When you’ve lost Fox News’ Sean Hannity, that’s a sure sign that a good chunk of the GOP support could go with him. That’s the dilemma that Lauren Boebert now faces after Hannity called her out (last week) over her very public opposition to Rep. Kevin McCarthy becoming House Speaker. As it turns out, McCarthy did take the gavel after 15 rounds of voting, which means that this mess swallowed up most of the week on the House floor. A divided GOP did entertain social media, but also, it was a lot.
In the middle were two controversial lawmakers, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, who eventually did flip their votes. Boebert, especially, showed herself to be willing to keep the clock running. To say that many lawmakers felt fed up would be an understatement, given that they flat-out jeered when she attempted to give a speech instead of voting. There are shades of Ted Cruz’s fake filibustering here, which isn’t the best vibe to aim for. In an AP report also published by one of Boebert’s nearly-hometown papers, The Denver Post, some of her constituents sound like they’re over her:
“Tone down the nasty rhetoric on occasion and just stick with the point at hand,” said [Debbie] Hartman, 65, a veterinary tech assistant.
…..
“She tapped into what Trump was doing, and she maybe took it too far in some instances,” said Alex Mason, 27, adding that Boebert, whom he supports, is still more tactful than former President Donald Trump.
In response, Boebert issued some statements, which included acknowledging that her “slim victory” had an effect, which was that “it opened my eyes to another chance to do everything that I’ve been promising to do.” As well, she re-upped her recent swing at those “space lasers,” meaning that she fired a shot at Marjorie Taylor Greene’s propensity for spreading conspiracy theories.
“I have been asked to explain MTG’s beliefs on Jewish space lasers, on why she showed up to a white supremacist conference. … I’m just not going to go there,” Boebert declared (although it’s unclear whether she was prompted to do so). “She wants to say all these things and seem unhinged on Twitter, so be it.”
Boebert also added this perception of her critics: “Look at your election, are you going to tone it down, little girl?” So, she does not appear to be toning it down. In fact, she’s doing the opposite.
On Valentine’s Day in 2017, Lola Brooke quit her job as a hotel worker. In her own words, she did it all for “the love of the music.” A day dedicated to expressing appreciation and commitment toward someone you love is one that Brooke used to embrace her burning passion and begin a new chapter that had no telling where it would bring her. Truthfully, the Lola Brooke we know today might not have existed if not for her mother who pushed her to pursue her passion. “She told me to leave my job,” Brooke says about her mother over a Zoom call before speaking about the first time she heard her rap. “She was like, ‘One day I sat down and I was like wait, she is really rapping,’” Brooke recalls. “Then after I was telling her, ‘Ma, I really want to go for it but this job is stressful. I can’t really get into my creativity knowing that I have to make it to work on time in the morning.” Her mother’s response? “You might as well leave.” She also promised to support and lift her daughter’s dreams. “I got you if you need some help, you’ll be aight,” she added. “Just leave, this is your dream. Go for it.”
Lola Brooke did as her mother said and she never looked back.
Almost six years later, Brooke is one of hip-hop’s most exciting newcomers who overflows with potential and shines with riveting spirit for the genre. Need proof? Just look to the weekend before Christmas when A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie brought Brooke out as a special guest during his concert in Connecticut. Brooke sprinted out from stage left to roars from the crowd of 8,000 people as her hit song “Don’t Play With It” blasted from the speakers, along with the crowd who recited it word for word. She was all but fazed by the moment, in fact, she went head-on at it. She pierced through the performance with combative energy and a stage presence that left you to say “damn!” in the end.
“On the way there, I remember somebody saying ‘arena,’ something like that,” Lola says. “So I’m excited from that alone.” In the end, her performance and the moment it was granted her everything that she asked for. “I had fun,” she adds. “It was a good experience. I always said to myself that all I ever wanted was to be in an arena and hear the audience recite my lyrics. So that was one of my goals that I got off my bucket list.”
Lola Brooke’s success in 2022 allowed her to check off plenty from her bucket list. Much of her achievements are tied to “Don’t Play With It,” her hit song that caught fire in the second half of 2022 despite its original release coming the year prior. Brooke’s trademark aggression and fearless raps are live and direct on the track, one she used to air out frustrations about her career at the time. “I was being overlooked!” she says. “Since a little girl I’ve been saying that I wanted to be this entertainer. Sometimes you get discouraged because when you don’t receive the good feedback [that you wanted], it just means that you got to keep working.” Negative feedback wasn’t going to stop Brooke, and neither was the thought of competing. “[There’s] a lot of people that you going up against that want that same spotlight, so regardless if you’re not in competition with everybody else, the people will make you in competition with everybody else. So you got to find a way of being different so that you won’t get caught up in the drama and still win.”
