Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. After a poor showing over the last couple of weeks, Nike is back with a vengeance absolutely dominating this week’s nine picks with seven selections across its Nike, Air Jordan, and Converse family of brands. What happened to New Balance, PUMA, and Reebok? Well, it looks like they’ve dropped the ball.

But it’s not only Nike’s week this time around, we’re also shouting out the latest drops from sneaker pranksters MSCHF and the Adidas Crazy 1 which makes a return in a Lakers-esque colorway. Kobe Bryant fans are sure to be psyched over the Crazy 1 and we’re glad that Adidas went ahead and picked a colorway that represented Kobe’s legacy, rather than acting like he’s not the only reason we care about this Y2K-era sneaker.

Let’s dive into this week’s best sneaker drops, and be sure to hit up our apparel roundup series Style Watch to complete your fit.

Nike Moc Flow x UNDERCOVER Black/Aloe Brown and Team Royal

Price: $160 (Black/ Aloe Brown)

Jun Takahashi’s Moc Flow is getting two new colorways this week, a spacey Black version and a spring-centric earthy brown version. The sneaker combines the midsole and outsole construction of the ISPA Flow with the comfort-focused fit of the ACG Moc, offering the sort of hybrid design that is synonymous with Takahashi’s work.

The Moc Flow sports a premium leather upper, a cord lacing system, and a toggle lock for a snug custom fit.

The Nic Moc Flow x UNDERCOVER Black / Aloe Brown and Team Royal are out now. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Converse x Devin Booker Chuck 70 The Next Icon

Price: $95

Suns icon Devin Booker has linked up with Converse for a stylish take on the classic Chuck 70. Leave it to Booker, one of the NBA’s most stylish, to go vintage for his team up. Featuring an undyed canvas, clean tape, egret outsole, Arizona-inspired license plate heel logo, and all-canvas toe construction, this Chuck 70 is all about stylish minimalism and we love it for that.

The Converse x Devin Booker Chuck 70 is out now. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or your favorite aftermarket site.

Nike Air Max 1 Mica Green

Price: $150

Sometimes a colorway is just — for lack of a better word — beautiful. The Air Max 1 Mica Green is beautiful. It feels weird to say that about a shoe, but what else can I say? Look at this thing! Featuring a premium leather upper with soft suede underlays and airy underlays, this Air Max 1 combines creamy white tones with Nike’s Mica Green details, and some soft grey paneling with design details from the original ’87 build of the sneaker.

The Nike Air Max 1 Mica Green is set to drop on April 14th at 7:00 AM PST. Pick up a pair at the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Cortez x Clot White and Game Royal

Price: $150

Let’s all take a second to thank Edison Chen for bringing the Nike Cortez back. For whatever reason, this LA street staple has been out of rotation at Nike. So anytime a brand wants to collaborate with Nike to bring the Cortez out of the archives, we’re down with it! This week Chen’s CLOT revamps the sneaker by wrapping it in an outer shell.

The big sell for this collaboration is the fact that it sports a three-in-one design. Drop that collapsible heel and you can wear the shoe like a sneaker. Ditch the shroud and you have a Cortez outfitted with a rubber sole or simply wear the shoe as is with the shroud attached which radically transforms the classic look of the Cortez.

The Nike Cortez x CLOT White and Game Royal is set to drop on April 14th at 7:00 AM PST. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Air Jordan 1 High Black and Lucky Green

Price: $180

On April 20th, 1986, The Chicago Bulls lost to the Boston Celtics in a double-overtime playoff game by four points. The final score was 135-131. Although the Bulls lost, Jordan scored an astounding 63 points during the game, that’s the highest amount of points by a single player in an NBA playoff game ever. So to commemorate that game, the Jordan 1 got a special Boston Celtics-inspired colorway known as ‘Black and Lucky Green.’

So if you happen to be a Celtics fan but still respect Jordan, this is the sneaker for you. The Lucky Green features an all-leather build and a combination of black, white, and bright green on the outsole, branding, and lace.

