Category: Viral

2018 was only four years, which somehow feels both like just yesterday and a lifetime ago. A lot has happened since then, making it easier than ever to forget that it was the year that helped to launch some of today’s biggest names in rap music, including Cardi B, Travis Scott, and Blueface. The latter’s “Thotiana,” which dominated radio and playlists for much of the year, was a controversial hit, inspiring as many detractors as imitators, but its impact is clear in nearly every syllable-packed single that bubbles up from the LA underground scene.

For the latest edition of Uproxx’s How I Blew Up, the Mid-City native stops by the studio to explain his recording process, reveal the moment he first knew “Thotiana” was a hit, and recall working with future No. 1-selling artist Cardi B on the song’s remix. He also explains how he fell into the “off-beat” style of rapping that became his signature, saying, “The inspiration was no inspiration.” And while that quirky rhythmic approach received its fair share of side-eyes in 2018, many of the buzzy names that followed — names like 1TakeJay, AzChike, BlueBucksClan, Remble, and more — have clearly taken the baton and run with it.

2018 was a long time ago, but at the same time, it wasn’t that long ago, either. Blueface has since proven he’s no one-hit-wonder, but he’s also still just getting started. Check out the latest episode of How I Blew Up above.

Summertime in Chicago’s Grant Park is inextricably tied to Lollapalooza festival. Now, the organizers behind Lollapalooza, Rosarito’s surging Baja Beach Fest, and Chicago-based promoter Reventon, are producing a new reggaeton and Música Latina festival called Sueños, and the opening lineup is loaded.

The two-day festival takes place in Grant Park on Memorial Day Weekend from May 28th to 29th. The headliners for the first annual Sueños include reggaeton behemoths J Balvin, Ozuna, and Wisin y Yandel. The vision for the fest is to better represent Chicago’s Latinx community and Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot echoed that in a statement: “Chicago is home to one of the largest Mexican populations in the country–making events like Sueños Festival an important opportunity to highlight the culture and the cultural contributions of our Latino community as a whole.”

Baja Beach Fest’s Aaron Ampudia added that “Reggaetón is a massive genre but remains underserved by live festivals in the US. We’re extremely proud to expand to the US and serve our community and everyone who enjoys Latin music.”

Other acts on the bill include Jhay Cortez, Myke Towers, El Alfa, Sech, Natanael Cano, and a lot more.

Check out the festival poster with the full lineup below. Pre-sale registration is open now here and the pre-sale begins Friday, February 11th at 12 p.m. CT. General on-sale begins Friday at 2 p.m. CT, all at the same link.

This morning, The Mitchells vs. the Machines was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and, this may come as no surprise: director Mike Rianda, and producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, are very happy today. It’s been a long, kind of strange road for The Mitchells vs. the Machines. This pretty weird movie was supposed to be a Sony theatrical release, but, due to the pandemic, Sony sold the domestic distribution rights to Netflix. And then, it seems, literally everyone watched this movie. As Rianda, Lord, and Miller say ahead, while making it they were concerned no would would like it. Then, with the pandemic, they were concerned no one would see it. And, now today, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is an Oscar nominee.

Do you know what’s funny? We’ve spoken in passing a lot but I have never interviewed you guys. This is it.

Phil Lord: This is the time. Get it all in. Ask them all.

I promise, you don’t want that. But I always like doing these, because everyone’s in a great mood.

Phil Lord: Yes, true. So true. True. I’m not exhausted. I’m not still wearing the bracelet from The Sparks concert last night.

You’ve had quite a 24 hours.

Phil Lord: I fell asleep in it.

Christopher Miller: I would say this is the most chipper I’ve been at 7:30 in the morning without having had any coffee.

It’s 10:30 here and I’m still tired. But, then again, I don’t have the adrenaline. I didn’t get nominated for anything this morning.

Phil Lord: Nominating you for best interview.

All right. I’m getting the adrenaline now. I haven’t won yet…

Phil Lord: Right. Feel it. You feel it?

Mike Rianda: It’s a long way to victory though. It’s a long way to victory.

That’s true.

Christopher Miller: We have 73 nominees. So it’s an honor just to be a nominee.

