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(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s episode of Snowfall will be found below.)

Even without looking into the storylines of season six of Snowfall, it was quite apparent that the downfall of Franklin’s empire would take place at some point during the season. For one, the historical account that this story is loosely based on says so, as we know how the United States eventually turned and handled the crack epidemic. Secondly, with the disappearance of Franklin’s $73 million to end season five, it was clear that Franklin wasn’t as invincible as we’d perceived him to be through the series. So far into season six, Franklin has managed to not only stay afloat but also bounce back somewhat. However, with the events that take place following episode four of the new season, it’s clear that we have reached the turning point in season six.

In episode five, “Ebony And Ivory,” four of the show’s main characters reach their respective breaking points in the new season. Franklin, more frustrated than ever at Teddy’s refusal to return his $73 million, devises a plan with Veronique and Cassandra to track down Teddy’s father and use him as ransom to get the money back. When it doesn’t work, we see Franklin (who’s already burned a worker’s face and later shot him) take a knife to McDonald and kill him — all while Teddy is on the phone. This moment also serves as a breaking point for Teddy. Elsewhere in the episode, we see the return of old Leon after he successful won a fight with Deon to take back control of the projects. This leads to Deon confronting Jerome, and though he’s unsuccessful in getting Jerome to side with him, the conversation does lead to the unraveling of Jerome which is showcased through a narrowly-avoided shootout and a later moment where he wallows in frustrations while drinking liquor.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season six’s episode five, “Ebony And Ivory”:

Franklin Will Always Find A Way, But Did He Go Too Far?

In the second half of this week’s episode, we see Franklin, Veronique, and Cassandra begin their mission to get back Franklin’s $73 million from Teddy. It begins with Veronique and Cassandra venturing out to Kansas City in search of who we later learn is Teddy’s father Colonel McDonald. In a grand scheme, the mother-daughter duo breaks Teddy’s father out of the nursing home he was staying in and take him to his home. Franklin eventually joins them and makes a phone call to Teddy to let him know that he is currently with McDonald. Franklin warns Teddy that his father will be killed if his money is not returned, and when Teddy says he’s unable to do that, Franklin takes a knife to McDonald’s neck and kills him. This scene proves one thing about Franklin: he will always find a way. However, did he go too far this time? If there’s anyone in this show that is just as, if not more powerful that Franklin, it’s Teddy. We can certainly expect Teddy to retaliate, especially with Franklin’s own family in close proximity. Then again, there is the suspicious — one that Franklin believes — that Teddy killed his father Alton. Either way, the worse is yet to come between Franklin and Teddy.

Leon’s Turn Was Unexpected — And A Bit Disheartening

The look in Wanda’s eyes said it all. After cursing out the people within the projects who he believed had an issue with him, Leon — with a gun in hand — declared himself the new leader of the projects while daring anyone to take a shot at him. It’s quite the turn from the man we watched leave Ghana to return to Los Angeles in hope of creating change in his community. It now seems like the plans for change he had have gone out the window. Old Leon is back, and maybe, just maybe, he still has his eyes set on that change he wanted to put through. However, after fighting Deon and forcibly taking back the throne of the projects, Leon has to know that keeping it will bring back the fighting spirit that we saw within him in earlier seasons of Snowfall. This is probably why we get this look from Wanda after Leon’s daring call to the cohabitants of the projects. They worked so hard to grow and improve from their past ways, is it all about to be thrown away now?

Jerome Is At His Breaking Point

Things have not been going well in Jerome’s world, but it gets far worse than before in “Ebony & Ivory.” In short, he gets confronted by Deon, who also made sure to disrespect Louie to her face multiple times. Next, Jerome nearly guns down some who he suspects is following him, and he ends it off by wallowing in frustration and drinking his life away while seated on his newly repaired car. In Jerome’s world, the fight he’s put up usually yields results but in this case, especially in his battle with Franklin, he hasn’t made the progress he would’ve liked. Franklin has yet to return the money he stole from Jerome and Louie, and now, Leon is back in the picture as he’s taken over the projects where Jerome and Louie were selling product. The latter is less of an issue for him as he told Deon that there are no plans to stop selling to the projects because Leon is in charge. However, it appears that it’s part of a bigger feeling that Jerome has which he expresses to Deon during their conversation as his club. “These young n*****s, they ain’t got no respect, no code, no honor. They ain’t us.” It remains to be seen if those values are pointless to keep in their current war or if they’ll be worth it in the long run.

Is Veronique Prepared For The Worst?