The Air Jordan 1 High Black and Lucky Green is set to drop on April 15th at 7:00 AM PST. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Adidas Crazy 1 Core Black/Collegiate Purple/Bold Gold

Price: $150

You won’t see his name written anywhere on this shoe or in the marketing material for legal purposes, but if you’re not aware, the Crazy 1 is Kobe Bryant’s first signature sneaker with Adidas. And it returns this week in a colorway that recalls a certain NBA team.

The sneaker features a molded coated synthetic leather upper, a Torsion Bar and TPU toe bumper, and an EVA midsole in a blank mamba-colored sneaker with purple and gold accents. Kobe fans and fans of Y2K-era footwear are going to find a lot to love in this release.

The Adidas Crazy 1 Core Black/Collegiate Purple/Bold Gold is set to drop on April 15th at 7:00 AM PST. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app.

MSCHF BWD

Price: $135

MSCHF is on a roll this year and only four months into the year they’ve already given us three different sneaker drops, each as fun as the next. That’s unprecedented for the brand but we’ll take it. MSCHF always keeps things interesting.

For their latest sneaker, the BWD, they’ve released a sneaker that is… backward. The tagline for this release is “life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forward” and features 3m reflective striping, a gum sole, and a white leather upper with orange suede accents and a speckled midsole. It’s frankly, pretty stupid, but like always MSCHF makes it work somehow.

The brand has also said, “BWD shoes imply the existence of FWD shoes.” So hopefully we get a more conventional pair down the line as well.

The MSCHF BWD is out now for a retail price of $135. Pick up a pair at your favorite aftermarket site.

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Women’s Nike Air Max 1 Teal Tint and Lemon Wash

Price: $180

With the spring season upon us, we’ve been expecting to get some pastel-colored kicks from the big brands. It looks like the first brand to step up to the plate is Nike with its Teal Tint and Lemon Wash Air Max 1.

Dropping in a women’s only size run, the Teal Tint and Lemon Wash feature a mix of pastel pink, blue, and green over a mixed fabric upper that combines jacquard, corduroy, and animal print with a silken liner and a chunky mustard midsole. Serving as a nice point of contrast is a rich black swoosh.

The Women’s Nike Air Max 1 Teal Tint and Lemon Wash is set to drop on April 13th at 7:00 AM PST. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air Force 1 ’07 Celestine Blue and Lemon Wash

Price: $125

The Celestine Blue and Lemon Wash AF-1 is essentially the same as the Air Max version. It has the same pastel colorway and the same jacquard, corduroy, and animal print upper, and it also features a women’s size-only run, just outfitted onto an Air Force 1.

Now if only Nike would give us a men’s size run of something equally fun.

The Nike Air Force 1 ’07 Celestine Blue and Lemon Wash is set to drop on April 13th at 7:00 AM PST. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

When we’re kids, fun comes so easily. You have coloring books and team sports and daily recess … so many opportunities to laugh, play and explore. As we get older, these activities get replaced by routine and responsibility (and yes, at times, survival). Adulthood, yuck.

Many of us want to have more fun, but making time for it still doesn’t come as easily as it did when we were kids—whether that’s because of guilt, a long list of other priorities or because we don’t feel it’s an age-appropriate thing to long for.

Luckily, we’ve come to realize that fun isn’t just a luxury of childhood, but really a vital aspect of living well—like reducing stress, balancing hormone levels and even improving relationships.

More and more people of all ages are letting their inner kids out to play, and the feelings are delightfully infectious.

You might be wanting to instill a little more childlike wonder into your own life, and not sure where to start. Never fear, the internet is here. Reddit user SetsunaSaigami asked people, “What always remains fun no matter how old you get?” People’s (surprisingly profound) answers were great reminders that no matter how complex our lives become, simple joy will always be important.

Here are 14 timeless pleasures to make you feel like a kid again:

1. Playing with dogs

via GIPHY

Doggos are basically furry children, so this one’s a no-brainer.

2. Legos

via GIPHY

The only thing NOT fun about Legos is stepping on one. Everything else is pure magic.

3. Popping bubble wrap

via GIPHY

With each satisfying “pop” sound, just imagine tiny bursts of dopamine flooding the brain.