The path to today seems fraught. The movie gets delayed, then moves from theatrical to Netflix. But then it was perfect timing because everyone saw this movie. Then you get an Oscar nomination.

Mike Rianda: I mean, because it was such a long journey to make it. And it took years and years, but we had this like world’s most wonderful team of people. So it was really a joy to work on and they created tools that are changing, the innovation and they’ve just been so wonderful. So it’s, basically, when the movie came out, we were just sort of trying to make everybody proud. It was kind of a weird coincidence that the movie is about a giant global apocalypse, sort of. And what you need to do in that. And it’s sort of like, hang close to your family and hang close to your relationships. And I think the whole world is going through that right now, because there’s a giant pandemic where people are having to sort of cling to their families and actually use technology. It’s the only way we can see each other right now. And just like the movie is about, you have to sort of find a good relationship with technology and figure out, because it’s sort of part of the family, how to live with it and have it reveal our humanity instead of hide it.

Phil Lord: And definitely felt like a movie that needed to be seen this year. And it was really exciting that Netflix loved it so much and wanted to put it out. You know, we were thinking to ourselves, well, when on earth could this come out? Would families head out to a movie theater and feel comfortable?

Christopher Miller: We still don’t know-

Phil Lord: But, thankfully, Netflix was so excited to put it out and as he said, it got so many more people seeing it than would’ve seen it otherwise at a time when it was really needed. So it was really special.

Was there a moment where you felt like no one’s ever going to see this?

Christopher Miller: Every moment we worked on it.

Phil Lord: It was kind of like actually Netflix was like a guardian angel in a way, because it was supposed to come out in September 2020, and then it was October 2020. And then we were like, okay, maybe March 2021? And then as it just kept getting pushed, we were thinking when is this ever going to come out? And we worked so hard on it and we’re so proud of it. And it’s so relevant to what people are going through right now. And then, Netflix came upon with just a lot of passion and love and excitement for the film. So it ended up being a wonderful thing, even though it wasn’t how we planned it.

Mike Rianda: We were at a studio that didn’t fire everybody right away. There were other places that, it was like, they were just massively up and Sony was like, No, we are holding the line, this is our film family. Like we’re keeping it going. So finding ways to put movies out was important, because it meant that our friends in different departments could keep working. So it was a real win-win when Netflix came knocking, and said, hey, incoming call, we’d like to make a big deal out of this movie. We’re like, Yes, thank you. Let’s all do that so that Jesse can keep his job in marketing.

I mean this as a compliment, but judging from your Twitter accounts, you really wanted this to happen today. It’s still shocking The Lego Movie didn’t get nominated. And I guess since then, have you been like we can’t take this for granted? We have to be out there and talking this up?

Phil Lord: Well, we certainly don’t take anything for granted, right? We never know what’s going to happen. And we were hoping for something like this, because we were really proud of the film, [laughs] but we certainly have learned never to assume anything. So it’s been a great joy and relief today.

Christopher Miller: We’ve experienced every side of this. We missed out when The Lego Movie came out, but we also made a bunch of Lego afterwards. Now they sell those at the Academy store. We got a chance to win for Spider-Verse. It was such a proud moment for everybody to work on that movie. And you know, this movie is like those in the sense that it’s trying to do something that hasn’t been done before, it doesn’t look like any other movie. It’s innovative in every department and trying to move the ball forward in animation. And so when you do that, you’re like, I don’t know if anyone is going to like this. But who knows? Let’s set out, let’s go make somebody’s favorite movie. And so when it gets traction, like Mitchells has gotten, and it becomes such a hit on streaming and it becomes whatever it was one of the top 10 streaming movies of the year…. and it just makes an impact. You are so happy for everybody, because they didn’t do it for that reason. They did it because they loved the media of animation.

Mike Rianda: Yeah. You just hope it connects with people and it’s been really super satisfying to see it.

Christopher Miller: And we couldn’t have made this movie anywhere else, you know? That’s one of the things, it’s such a wild thing. It doesn’t follow a formula. Hey, here’s an original movie about my friend Mike and his family.

Well, spoiler, people really like this movie and you got nominated for an Oscar today. So I think it worked out.

Mike Rianda: It seems good. It seems good. It’s very nice. And it’s nice to hear from everybody. And my family, who the movie is based on earth, currently in the other room losing their minds. So that has been very gratifying too.

