Category: News

Zach Condon of Beirut is the greatest enactor of Balkan brass-inflected indie music of them all. Thile acts like Beirut are few and far between, that’s precisely what has made the outfit such a standout across five albums and five equally notable EPs. This more than 15-year career arc is significant today as Condon has announced Artifacts, a double LP of loose ends and unreleased tracks from every stage of his career, even dating as far back as to when he was 14. It’s out on January 28th, 2022 via his own Pompeii Records.

Condon shared a statement saying that the project began as a simple package of unreleased recordings, but it quickly grew into a very comprehensive anthology, including tracks inspired by visits to Sicily, Morocco and more:

“When the decision came to re-release this collection, I found myself digging through hard drives looking for something extra to add to the compilation. What started as a few extra unreleased tracks from my formative recording years quickly grew into an entire extra records-worth of music from my past, and a larger project of remixing and remastering everything I found for good measure.”

Along with today’s announcement comes the track “Fisher Island Sound,” named after the body of water off the Connecticut coast, where Condon wrote it. Worldly strings are joined by a button accordion, rapturous drums and Condon’s always wonderful vocals. He explains that reticence with those very vocals as well as general self-doubt, is what prevented him from releasing this music in the first place. He says that he’s “come to rediscover some of these old songs in a different light since then, but they do remain a heavy reminder of unsteady times.”

Listen to “Fisher Island Sound” above, and below, find the Artifacts art and tracklist.

SIDE A – Lon Gisland, Transatlantique, O Leãozinho
1. “Elephant Gun”
2. “My Family’s Role In The World Revolution”
3. “Scenic World”
4. “The Long Island Sound”
5. “Carousels”
6. “Transatantique”
7. “O Leãozinho”

SIDE B – The Misfits
8. “Autumn Tall Tales”
9. “Fyodor Dormant”
10. “Poisoning Claude”
11. “Bercy”
12. “Your Sails”
13. “Irrlichter”

SIDE C – New Directions and Early Works
14. “Sicily”
15. “Now I’m Gone”
16. “Napoleon On The Bellerophon”
17. “Interior of a Dutch House”
18. “Fountains and Tramways”
19. “Hot Air Balloon”

SIDE D – The B-Sides
20. “Fisher Island Sound”
21. “So Slowly”
22. “Die Treue zum Ursprung”
23. “The Crossing”
24. “Zagora”
25. “Le Phare Du Cap Bon”
26. “Babylon”

It only took Big Sean five albums to find his way onto LA Leakers, the famed show on LA’s Power 106 platform that welcomes rappers to lay their hottest bars. The Detroit rapper took the mic for the show’s 122nd episode and he did not disappoint, freestyling for nearly nine minutes in an episode released on Wednesday. During his appearance, Sean rapped over Kanye West’s “Hurricane,” on which he originally had a verse, Drake and Jay-Z’s “Love All,” Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek’s “Dear Summer,” and Nardo Wick’s “Who Want Smoke??”

During his appearance, Sean touched on a number of topics. He spoke about Kanye West signing his advance check to him before officially bringing him onto the GOOD Music roster, being with Kobe Bryant on New Year’s Day in 2020 just weeks before the Lakers legend passed away, and NBA players shooting their shot in his girlfriend’s DMs. He also addressed artists he wrote hit songs for that failed to pay him for his work. “A lot of songs I wrote for icons that I still ain’t even get publishing on / And some of them up more than me,” he raps. “I don’t know how they sleep at night knowing they wrong.”

Sean celebrated his freestyle in a pair of posts on Twitter, writing, “Y’all really playing wit me man! Okay!” and “Donda signed my advance check on God, that’s how long we been at this…”

Snoop Dogg turned 50 years old today and despite living a half-century life, the longstanding hip-hop act has no plans to reduce his role as an entertainer. On Wednesday that he will team up with the Harlem Globetrotters in their upcoming NFT sitcom Da Dogg Gone Gym. According to Hypebeast, the sitcom is part of the Globetrotters New Tech, New Trainer, New Tour campaign, which will feature limited-edition releases from Snoop and the Globetrotters. This includes the rapper’s new theme song for the team, which will be exclusively available on the cryptocurrency promotion site, VAST.

The sitcom will take place during the 1970s and feature Snoop as a Globetrotter trainer working with the viral Bay Area dancer Junebug. A release date for has not yet been shared, but it marks his latest step into the NFT world. Earlier this year he released a song inspired by blockchains titled “NFT,” as well as his very own Snoop Dogg Coins. Last month, according to Hypebeast, he also revealed himself to be the real-life buyer behind the NFT moniker Cozomo de’ Medici.