4. Riding roller coasters

via GIPHY

While it’s true that riding roller coasters might become less physically possible with age, barring that limitation—you’re never too old to ride one.

5. Arcades

via GIPHY

Playing video games at home is cool, but there’s a special thrill in seeing an arcade absolutely buzzing with different game sounds, colored lights and other people enjoying themselves.

6. Go-karts

via GIPHY

Because speeding in real life is irresponsible.

7. Pillow fights

via GIPHY

A quintessential sleepover activity that can easily be done with a roommate. Bonus points for surprise attacks.

8. Dinosaurs

via GIPHY

Whether in toy or nugget form, dinosaurs are a delight.

9. Dressing up for Halloween

via GIPHY

Halloween costumes can go from a fun form of playful expression in our younger years to a source of self-image issues in our teens and beyond (as so many things in life do). Hopefully though, dressing up for the spooky season can be a highlight on the calendar.

10. Water slides

via GIPHY

Roller coasters in liquid form!

11. Dolls

via GIPHY

We no longer have to hide our passion for toys under the serious moniker of “collecting.” Playing with dolls is a fun practice in storytelling and has even shown a very specific set of therapeutic benefits. Permission, granted!

12. Daydreaming

via GIPHY

Remember peacefully imagining made-up worlds while staring up at the clouds? Those were good times.

13. Swings

via GIPHY

Whether you are a traditionalist or prefer to go crazy and twist yourself up for some epic spins, a swing set is a perfect place to let your inner child out.

14. Taking sick days

via GIPHY

Everything is more fun when you do it during a time you technically should be somewhere else.

This article originally appeared on 9.7.22

There are few things that feel more awful than being stranded at the altar by your spouse-to-be. That’s why people are cheering on Kayley Stead, 27, from the U.K. for turning a day of extreme disappointment into a party for her friends, family and most importantly, herself.

According to a report in The Metro, on Thursday, September 15, Stead woke up in an Airbnb with her bridemaids, having no idea that her fiance, Kallum Norton, 24, had run off early that morning. The word got to Stead’s bridesmaids at around 7 a.m. the day of the wedding.

“[A groomsman] called one of the maids of honor to explain that the groom had ‘gone.’ We were told he had left the caravan they were staying at in Oxwich Bay (the venue) at 12:30 a.m. to visit his family, who were staying in another caravan nearby and hadn’t returned. When they woke in the morning, he was not there and his car had gone,” Jordie Cullen wrote on a GoFundMe page.

u201cDevastated bride goes ahead with party after groom stood her up on their wedding day ud83dudc4fnn[THREAD] ud83euddf5u201d

— Manchester News MEN (@Manchester News MEN)
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Stead spoke with the groom at 4 p.m. the previous day, but they stayed the night with their respective parties to save some mystery before the big day. “The groom and I had already agreed not to speak the night before the wedding anyway, so I didn’t know what was happening on his end, I didn’t have a clue,” Stead told The Metro.

Stead was in absolute shock after hearing the news. She had paid for nearly the entire wedding herself, using up all of her life savings on the £12,000 ($13,000) affair. “As a joke, the videographer said ‘Why don’t you carry on, girls? You’ve spent all this money, you’re not getting it back, all your guests are there, why don’t you just go?’” Stead told The Metro.

So, she did just that. Stead decided that the wedding would go on without her fiance.

u201cKayley Stead made the brave decision to carry on with the celebrations without her partner of four years Kallum Norton after he ditched her before the ceremonynnhttps://t.co/BoBM7KUSOhu201d

— The Daily Record (@The Daily Record)
1664316000

“That’s when I was like, I’m going to do it,” she said. “I’d spent all this money, I’d been looking forward to the food, a dance with my dad, spending time with my family, so why not?”

Stead, her friends, family and even the groomsmen didn’t let things go to waste and they enjoyed her wedding entrance, food, speeches, dances and even posed for photos. “I didn’t want to remember the day as complete sadness,” she said.

“She was the most beautiful bride we had ever seen,” Cullen added.