While she undoubtedly wears her heart on her sleeve in the rap game, Brooke also wears Brooklyn on it as well. She’s called the city home for all of her life, and though her success may pull her to different corners of the world, she knows that some things will never change. “Brooklyn is in me, and I’m proud to wear that skin every day,” she boasts while also noting its undeniable presence in her music. “I write about what I see – who I am, and it all traces back to where I’m from,” she adds. “You have to visit Brooklyn to understand why I am how I am, the way I’m boisterous, the way I talk, the way I feel. That’s why I have tough skin, because of what I’ve seen or been through.”
So at every moment she can, Lola Brooke reminds us about how long she’s been putting in the work to stand in the spotlight she’s in now. “This is the same flow that I used in 2017,” she quips, for example, in her “Fire In The Booth” on Charlie Sloth’s Apple Music radio show. Win or lose, there was no stopping Lola Brooke, even when others tried to knock her off her spot. “Music is made to make you feel good,” Brooke notes as she reflects on the hard times. “I had to remember that because in the beginning — I’ve always felt like that — but some people they come in and they just want to have a voice just to say that there’s a reason you did something.” Knowing how to control and value the outside noise and not let it affect her too much, proved to be essential for her mindset and staying leveled. “People always want to be a part of your story, but it’s not just being a part of the story, you have to actually help me through the process.”
As for what’s next in the process, Brooke confirmed a project is in the works for 2023, but as for a more specific timeframe, well, that’ll be up to her fans to help her determine. “I’m gonna let my fans choose that energy,” she says. “Imma feel it from my fans to know that yes, it is time to put out a project.” Outside of music, however, her goals for the year are clear. “I just really want to buy my family a big house so that we could just all be in one place at one time every time I come home from work.”
Just a few days after I spoke to Brooke, she earned herself another highlight moment for 2022. Future brought her out as a guest at his Barclays Center concert (another arena) in her hometown of Brooklyn. Just as we saw during her appearance at A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s concert, Brooke had to crowd in the palm of her hands in Barclays. Stage presence, energy, and crowd control; it was all there without a flaw or misstep. There’s a saying that goes as follows: “once you’re lucky, twice you’re good.” The proof is in the pudding and Lola Brooke is certainly the latter.
“I got a lot in store,” Brooke says toward the end of our conversation. “Just don’t play with her. It’s always gonna be don’t play with her, no matter what I do. That’s it.”
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Before football fans everywhere learned of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, he had founded a brand and non-profit organization — both named Chasing Millions. One of his clothing designs boasted the phrase, “Love Me B4 They All Do.” The 24-year-old Pittsburgh native never could have imagined that he’d become a household name by suffering cardiac arrest on the field during the first quarter of last week’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, and Hamlin probably prefers it didn’t happen this way, but he also doesn’t intend to waste his newfound platform.
The NFLPA separately shared an Instagram Reel recapping all of the league-wide tributes, appropriately soundtracked by Meek Mill’s “Hot” featuring Moneybagg Yo and reposted by Meek to his Instagram Story.
Saturday also saw Hamlin post his first public messages since the near-fatal event, which continued into Sunday, January 8, when the Bills defeated the New England Patriots in their regular-season finale. Hamlin watched the game from his hospital bed. He announced newly designed “Did We Win?” tees, with the proceeds going toward first responders and the UC Trauma Center.
Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw Drake bless the new year with a feature and Quavo mourn a tragic loss. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Drake had a massive 2022 with both Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss, but here in the first days of 2023, he’s not taking his foot off the gas. Popcaan and Drake blessed the first new music Friday of the year with “We Caa Done,” a warm new dancehall tune that comes with a Kevin Durant-featuring video.
Quavo — “Without You”
The last few months have been tough for Migos and associates after the November death of Takeoff. Offset and Quavo have offered occasional looks at how they’ve been doing since that tragic day, and now Quavo has done so through music via “Without You,” on which he grieves, “Tears rolling down my eyes / Can’t tell you how many times I cried / Days ain’t the same without you.”
Skrillex, Fred Again.., and Flowdan — “Rumble”
In terms of albums, the last we heard from Skrillex was his 2014 debut album Recess. That was about nine years ago now, but he’s getting ready to drop a new project this year. He previewed it last week with “Rumble,” a brief team-up with Fred Again.. and Flowdan. But that’s not all…
Skrillex, PinkPantheress, and Trippie Redd — “Way Back”
…as he also came through with another collaboration, a team-up with PinkPantheress and Trippie Redd dubbed “Way Back.” It’s another quick-hitter, a two-minute tune that is carried by PinkPantheress’ serene verse over a gentle-but-rapid-fire instrumental.