In addition to the NFT sitcom announcement, Snoop Dogg joined E-40, Too Shoot, and Ice Cube in their video for “Big Subwoofer.” Together, the quartet comprises the rap supergroup Mount Westmore, and they premiered the song itself in a performance prior to a boxing matchup between Jake Paul and Ben Askren back in April.

Everybody handles fame and criticism differently, but that doesn’t make the vastly different opinions about it from the actors behind Squid Games notorious VIPs any less fascinating. Following Squid Game becoming, you know, the biggest show on the planet, nearly every last one of the Netflix original’s actors were quick to rise to fame in the U.S., receiving nearly universal praise for their performances in the hyper-violent Korean drama. However, for the four men playing the show’s English-speaking, masked billionaires referred to as the “VIPs,” their reception — and respective reactions to it — have been a very mixed bag.

Shortly after Squid Game became a phenomenon, more and more articles, threads, and tweets began to circulate asking why in an otherwise excellent show were the English-speaking actors playing the VIPs so bad. Some critics even went as far as to say the show would have been better off if the showrunners had picked random people on the street to fill the roles. The Guardian then reached out to three of the men behind the performances — John D Michaels, Daniel C Kennedy, and Geoffrey Giuliano — to ask them how they were dealing with the less-than-positive feedback and their newfound fame, only to be met with startlingly different answers, as well as a pretty solid explanation for why the show might have some English-speaking awkwardness from Michaels.

“I think the first thing to dispel is this myth that they just pick us up off the street .. Non-Korean performers often act with dialogue that is translated by a non-native — sometimes even by Google Translate — so it can sound unnatural,” he says. “And often we don’t have the scripts for the rest of the show. We are only given our scenes, so we have no idea of the tone.”

Michaels then explained this is merely the start of the issues when it comes to recording English lines for Korean television, adding that the show’s editors not speaking English as a first language might cause them to select a bad or strangely worded take for the final product. Kennedy also weighed in on the issue, stating that English-speaking viewers not understanding that the lines are meant to be delivered dramatically — just as the show’s Korean lines are — is another big problem. While people are quick to be able to recognize dramatic speech, imperfect translations, and awkwardness in their own language, Kennedy explained, the rest can be lost in translation.

Ultimately, however, Michaels says he loves Squid Game‘s message and is proud of his portrayal on the show which he believes adheres to “an interpretation of what a westerner is from the point of view of a different culture” that is vital in keeping the show truly Korean in nature. Kennedy, however, has been struggling to grapple with his feelings about his performance as well as his own mental health issues.

“I suffer from extreme clinical depression, so it’s been a bit of a challenge. Initially, I was gutted by the comments but, with time and distance and some honest self-reflection, I’ve been better able to filter the feedback into the stuff I can use to improve next time, versus the stuff that is bound to come when you’re part of a project that gets global recognition.”

However, less apt to defend his work or kick himself for any perceived mistakes is third VIP actor Geoffrey Giuliano, who “ain’t complaining” about being on “the hottest show in the world.” In fact, Giuliano seems to be far too busy celebrating the kind of success we’re certain his Squid Game counterpart would be a bit jealous of,

“I got fanmail. Just today I got a woman who said: ‘Send me your autograph.’ So I did, and two hours later she sent me a photo where she had ‘Geoffrey Giuliano, VIP four,’ tattooed right across her forearm.” He pauses. “There have also been some sexual invitations, from males and females .. This project has elevated me from absolute, total obscurity. I get tattoos of my signature. I get invitations for fellatio. I’m a star!”

If you’ve yet to watch Squid Game and watch these actors’ performances for yourself, the entire series is streaming on Netflix right now, and we’d definitely recommend giving it a go before you’re confused by all the Halloween costumes the series’ is sure to inspire.

Some actors don’t like watching themselves. Gwyneth Paltrow certainly doesn’t. But sometimes there’s bigger things to worry about. For instance, what will their kids think, especially when their movies or shows are risqué? One such thespian is Zach Galifianakis. He’s made some racy movies. Indeed, the movies that made his name are very much R-rated. But he has a plan if they ever ask him about the Hangover trilogy: deny it.

As per Entertainment Weekly, the Emmy- and Streamy-winning actor and comic was asked what his two sons, aged 4 and 7, think about the three films where he keeps getting black-out drunk and doing unprintable things (and decapitating a giraffe). And he had a good answer.

“They shall never know of it,” Galifianakis joked to EW. “I’ll just deny it. I’ll say, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I had nothing to do with that movie.’”