The good news is that after the party, Cullen set up a GoFundMe page to help Stead recoup her losses and it has already reached its goal of £10,000 ($10,830). Almost two weeks after the event, Stead still doesn’t know why she was stood her up on her wedding day.

u201c”There were so many special moments, like my wedding entrance, the sparkler walk, the first dance and punching the wedding cake, so there was still happiness in the day. I’d spent all this money.” – Kayley Steadu201d

— Birmingham Live (@Birmingham Live)
1664199021

The Sun caught up with Norton and he refused to apologize. The only thing he had to say was, “I don’t want to talk about the article.”

While it’s terrible that Stead was stood up on her wedding day, she should be applauded for making the best of the worst day ever. It’s also wonderful that her bridesmaids and family stood by her side and supported her as she dealt with a serious blow. Let’s hope she finds someone better soon. It shouldn’t be too hard—standing someone up at the altar and then not even explaining yourself is a pretty low move.

This article originally appeared on 09.29.2

Chloë‘s new album In Pieces is finally out, not without controversy or coveted advice from Beyoncé. She kicked off her highly anticipated tour for the LP last night (April 11) in Chicago at the Riviera Theatre.

The 25-year-old singer didn’t hesitate to address all of the recent drama at the show. The screen behind her displayed distasteful comments about her such as “Why is her ass always out?” and “She doesn’t know who she is,” and she performed in front of it unbothered. Toward the end, she confronted the hate head-on: “F*ck what the f*ck anybody wanna f*ckin’ say. They can kiss my Black ass.”

Her setlist was packed with new songs for fans, opening with the first track on the record, “Someone’s Calling (Chloë).” It even included a Missy Elliott cover on top of “Told Ya,” the In Pieces song featuring Missy, according to setlist.fm.

Keep scrolling for the full setlist from the show.

1. “Someone’s Calling (Chloë)”
2. “Pray It Away”
3. “Have Mercy”
4. “Looze U”
5. “Told Ya”
6. “One Minute Man” (Missy Elliott cover)
7. “Feel Me Cry”
8. “Body Do”
9. “I Don’t Mind”
10. “How Does It Feel”
11. “Worried”
12. “Heart on My Sleeve”
13. “I’ll Kill You”
14. “Make It Look Easy”
15. “Cheatback”
16. “In Pieces”
17. “For The Night”
18. “Treat Me”

Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Mia Goth has been one of the more interesting and singular actresses for a good while now, blowing away audiences with her fearless work since at least Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac a decade back. Some even believe she was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for her work in last year’s Pearl. That didn’t happen. But she is getting something that’s a bit more lucrative than receiving some fancy trophy.

As per Deadline, Goth has been added to the cast of Blade, the in-the-works new stab at the vampire character previously embodied by Wesley Snipes. Two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali is taking over as the good guy bloodsucker, which will be helmed by ’71 director Yann Demange after a bit of a shake-up over who would helm.

It’s not known who Goth will play, but it will be the blockbuster debut of an actress who’s so far stuck to daring projects by iconoclastic filmmakers. Not only did she make her big screen debut with Lars von Trier, but she’s also worked with such figures as Luca Guadagnino for his remake of Suspiria, Clarie Denis on her sad space movie High Life, and Brandon Cronenberg on this year’s Infinity Pool.

Long before comic book movies took over Hollywood, Blade fueled three separate movies starring Wesley Snipes, including one made by no less than Guillermo del Toro. Those films were proudly R-rated, so we’ll see if this one is, too.

(Via Deadline)

Dominic Fike joined The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon all the way back in February 2022 and confirmed his character Elliot (who isn’t a stretch from Fike’s real-life persona, according to Fike) will return for the third season of Euphoria. We still have no idea when the third season of Euphoria will arrive, but today (April 12) Fike gave fans a better idea of when his sophomore LP might drop.

“thank god for Florida,” Fike tweeted. “courthouse friday.”

The single’s title is actually “Dancing In The Courthouse,” as revealed at the end of the video snippet in Fike’s tweet and an Instagram caption from the photographer Daniel Prakopcyk.

