Media (even Nicki Minaj canceled a planned show there in 2019). However, according to a new report in The Guardian, Vice instead organized a multi-million-dollar music festival there. The Azimuth festival took place in March 2020, just at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in “the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert” with a reported budget of $20m and performances from British rapper Tinie Tempah and American electronic duo Chainsmokers.

Vice apparently took pains to hide its involvement as well, having contractors on the festival sign non-disclosure agreements and ensuring that the Vice brand name didn’t appear on any public marketing, despite the festival being organized by Vice’s creative marketing agency Virtue. The Guardian also reports that Vice opened a permanent office in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and struck a deal with the Saudi Research and Marketing Group to produce promotional films for the country.

Meanwhile, Vice staffers, quoted anonymously, expressed dismay at the situation, saying, “Vice employees have for years raised concerns over the company’s involvement with Saudi Arabia – and we’ve been fobbed off with empty statements and pathetic excuses.”