Ice Spice — “In Ha Mood”
Ice Spice ended 2022 as one of the hottest emerging rappers in the game and now she starts 2023 by keeping up the intrigue with another new drop, “In Ha Mood.” Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes of the tune, “Complete with a drill beat and R&B-sounding vocal samples, Ice maintains a fiery flow throughout, as she reiterates her confidence.”
2KBaby — “Don’t Love Me Now” Feat. Charlieonnafriday
Speaking of rising rappers, 2KBaby also started out the year with some heat, linking up with Charlieonnafriday on “Don’t Love Me Now.” On the song, as Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes, Baby “teams up with singer Charlieonafriday to address his doubters, haters, and naysayers, noting that he made it this far without their support.”
French Montana and DJ Drama — “The Oath” Feat. Chinx
After the holiday new music lull, it usually takes a minute for the music world to get some momentum going again. French Montana got things going last week, though, with the collaborative DJ Drama mixtape Coke Boys 6. Tragically, the release was overshadowed by a shooting on his music video set that reportedly had ten victims.
Russ — “Put You On Game”
More than most rappers, Russ has done a terrific job at forging his own path and making things happen for himself. So, aspiring MCs would be served by listening to his advice, of which he has plenty on “Put You On Game“: “Lemme put you on game / Don’t listen to people who lose, or you’ll do the same / Stop talkin’ to people who don’t give a f*ck what you say / Stop spendin’ your money on weed, go hop on a plane / Stop pointin’ the finger and start takin’ some of the blame.”
Queen Naija — “Let’s Talk About It”
Let’s leave f*ckboys behind in 2022. That seems to be a stance Queen Naija can get behind, anyway, like on her new song, “Let’s Talk About It.” She says on the track, “Always think you know it all / You don’t know what’s best for you / Why you scared of therapy? / Probably can’t accept the truth,” and the video is even more direct.
White Reaper — “Pink Slip”
In a recent interview, White Reaper’s Tony Esposito told Uproxx of the band’s upcoming album Asking For A Ride, “There were definitely lots of times when I was like, ‘What’s the point of even doing this?’ Like, as soon as we make a decision, we’re going to get some email that’s going to blow everything up and push it back another month. And that just happened time and time again. Like I said, it was dark times there for a minute, but I’m glad that we stuck it out and finished, because it feels great now.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This Friday, January 13, Miley Cyrus is set to release “Flowers.” That’s the lead single from her recently announced upcoming album, Endless Summer Vacation. She clearly has a lot on her plate, but she still has to take care of everyday to-do’s, like hopping in the shower and getting clean. So, she multi-tasked: In a new “Flowers” teaser video shared today (January 9), Cyrus rinses off in the shower as she sings the song, unaccompanied except by the sound of water, for about half a minute.
The post also notes the song’s international release times: It’ll be out in New York on January 12 at 7 p.m. local time; in LA on the 12th at 4 p.m.; in Sydney, Australia on January 13 at 11 a.m.; and in London, England on the 13th at midnight.
Per press materials, Endless Summer Vacation was recorded in Los Angeles with producers Kid Harpoon, Greg Kurstin, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Tyler Johnson. Materials also described the LP as a “very personal body of work” and noted, “2023 finds Miley the strongest and most confident she’s ever been, with the music and imagery of Endless Summer Vacation serving as a reflection of the strength she’s found in focusing on both her physical and mental well-being.”
Endless Summer Vacation is out 3/10 via Columbia. Pre-order it here.
Cancel culture has been a hot topic of discussion for the past few years, and at the same time, cultural appropriation has been one for even longer. Over the weekend, Lizzo connected the two topics in an unexpected way in a tweet that she worried came at “a random time” but felt important enough to her to explain. Calling the current obsession with cancel culture an example of appropriation, the singer broke down how the former changed as its ubiquity grew.
“This may be a random time to say this but it’s on my heart…” she wrote. “Cancel culture is appropriation.” Heading off the knee-jerk reactions she saw coming, she explained, “There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused, and misdirected. I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems.”
This may be a random time to say this but it’s on my heart.. cancel culture is appropriation.
There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected.
I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems.
Commenters’ reactions varied, with some pointing out a similar parallel in the rise of the misuse of the term “woke.” “You’ve reminded me of how white nationalists have appropriated ‘woke’ to weaponize against the community that the expression hails from, as well,” read one reply. However, others argued against Lizzo’s statement — although it must be noted most of those didn’t really seem to engage with the substance of it.