Galifianakis admitted that, given how popular the films are (and how much they’ve paid for all the things they enjoy), his kids will “get to that point” where he’ll feel okay showing it to them. They’ll just ” need to mature a little bit before they see that.” He added, “You [want to] protect their innocence as much as possible. They’re just children. People used to come up to me and be like, ‘Oh, my kids love The Hangover,’ and I’m like, ‘You’re a terrible parent.’”

There’s more they don’t know, he joked. “My kids think I’m a librarian somewhere. They don’t even know,” Galifianakis said. “They think I’m an assistant librarian somewhere.”

(Via EW)

Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty are currently facing a lawsuit from Jennifer Hough, who claims that, since getting married in 2019, the two have intimidated, bribed, and harassed her to change a past testimony in hopes of getting Perry removed from a sex offenders list. The harassment case has not yet started, but according to Rolling Stone, Minaj landed somewhat of a win, as it was ruled that she will not have to pay a $20 million default judgment in the case.

Earlier this week, Hough’s lawyer Tyrone Blackburn filed a motion on his client’s behalf alleging that Minaj and Perry failed to respond to the harassment case against them. However, a federal clerk for the Eastern District of New York ruled that Minaj did not fail to respond to the lawsuit, writing, “it appears” that she filed paperwork last week to hire a lawyer to defend her in the case. Despite this, the clerk noted that Petty “has not filed an answer or otherwise moved with respect to the complaint.”

Minaj delivered a sworn statement on October 15, stating that she hired a lawyer last month, but “innocent miscommunications” led to late payment fees and the inability to secure the attorney’s services. “My failure to respond to the complaint was the product of an innocent mistake, and I ask the court to excuse the delay so that I can defend what I believe to be an entirely frivolous case,” her statement read.

Judd Burstein, who will now represent Minaj in the case, shared a statement that aligned with her claims. “I confirm the truth of those portions of defendant’s declaration concerning my role in her failure to secure my services promptly,” he said.

Despite the ruling, Blackburn plans on defaulting the motion against Petty for the $20 million. “It’s interesting that Kenneth Petty is currently in the Eastern District of New York suing the state of New York, but he has no respect for this proceeding and no respect for this judge to come forward and to answer for raping Jennifer Hough in 1994 and all the harassment he and his wife and his goons visited upon her since then,” he told Rolling Stone.

A boy of about 10-years-old with a mental disability stole the show at Pope Francis’ weekly general audience on Wednesday at the Vatican auditorium. In front of an audience of thousands the boy walked past security and onto the stage while priests delivered prayers and introductory speeches.

The boy, later identified as Paolo, Jr., greeted the pope by shaking his hand and when it was clear that he had no intention of leaving, the pontiff asked Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, the head of protocol, to let the boy borrow his chair.

The boy’s activity on the stage was clearly a breach of Vatican protocol but Pope Francis didn’t seem to be bothered one bit. He looked at the child with a sense of joy and wasn’t even disturbed when he repeatedly motioned that he wanted to remove his skull cap.

Pope Francis’ skull cap or zucchetto as it’s called in Italian, is a symbol of his rank in the Catholic church. The Pope is the only church official allowed to wear a white zucchetto.

The zucchetto has been a Catholic tradition since about the 13th century. Capes with hoods went out of style so the clergy wore the small hats to keep their shorn heads warm.

Monasteries used to mandate that men shaved the crown of their heads, based on the writings of Paul. “Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him,” (1 Corinthians 11:14).

A church official brought out a white skull cap for the boy and then he happily to returned to his seat while receiving a round of applause from the Vatican crowd.

Boy Steals Scene At pope’s Audience By Wanting Francis’ Skullcap

www.youtube.com

At the end of his address, Francis commented on the incident by praising the “spontaneity and freedom” of children. He lauded the boy for his ability to “come close and move around as if he were at home” and said the faithful should feel the same freedom to come close to God without fear.

He also asked God to help the boy with his disability.

“I thank this boy for the lesson he has given all of us. May the Lord help him in his limitation, as he grows, because what he did came from the heart,” the pope said.

Pope Francis could have easily had the young boy removed from the stage for being a disruption or seen him as affront to his high position as pope. But instead he took a page out of the good book and welcomed the child to his arms, just like Christ.

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus is quoted as saying in The Bible. It’s wonderful to see the pope as a living example of those words while also being a shining example of how to relate to children with disabilities.

It’s another tale of the age-old war between art and censorship. When two museums in Vienna were banned on social media for risqué works, they turned to the one place where they knew their adult subject matter would be welcomed: OnlyFans.

In July, the Albertina art museum had its TikTok account blocked for displaying the art of Nobuyoshi Araki, whose photographs (like the one seen below) have a reputation for blending eroticism and bondage. So, okay, sure, his work explores sexual themes. But does it really warrant a social media ban?