“Ebony & Irony” opens with the Veronique and her mother Cassandra having a conversation inside a car as they stake out to find who we later learn is Teddy’s father Colonel McDonald. Cassandra asks Veronique if there’s an “exit plan” in place if their current one fails. Veronique assures her that “it’ll work,” but Cassandra isn’t about to let her daughter slip around the question. While it eventually goes unanswered as they’re distracted by the sighting of Colonel McDonald, Cassandra is absolutely warranted in her question… but it depends on how it’s being asked. Veronique hasn’t exactly worked her way into the trusting graces of viewers, probably because of her surprise appearance at the start of season five and her suspicious demeanor since then. Cassandra isn’t exactly trustworthy either, simply because of her past and the fact that Veronique — who, remember, we don’t really trust — had issues with her mother in the past.

So if Cassandra is asking this question in terms of Veronique the individual and mom, and not Veronique the girlfriend of Franklin, then our suspicions for the future are warranted. However, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for the moment. We eventually get an answer to Cassandra’s question at the end of the episode and it’s a nonverbal response. Veronique sits in McDonald’s living with her mouth wide open in shock as she watches him bleed out after Franklin took a knife to his neck. She may not have expected things to reach this point, but what she must now understand is things are only going to get worse from here. So yes Veronique, for the sake of you and Franklin, is there an exit plan in place? Are you prepared for the worst?

New episodes of ‘Snowfall’ are available on FX on Wednesdays at 10pm EST/ PST.

As is the case in seemingly every game involving the Kings, Sacramento’s visit to Chicago was decided in the final seconds.

The cardiac Kings can’t help but find themselves in close games late this season, but the good news for them is that has become the time where De’Aaron Fox is at his best. Fox entered Wednesday with the most points in clutch moments in the league (inside five minutes of a game that’s inside five points), and he added to his growing legend as a clutch shotmaker in Chicago.

The reason Fox’s heroics were needed was due to DeMar DeRozan getting a four-point play down 114-110 with just under 12 seconds to play, as he got fouled on a bit of a questionable call at the top of the key as he buried a three.

That four-point play tied the game and meant the Kings would need to make a shot rather than simply icing things with free throws, and naturally they turned to Fox, who pulled up for three just before the buzzer to give Sacramento its 41st win of the season in style.

Fox finished the night with 32 points to lead the way for Sacramento, as their balanced attack otherwise was enough to topple a Bulls team that got 33 from DeRozan, 25 from Zach LaVine, and 20 from Nikola Vucevic in the loss. With the win and a Grizzlies loss earlier in the evening, Sacramento pulled back even with Memphis for the 2-seed in the West, while Chicago slipped back a half-game behind Washington in the race for the final play-in spot in the East with the loss.

One of the pre-tournament favorites was knocked out of the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night, as the Dominican Republic lost 5-2 to Puerto Rico, eliminating them from pool play.

The final out came courtesy of a strikeout, as Mets star closer Edwin Diaz painted the upper inside corner to punch Puerto Rico’s ticket to the quarterfinals. The celebration began immediately on the field, but disaster struck when the jumping circle of Puerto Rican players stopped suddenly after Diaz fell to the ground holding his right knee.

It was hard to see exactly what happens, but you can see Diaz, in the middle of the circle, suddenly ends up on the ground. His teammate immediately called to the dugout for medical assistance, as he grabbed at his right knee in pain, and he was unable to walk off the field under his own power.

After initial efforts to help or carry him off the field, they eventually took him off in a wheelchair as the elation over beating their rivals quickly became concern for their star closer, with Mets fans looking on in horror as they saw their season flash before their eyes.

Diaz was a sensation in New York a year ago, with his Narcos walkout becoming a rallying cry for the Mets, as he gave up just nine earned runs in 61 appearances, including 32 saves. Now, they’ll wait for the update on Diaz, but it certainly seems as if, at the least, they’ll have to start the season without their closer.

Rumors are swirling around whether Sabrina Carpenter is dating Shawn Mendes. Charlie Puth is five months removed from dismissing rumors that he was collaborating with Taylor Swift.

Tonight, March 15, Carpenter suspended belief around her real-life romantic status, and Puth confirmed a collaboration with Carpenter — not Swift — with a TikTok. Puth posted the 13-second snippet with the simple caption, “3.31 @sabrinacarpenter @danandshay.”

In the presumed teaser of their upcoming single’s video, Carpenter and Puth are at a candlelit table and playing a game of Operation. Carpenter successfully pries out the heart. She holds it up to Puth, who says, “I always knew you had a tiny, tiny heart.” Piano kicks in, and the clip cuts out just as Carpenter and Puth kiss.