Christopher Miller: You know what else? This is really silly, but who I’m super happy for is Katie Mitchell. Katie Mitchell is a film student. She’s bold and she’s queer. And she’s going to go find her people and this is how we’re sending her into college.

Mike Rianda: That’s sweet.

That’s a really nice sentiment. Also, best of luck going forward. You only have just under two months until you find out what happens next.

Phil Lord: Oh my God. It’s such a crazy long time. It’s going to be great.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Stan Pulliam is the mayor of Sandy, Oregon, a tiny city of approximately 11,000 people that’s located less than 30 minutes from Portland. Stan Pulliam is also a candidate for governor who will be on the Republican ticket for the state’s upcoming primary in May 2022 primary. Lesser known, though much more excitingly, Stan Pulliam is also a swinger—or at least he was—but he’s not letting his Austin Powers-esque lifestyle stop him from gunning for a gubernatorial run. And why should it?

As Mediaite reports, the wannabe governor has freely admitted that he and his wife MacKensey like to keep things interesting in the sex department. OK, so maybe it was coaxed out of him a little bit when someone posted a screen shot from 2016, shortly after the couple were joined Swinger Facebook Group PDX, a Facebook group of more than 500 Portland-area locals who were all up for a little partner swapping.

By way of introduction, Pulliam said that he and MacKensey were “excited to be added to your little community! Some of you we have already had the pleasure to meet and we look forward to getting to know the rest of you! Cheers and happy Saturday!

Spoken like a true politician!

According to Willamette Week, Pulliam confirmed that the screen shot was indeed authentic, though that the couple has since retired from the swinging game. The 40-year-old mayor told the paper that he and his wife had “explored relationships, mutual relationships with other couples, for a brief period of time before ultimately deciding that it wasn’t for us.”

While he would not give specifics or dates about when the couple put the kibosh on their swinging ways, Pulliam did say that it was long before he decided to run for governor. “I think people can relate from all different parts of the state who have been involved in marriages,” he said. “There are different stages of marriage and different ebbs and flows. This is something that was for a brief period in our past and is in the past.”

He also apparently found it important to note that “I’m a heterosexual male. And I’ve only personally engaged in heterosexual activity,” in response to reports that he is bisexual.

Pulliam, who is a devoted Trump supporter, has also touted himself as a true conservative with small-town values. And has found a way to point to his free lovin’ ways as proof of that.

“In Oregon, we really cherish values of individuality and liberty,” Pulliam told Willamette Week. “The decisions that we made were for MacKensey and I to make in the privacy of our own homes. We’re certainly not asking anybody to participate or practice or do any of the things that we have decided to do in the past. But we’re also certainly not ashamed of decisions that we’ve made in the past either, as they’ve made us stronger.”

(Via Mediaite)

Pearl Jam leader Eddie Vedder is in the midst of a solo tour, but he’s not alone, as his backing band consists of Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Josh Klinghoffer (an RHCP member until recently), Andrew Watt, Chris Chaney, and Glen Hansard. A couple days ago, the crew was performing in Newark, New Jersey and while there, Vedder saw an opportunity to continue his feud with Mötley Crüe and took it.

During a Smith drum solo, Vedder said, “That drum kit — that silver, beautiful machine that he is the engine of — does not need to elevate or rotate to do its job, let me just point that out!”

That seems to be a clear reference to Mötley Crüe’s live shows, during which Tommy Lee was famous for elaborate drum set-ups that featured him on a roller coaster track. That caused issues at the band’s farewell concert in 2016, when Lee found himself stuck upside down.

As for what this Vedder/Crüe feud is all about, it has a short but rich history. Basically, Vedder criticized Crüe in a recent interview, Nikki Sixx clapped back, Vedder clapped back at Sixx’s clap-back, and now, here we are.

How close did Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg get while filming Uncharted? Close enough that Holland seriously thought Wahlberg gave him a sex toy as a gift during an awkward car ride.