Screenshot from a blog depicting Araki’s Sentimental Journey2.bp.blogspot.com

Only one month later, another museum, the Leopold, experienced a similar form of overly strict censorship when Facebook flagged its post of a piece made by Art Nouveau illustrator Koloman Moser. Does this image look “potentially pornographic” to you?

Facebook even deleted a post by the Natural History Museum of Vienna showing the Venus of Willendorf. I mean, I guess it can be considered lewd for those with a Paleolithic fertility fetish.

This brings up a nuance that A.I. has failed to grasp: nudity ≠ sex. And by not recognizing this, social media outlets restrict arguably uncontroversial subject matter while simultaneously failing to actually prevent anyone from being exposed to inappropriate content.

In a recent press release, the Vienna Tourist Board labeled the clearly flawed social media algorithm as a “new wave of prudishness.” So they had to go to the least prudish place on the internet.

As part of the “Vienna Laid Bare” initiative, the museums have teamed up with OnlyFans, a platform that not only allows nudity and sex, it prospers from it. Not without its own history of crackdowns against sexual content, OnlyFans nevertheless maintains a reputation for being a safe place to share NSFW images. Free from the scrutiny of Facebook, virtual visitors may now look upon the works of previously censored artists like Araki and Moser. All for only $4.99 a month. What a steal in the name of rebellion!

Though it has been quite the marketing maneuver, Helena Hartlauer, head of media relations at the Vienna Tourist Board, says it’s more than a publicity stunt. According to an article in Art News, Hartlauer said the platform pivot was also to “show solidarity with artists who are censored. If you can’t show your artwork on social media this can really be an obstacle to your communications efforts, and even to your career.”

The launch didn’t happen without a few hoops to jump through. The Guardian reported that Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all rejected links to the platform, delaying actual promotion for weeks. In the article, Hartlauer remarked that the obstacle presented is just another clear-cut example of suppression of artistic expression made by the all-powerful social media platforms.

Hartlauer continued, “This marketing initiative of ours is not the ultimate solution for this problematic relationship between the art world and social media, but … we want to stand up for our values and our beliefs. … Vienna has always been famous for being open-minded.”

Hopefully, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok can also become a little more open-minded.

Singer/songwriter Joy Oladokun is having a bit of a moment following the release of her 2021 album, In Defense Of My Own Happiness. Spotify took notice and tapped her to be part of their Spotify Singles program, where artists do live or new versions of one of their own songs, and usually do some sort of unexpected cover or collaboration, too. For Oladokun, being part of the program feels like a big look, and she even called it “a dream come true.”

“I’ve been a rabid consumer of Spotify Singles since their inception,” she said in a press release. “Being asked to do one was a dream come true and I wanted to bring in the best crew. I asked Jason Isbell to play guitar on the Bonnie Raitt cover and he absolutely smashed the energy and emotion of what I was trying to do. So excited to have these out in the world.”

Released today, her singles include a version of her song “Sunday,” and a pretty incredible cover of Bonnie Raitt’s stone cold classic, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” For her version, Joy tapped Jason Isbell to add some epic guitar work as Joy delivers a version that will make Bonnie proud. Check out both new songs below.

Nicolle Snell, an adventure leader for Black Girls Trekkin’, sees hope around every bend in the trail. In a recent interview for Greater Outdoors for UPROXX, Snell proclaimed, “I think things are changing. The stereotype of who belongs in the outdoors or who’s welcome in the outdoors or who you even see in the outdoors is changing because there are so many groups like ours that are trying to change that narrative.”

It’s often overlooked just how widely minorities were segregated or outright barred from the outdoors and how recently that shifted. Up until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Black, Indigenous, and various other people of color were either segregated while entering U.S. national parks or, in some cases, barred entirely from entering. That very real discrimination created a gap in how different groups of Americans engaged with nature that still has echoes in the present day.

But things are changing as Nicolle Snell describes in the latest installment of Greater Outdoors. Jasmine Lowe, who also leads adventures for Black Girls Trekkin’, agrees.

“Our mission really is to promote diversity and inclusion in the outdoors,” she says. “It’s just making sure that there are more of us out there [in nature] and feeling comfortable.”

While getting out into nature is a big part of what groups like Black Girls Trekkin’ do, it’s also about physical and mental health, finding a community, and healing of trauma. Both Snell and Lowe agree that a big part of why they love leading hiking groups is that they’ve found people who share in their love of the outdoors and are looking for a way to engage in nature on a deeper level, which is a powerful draw.

You can watch the whole segment above to learn more about the important work these members of Black Girls Trekkin’ are doing. For more ways to get out into the outdoors yourself, check out the 2021 Uproxx Fall Experience Guide.