Puth had teased “the start of something special” was coming tonight earlier in the day on Twitter, while Carpenter promoted Emails I Can’t Send Fwd:, an extended version of her July 2022 album, out this Friday, March 17.

Carpenter is also enjoying the popularity of “Nonsense,” her Emails I Can’t Send track that peaked at No. 43 this week on Billboard‘s Radio Songs chart and peaked at No. 56 on the publication’s coveted Hot 100 in early February.

Puth all but reintroduced himself with his self-titled third studio album from last October. Uproxx’s review of Charlie touted it as a long-overdue departure from perfectly packaged pop made for mass consumption and Puth’s official arrival as a relatable pop star with lived experience to back up his melodic ear worms.

We’ll see what sort of inevitable radio candy Carpenter and Puth (and Dan And Shay?) have on tap on March 31.

Charlie Puth is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to bring chaos wherever she goes, and alas she happens to be in Congress. The MAGA lawmaker who thinks the ladies of The View want to kill her had a big day Wednesday, whether it was blurting out classified intel during a committee hearing or, during the same session, freaking out over a bomb that decidedly wasn’t.

During the meeting Greene grilled Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz about what she heard was an explosive found on the Southern border. She even tweeted a picture of it, though it looked less like an incendiary and more like a pear or something of similar shape wrapped in duct tape.

“Explosive found by Border Patrol Agents Jan 17th,” Greene tweeted. “Not only are the Cartels murdering Americans everyday [sic] through drugs and crime, but now they are planting bombs on our land in our country. Our US military needs to take action against the Mexican Cartels. End this Cartel led war against America!”

Alas, it turned out to be sand wrapped in duct tape.

Greene was corrected by, of all people, a Fox News correspondent. Reporter Bill Melugin revealed that he had spoken with a Customs and Border Protection official, who told him not only was it not dangerous, it was just dirt. Ortiz himself confirmed it was banal.

That wasn’t good enough for Greene, who tweeted at Ortiz that “several Border Patrol agents are saying it was some sort of [improvised explosive device].” She added, “I’m just explaining what I was told today.”

It’s not clear who she spoke with, but sometimes sand wrapped in duct tape is just sand wrapped in duct tape.

(Via Mediaite)

The Memphis Grizzlies have become one of the NBA’s top villains, as their constant trash talk and physical play (that some opponents say crosses the line into being dirty) has earned them quite the reputation around the league.

On Wednesday, the Grizzlies saw a player get ejected for a low blow for the second time this season, as Desmond Bane joined Dillon Brooks in earning an early exit for taking a swing at an opponent’s groin. While Brooks’ punch to Donovan Mitchell’s nuts sparked a fight, Bane’s was more along the lines of something we see on occasion from guards, as he swung his arm between Kevin Love’s legs as he hedged high to defend a pick-and-roll, delivering a low blow that would make Ric Flair proud.

The reverse angle is likely the one that led to the ejection, as you can see more how he swing through on Love.

It is a direct hit on Love, who folds up upon impact and leaves his feet completely, and not a wise move from Bane, who had 11 points before getting tossed, serving as Memphis’ most dangerous perimeter scorer with Ja Morant still suspended. His ejection seemed to ensure there wouldn’t be a miraculous comeback happening for the Grizzlies, which found themselves down 28 after three quarters, as they figure to give up part of their one-game advantage on the Kings for the 2-seed.

Last month, the Portland Trail Blazers were stranded on a plane for seven hours because a snowstorm prevented them from traveling to Sacramento for their game against the Kings. Blazers All-Star point guard Damian Lillard made the most of the undoubtedly annoying delay by freestyle rapping over GloRilla and Cardi B’s “Tomorrow 2” beat.

Smino recently found himself in the same situation.

Last Friday, March 10, the Luv 4 Rent artist posted his “Wyoming (Freestyle)” along with a video. The YouTube description explains, “My bus got caught inna ice storm near Wyoming so we said f*ck it and made this.”

Smino’s bars are equal parts clever (“Back when wins ain’t come with so many bruises / Back when trends wasn’t topics, we just doin’ sh*t / Knew I was on sh*t / I could rhyme it down to the oranges”) and literal (“Look up, it’s snowing in Wyoming”).

The nearly three-minute video sees Smino smoking in his stranded bus, vibing on the sidewalk, and recording in his hotel room.