The snippet features Fike staring up at the sun and shielding his eyes with his hand. “People make up your mind / Until you can’t even tell / When someone gives you sign,” he sings. “But we make the ground our grave by layin’ in it / We make our problems fade by facing ’em / We make the wind our wings by raising your arms at the top of the world.”

The song abruptly cuts out, and we see Fike sitting in the car with his friend – implying he was playing the same snippet for his friend. “I like that,” the friend says. “Thanks,” Fike says. “I think that’s how it starts. I think that’s how the album starts.”

Fike’s debut album, What Could Possibly Go Wrong, released in July 2020. Since then, he has featured on Justin Bieber’s Justice album and Sir Paul McCartney’s McCartney III Imagined. And who could forget “Elliot’s Song“?

Fike teased his next studio album during his Out Of Order Tour last fall.

“It’s obviously been a while since I’ve toured. It’s been a while since I’ve released music,” Fike told the crowd at his tour-opening Seattle show on November 6, as tweeted by a fan at the time. “I don’t stop working. I don’t go out or anything, so the only thing I do is make music, so I have like four albums. … I have this new album that comes out really soon. It’s really good. It’s very honest. I think the world is missing honesty.”

In recent days, Fike has shared documentary-style videos captioned “Florida, part 1” and “Florida, part 2.” Watch them below.

American single malt is taking over the whiskey conversation in the U.S. right now. Distilleries have been distilling the stuff for well over a decade and a lot of it has really come into its own as world-class sipping single malt whiskeys. The style is so wide-ranging and regional-specific that it can’t help but be exciting thanks to new ideas colliding with old-school whiskey ways. WhistlePig knows this and has released one of the most elite single malt whiskeys that money can buy. I was lucky enough to snag a bottle and am going to break it all down for you.

Before we dive in, let’s get a little context. Just to be crystal clear, this whiskey is a Canadian single malt whisky. It’s sourced (as is most of WhistlePig’s product) but was finished in Vermont on the pastoral WhistlePig farm. So there is a bit of an extra special WhistlePig vibe in play with this very old sourced whiskey.

Still, we’re talking about 20-plus-year-old single malt whisky and that’s pretty exciting. So let’s get right into what’s actually in this bottle, and whether or not you should track one down too.

• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2022, Ranked
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• We Blind Tasted Single Malt Whiskies From All Over The World To Find A Champion

WhistlePig “Béhôlden” Small Batch Single Malt Whiskey Aged 21 Years

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $799

The Whiskey:

This new whiskey from WhistlePig is a big one. The whiskey in the bottle is a 21-year-old Canadian single malt, likely from here since it’s billed as coming from “the first Single Malt distillery in North America.” That whiskey rested in American oak for two decades before being shipped to Vermont for a finishing run in WhistlePig’s rye barrels. Only 18 barrels were selected for this very limited release.

Bottle/Presentation:

Like a lot of whiskeys as this amazingly high-level, this comes in a nice box with all the trimmings. The box has a nice heft to it. The bottle is also heavy and feels nice in your hand. Overall, it’s flashy enough while still being nicely understated.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sultanas and Graham Cracker buttery crust drive the nose toward old oak cellars, peanut brittle, and a hint of chocolate nut clusters with a hint of salinity.

Palate: There’s a deep and dark black cherry on the lush palate that builds on moist marzipan, soft malted spice cakes, and a hint of black licorice and salted toffee.

Finish: The finish leans into the old oak and cellar vibes with a hint of malted chocolate cut with winter spices and folded into old tobacco leaves with a fleeting sense of smudging sage lurking in the background.

Bottom Line:

This is a luxurious whiskey that has a deep sense of malted whiskey vibes. Still, Glen Breton Rare 21-Year-Old (the closest analog for this bottle) costs about $100 (less on a good day). Granted, that whiskey did not go through a finishing maturation in Vermont. But, yeah, I’ll just leave you with that information.

Ranking:

80/100 — This is a collectible more than a must-have sipper. The rarity of this one (and the devotion of WhistlePig acolytes) will likely mean that the price will go up over time. But the juice in the bottle just doesn’t live up to Scotch at the same age but half the price.