Lizzo has always been an outspoken voice on sensitive subjects like body image, cultural identity, and community activism. She may have thought it was a “random time” to address her thoughts, but it’s never a bad time to talk about ways to make the world a better, more equitable, kinder place.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
And on Sunday, January 8, Rodrigo marked the two-year “Drivers License” anniversary by doubling down on how psyched she is to show her fans her continued growth. The 19-year-old shared a black-and-white video to her Instagram Story with the text, “working on so many new songs I’m excited to show u! thank u for everything.” In the snippet, Rodrigo is seated at the piano next to Dan Nigro, one of her Sour producers.
“Hey, it’s Olivia! I just wanted to say thank you so much for listening to my music this year,” she said. “[I] really, truly couldn’t be more grateful, and I’m so excited for next year and all of the new things and the new music that 2023 will bring. So I’m sending so much love your way, and thank you again. Bye!”
As part of our list of January K-pop releases to look out for, Secret Agents SF9 has finally arrived. And, boy, they couldn’t have come any sooner.
Kicking the year off for FNC Entertainment, and just fresh off their US tour, SF9 is back with their twelfth EP, The Piece Of9. Coinciding with the drop yesterday (January 8), the seven-member male ensemble unveiled the music video to their lead single “Puzzle.”
Just as what you may think from the song title, the spy-themed music video captures the group on a mission to solve a puzzle as secret agents. In a compilation of scenes containing smooth moves, suave looks, and alluring vocals, SF9 is out to chase the suspect to their mystery, and, perhaps, your heart, too. The lyrics deliver the message of suspecting someone (or a significant other) of betrayal and lies, and creating ongoing alibis.
“Puzzle” was produced by member Zuho and was co-written by him and Hwiyoung.
The Piece Of9 is the 12th EP SF9 has released under FNC Entertainment. The EP consists of six tracks, most of which credit various members of SF9 as lyricists.
Amid a wave of rave reviews from critics and audiences, M3GAN blew past its box office projections to bring in a $35 million box office haul for its opening weekend. Granted, Avatar: The Way of Water still maintained the top spot, M3GAN’s box office is the stuff franchises are made of, but first, horror producer James Wan wants to set the record straight about him being the “killer doll” guy.
“It’s funny, I really hadn’t done that yet,” Wan told Deadline. “In my previous doll movies — they don’t kill anyone. Annabelle never gets up and walks around. Everyone says I’m the killer doll guy. So I said, I’m going to make a killer doll movie for a brand new generation. Today’s kids didn’t grow up with Chucky like we did.”
Well, the next Chucky might have finally arrived in the form of M3GAN, which is connecting with audiences thanks to Wan’s decision to steer clear of one of the horror genre’s biggest tropes:
“M3GAN plays on a lot of different levels: It’s scary, creepy, touching and emotional at the same time,” Wan says, “We wanted to lean into something more technology-driven as opposed to supernatural.”
It also didn’t hurt that M3GAN had an aggressive marketing strategy that capitalized on the murder doll’s creepy dancing to turn her into a TikTok sensation. “When you see that team get excited about a movie, they pull out all the stops,” producer Jason Blum said. “When you feel that enthusiasm from marketing as a producer it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling.”
As for a sequel, Deadline reports that one is “already in early development.”
There are only 142 restaurants in the world with a coveted three-star rating from Michelin Guide. But even in that rarefied (and pricey) air, there’s one restaurant that stands out above the rest: Noma, which is regularly called the “world’s best restaurant.” If you haven’t been, or if you want to experience the ants-covered shrimp again, better make a reservation now: the Copenhagen, Denmark-based eatery is closing in 2024.
“The decision comes as Noma and many other elite restaurants are facing scrutiny of their treatment of the workers, many of them paid poorly or not at all, who produce and serve these exquisite dishes,” the New York Times reports. “The style of fine dining that Noma helped create and promote around the globe — wildly innovative, labor-intensive and vastly expensive — may be undergoing a sustainability crisis.” Noma chef and founder René Redzepi, who will turn the restaurant into a “full-time food laboratory,” told the Times, “We have to completely rethink the industry. This is simply too hard.”
“It’s unsustainable,” he said of the modern fine-dining model that he helped create. “Financially and emotionally, as an employer and as a human being, it just doesn’t work.”
The timing of Noma’s closure announcement comes less than two weeks after The Menu, a brilliantly-realized satire of the fine-dining industry, was added to HBO Max. This has not gone unnoticed.
You can pay thousands and thousands of dollars to eat at Noma, or you could eat a really good cheeseburger while watching The Menu at home for, like, 20 bucks. I’ll take the burger.
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ar Hamlin <3 (@d.ham3)
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Olivia Rodrigo teases new music. 
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