Smino is currently on the Luv Is 4Ever Tour with JID. Uproxx reviewed their back-to-back nights at the Hollywood Palladium and applauded their oozing star power — “They both exude charm and charisma and polished, carefully practiced skill” — which can be felt from Smino even within the confines of an impromptu, unassuming moment like “Wyoming (Freestyle).”

The Luv Is 4Ever Tour is in Toronto tonight (March 15) before hitting Detroit on Friday, March 17, weaving through Chicago on March 21, and wrapping up in Nashville on March 29.

See the full remaining tour schedule below, and watch Smino’s “Wyoming (Freestyle)” above.

Last month, Feist announced the album Multitudes, following a string of intimate 2021 performances under the same name. Following the 2017 album Pleasure, Multitudes has four singles out: “Hiding Out In The Open,” “Love Who We Are Meant To,” “In Lightning,” and now, the newest one, “Borrow Trouble.”

“‘Borrow Trouble’ caused some trouble in trying to finish the recording,” Leslie Feist shared in a statement. “It began as a contemplative acoustic morality tale and shape-shifted itself into the sound of trouble itself. It’s a mess that holds its own logic. It’s the convincing cacophony that thoughts can be. It saws away at you until your overwhelm pops an air supply in the form of another idea, a solution that starts with accepting there’s no such thing as perfection.”

She continued: “Mike Mills (the filmmaker) directed me deeper into the tangle, insisted I play drums ‘because you’re not a drummer!,’ and Amir Yaghmai brought the fist pumping drone of violins. Early on, when I was writing it Charles Spearin said, ‘Yah but what does borrowing trouble mean?’ And I said, ‘It’s an expression from the old days.’ May as well let the song explain, like I’m doing now.”

Watch the video for “Borrow Trouble” above.

Multitudes is out 4/14 via Interscope. Find more information here.

Next month, Dead Oceans artist Fenne Lily will release her album Big Picture, which she describes as “my attempt at bringing some kind of order to the disaster that was 2020.” “Lights Light Up” was a bewitching lead single, followed by the release of “Dawncolored House.” Now, she’s back with the unveiling of the meditative track “In My Own Time.”

“This song’s about the weight of stasis — about time moving too quickly and too slowly and every mistake feeling both permanent and inconsequential,” she said in a statement. “When it came to writing this video concept, I wanted it to reflect the twisted aspects of a love that’s found in the midst of chaos, and the subsequent feeling of being inanimate in your own story. All that, in the style of Terminator 2.”

Her vocals are intimate against breezy acoustic guitars, and her lyricism is as relatable and sharp: “Sometimes I feel like I’m just killing time here / Or maybe it’s killing me,” she sings. It leads up to endearing ending lines that stick with you: “Write me a love song make it all rhyme / Hold me up sometimes we’ll be just fine.”

Listen to “In My Own Time” above.

Big Picture arrives 4/14 via Dead Oceans. Find more information here.

Logic was the subject of debate last week after sharing his cover of Ice Cube’s “It Was A Good Day.” A lot of people tore it to shreds, but one TikTok user wanted “a whole album of covers like this” from Logic.

The multiplatinum rapper and best-selling author responded, “It’s funny that you should say that because I thought about doing that. Wouldn’t that be cool? Everybody’s all pissed off at me because I did a f*cking Ice Cube cover. Meanwhile, I texted Ice Cube, and he’s like, ‘Man, keep doing you, brother!’ Who gives a f*ck?! But you know what would be great? You’re right. I should do a whole f*cking album.”

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. It hasn’t even been a month since Logic dropped his latest album (and debut album as an independent artist), College Park,

Yesterday, March 14, he dropped the video for College Park track “Shimmy” featuring Joey Badass, and it’s further confirmation that Logic does not care about any negative feedback. (Although, he previously shared important and poignant perspective on cyberbullying.)

In the JT Clemente-directed video, Logic and Joey are seemingly having the time of their lives in the studio — accented by animation from Tristan Zammit.

“F*ck how you feel, I’m breakin’ the seal,” Logic spits. “Just got out my deal, I’m keepin’ it real.” The hook doubles down on his joyous, wealthy position: “Shimmy, shimmy, yeah, b*tch, I get money like ODB / Shimmy, shimmy, yeah, I’m finally eatin’ good, no EBT.” Joey also flexes by calling himself “Himothy” and reflecting on his hard-fought climb “from EBT to BET.”

Earlier this month, Logic announced his College Park Tour with Juicy J. See those dates below, and watch the “Shimmy” video above.