Rick and Morty is probably going to be around for a very long time, but if co-creator Dan Harmon and team ever take ages between seasons, like they’ve done in the past, at least there’s back-up. Last year Adult Swim ordered an anime spinoff, called, simply, Rick and Morty: The Anime. It’s from director Takashi Sano, who’s already done two Rick and Morty anime shorts, and if you wondered what the multiverse-hopping duo look like as anime characters, now you’re in luck.

The first image was part of the massive content tease dump that came with HBO Max’s rebranding as simply Max, which also brought news about new Harry Potter and Game of Thrones shows as well as stuff with a teaser for the Penguin spinoff with Colin Farrell. Honestly it looks…not all that different from the main show. But Sano and team will surely take the beloved series in its own funky directions.

Not much else is known about the anime spinoff. For instance, it’s unclear whether Justin Roiland, who was yanked from the main show over domestic violence charges that have since been dismissed, will have any involvement. Indeed, it’s not clear yet who will voice the main twosome. Nor do we know when the 10-episode spinoff will be released. Hang tight!

(Via TV Insider)

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Drake, Rae Sremmurd, and more.

Better late than never; last Friday’s column landed on a Wednesday due to holidays and other work that took higher priority, but I refuse to let a week go by without keeping y’all updated on the latest rap releases. In addition to new records from Drake, Joey Badass, and Amine, there are a bunch of other releases worth checking out.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending DATE TK, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Blac Youngsta — Blac Sheep

Blac Sheep is a fitting title for Blac Youngsta’s latest release if you think about it; he’s probably been signed to CMG the longest out of anyone on the roster, but typically gets less blog love. With that said, I’d argue that he’s the most consistent and lyrically sharpest member of the crew outside of Moneybagg Yo, and his latest release once again proves it.

Curren$y & Jermaine Dupri — For Motivational Use Only

My favorite release of the week sees the long-running vanguard of laid-back luxury teaming up with an unlikely-seeming collaborator for what might be one of his most invigorating records yet. Curren$y is known for primarily employing breezy, jazz-centric production, but let me tell you, when this brother gets on a native bounce beat, the result is magic.

Fly Anakin & Foisey — Skinemaxxx: Side A

Picking up where he left off with last year’s Frank, Fly Ani returns to his comfortable pocket of weirdly abstract lyrical stylings and kaleidoscopic samples alongside Foisey. Frank’s latest also features a reunion with Pink Siifu, suggesting that they might have some more stuff in the stash.

Kenny Muney — Blue Muney

Memphis rap fans are flourishing this week as one of the remaining representatives from the other side of the city’s boiling-hot trap scene offers up a new release, as well. Before Dolph’s death, he really seemed to be setting up Muney for the second of PRE’s big breakouts after Key Glock. It’s nice to see him maintaining that momentum, even without his biggest benefactor.

Mozzy — Kollect Kall

Oh, you thought being locked up would stop Mozzy from dropping new music? Credit Drakeo The Ruler for sparking the recent trend of incarcerated rappers recording entire projects from behind bars (or Max B, if you want), but this six-song EP shows Mozzy is as hungry as ever and when he gets out, the rap world should consider itself officially on notice.

NF — Hope

I’m not going to lie; there’s a strong possibility I really only included this because the homie Cordae is on it. NF is largely known as the Christian Rap(?) version of Eminem, whose main claim to fame was blocking Chance The Rapper’s debut album from the No. 1 Billboard spot in 2019. But he’s got a decent enough flow and an absolutely manic fan base, so his new project is probably worth checking out, if only to judge for yourself.

Singles/Videos

Jayson Cash — “Questions” Feat. Major Myjah

Carson’s own burgeoning star unleashes his inner romantic on his latest single, a breezy, warm-weather cruiser that finds him dropping game to a potential paramour.

Redveil & Jpegmafia — “Black Enuff”

Grungy and energetic, this collaboration between the Detroit experimentalist and Peggy, threads the gap between hardcore and woozy noise rap, challenging the stereotypes of ethnic essentialism both sonically and lyrically.

Smiley — “Nicky Nine Door”

Drake’s artist’s newest single is a thumping vibe track, perfect for late-night soirees where the atmosphere suits the blurred-vision raps and mellow instrumental underscoring them.

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

With limited roster spots and the need to make an immediate impact to stick, meshing skillset and opportunity is essential for success as a young player entering the WNBA. That makes the Los Angeles Sparks drafting Shaneice Swain, a 19-year-old guard from Australia, with the second pick in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft all the more intriguing.

Swain, who currently plays for the University of Canberra Capitals of the Women’s National Basketball League, is a draft-and-stash player for the Sparks, someone who won’t be on the books and start her rookie contract until she officially comes to the United States and signs with the team whenever she’s ready. The Sparks have consistently said that everything is about building for a better future ever since wholesale front office and coaching changes. What that means is balancing decisions that help the team now with those that can most positively impact them long-term, something general manager Karen Bryant brought up while discussing Swain after the 2023 WNBA Draft on Monday.

“We don’t expect Shaneice to come over and play and be a part of the team in 2023,” Bryant said. “But, we’re excited about the future prospect of her coming over here. We’re obviously mindful of her age and want to be smart about how we continue to invest in her future and bring her over at the right time.”

Swain has been on the scouting radar for some time, playing internationally for Australia’s youth team and performing well for the Capitals during the most recent WNBL season. She most recently popped during the inaugural Nike Hoop Summit, showing out as one of the top prospects in Portland during the week of practice, scrimmages, and the USA vs. World game.

With a crafty handle, flashy playmaking ability, herky-jerky pacing, and a good touch inside and outside the arc, Swain has a great deal of promise as a ball screen heavy combo guard.

Draft-and-stashes aren’t uncommon in the W, but provide an extremely interesting inflection point in looking at the draft and scouting as a whole in women’s basketball. Per league rules, domestic draft entrants must have turned 22 during their draft year (whether it be before or after), while international entrants must have turned 20.

We’ve seen more players selected with draft-and-stash in mind in the top 16 of the draft over the last five years than the decade prior. Six international prospects have been drafted in the top 16 over the last three drafts, as many as there were from 2008-2018. Draft classes are certainly volatile, varying on a year by year basis, but the willingness to draft younger non-domestic talent seems to be a growing trend, as teams look beyond the college ranks to seek out some value.

Identifying talent earlier, while also acknowledging that they may not be ready to come play immediately, provides the opportunity to find a valuable prospect and watch them get better by being a professional at such a young age, while also preserving valuable roster and cap space in the present.

“Her youth and her upside are such an appeal,” says Sparks head coach Curt Miller. “Her best days are ahead of her, she won’t turn 20 until after the completion of the WNBA season.”

Part of the intrigue, says Miller, came in watching her perform in Portland against players that she would be going up against if she played college ball in the States to help gauge where she is now. Playing in a professional organization and competing against pros, a number of whom have WNBA experience, provides an environment to hone herself in a different atmosphere than many of her current draft-eligible peers.

A different developmental setting allows for potential growth you maybe wouldn’t account for in college with the opportunity to bring Swain over earlier if she hits another gear and Sparks’ brass feel she’s ready. Playing against pros daily, will her game develop quicker? Can physical and skill-based maturation occur at a different rate when a player is a professional as opposed to plying their trade at the college level?

There isn’t an outright answer to these questions, but whatever risk comes from trying to answer them are the sorts of things Los Angeles is willing to take as it enters a new era.

“We thought this was a huge advantage for us as we continue to look forward,” Bryant says.

When the Sparks executed a trade with the Connecticut Sun to acquire Jasmine Thomas, part of the deal was getting the 10th pick in the draft, which opened the doors to be willing to go outside the box and not draft someone who will immediately impact the team with the 14th pick. Now, they have a promising young player in one of the sport’s premier international leagues, whose growth will be well worth tracking as Swain and the Sparks both look to grow, even with an ocean separating the two sides.

“We feel really good about where we landed today,” Bryant says. “We spent some time the past few days taking a step back from the near term and focusing on where we’re really trying to go ultimately, and that’s to bring a championship back to L.A.”