With the film adaptation of the hit video game series arriving in theaters next week, the two sat down with Access Hollywood to talk about the whirlwind production that saw Holland go straight from Uncharted to filming Spider-Man: No Way Home. We’re guessing Wahlberg noticed Holland looked understandably tense when they first met, so he gave Holland a device that, well, puzzled the young actor. Via IndieWire:

“Mark Wahlberg was kind enough to give me a massage gun after I left his house in L.A. and he drove me back to my hotel,” Holland said. “I was confused as to what kind of massage gun this was, having never seen one before, and I thought it was the type of self-pleasure.”

Holland joked, “I thought Mark Wahlberg was driving me back to my house for other reasons other than just being a gentleman. I didn’t know you — it’s Hollywood, baby. Who knows what’s gonna happen?”

Wahlberg couldn’t believe that — this whole time… like, months — Holland thought the massage gun was a sex toy and told his co-star to “get your head outta the gutter.” After the interview clip went viral, Wahlberg took things further by posting an Instagram video where he makes it clear that the device he gave Holland was non-sexual.

“Massage tool strictly for muscle recovery @tomholland2013,” Wahlberg wrote in the caption while showing off the drill-looking device, which raises all kinds of questions about what Holland thought he was supposed to do with it. There’s a pretty reasonable chance this ends up being more fascinating than anything that happens in the movie.

Uncharted hits theaters on February 18.

(Via Access Hollywood)

While its turn-of-the-millennium release was maligned by label woes and internal struggles within the band, Wilco’s 2001 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is as good as it gets. An undisputed classic, the album vaulted Wilco from alt-country Midwest risers into a full blown indie-rock powerhouse led by arguably the best modern American songwriter in Jeff Tweedy. Now the band have announced a 20th anniversary set of shows where fans can relive the band playing the album in full, plus more Wilco classics and rarities.

For now, the April run of shows are only coming to New York City and the band’s hometown of Chicago. The New York slate features four nights of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot at the 3,300 capacity United Palace on the Upper West Side. Whereas the Chicago shows will go down at the 3,900-seat Auditorium Theatre in the heart of the Chicago Loop. It’s a fortunate draw for residents of each of those two cities, but hearing the band’s somber opening on “I Am Trying Yo Break Your Heart,” or the drum transition from “Ashes Of American Flags” into “Heavy Metal Drummer” live in sequence, might very well be worth the trip.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 11th at 10 a.m. local time here. Check out the full concert dates below.

04/15 – New York, NY @ United Palace
04/16 – New York, NY @ United Palace
04/17 – New York, NY @ United Palace
04/19 – New York, NY @ United Palace
04/22 – Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre
04/23 – Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre

The NBA trade deadline is still two days away, but the pace has picked up considerably in recent days. Portland has been very active, sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers and on Tuesday shipping CJ McCollum off to New Orleans in a seven-player deal.

Indiana is the other team known to be sellers on the market, already dealing Caris LeVert to Cleveland, and on Tuesday they also made another blockbuster move, trading Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, and Justin Holiday to the Sacramento Kings for Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, and Tristan Thompson is a major shakeup for both teams.

The only draft pick being sent out in the deal is a 2027 second rounder from Indiana to Sacramento.

It’s a move few saw coming, but you can see the vision for both teams — even if it may not work out. Sacramento is clearly tired of the constant rebuilding mode they’ve been in for years, and Sabonis gives them frontcourt stability, while they also get a pair of quality veteran wings in Lamb and Holiday, who should raise their floor on the defensive end as well. The question for the Kings is how much this raises their ceiling and whether doubling down on trying to win now is the right move, but it’s not a shocker that ownership wants to reach the play-in this year and try to take something of a step forward.

For the Pacers, they accelerate their rebuild with Haliburton, a promising young guard, and continue to gain future flexibility. Hield will replace LeVert’s scoring at the off-guard/wing spot, and Indiana continues to try and set itself up for a quick rebuild — as it seems clear it’s not a complete teardown for now.

In terms of solo songs, we haven’t heard from Sharon Van Etten since 2020 (although she and Angel Olsen linked up on the fantastic “Like I Used To” last year). Now, though, Van Etten has returned with a new single, “Porta.” In the clip for the energetic tune, Van Etten and Stella Cook, of Base Pilates in North Carolina, get their pilates on.

Van Etten says of the song and her relationship with Cook:

“[‘Porta’ was written in 2020] at one of my lowest lows. For most of my adult life I have struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety and coping mechanisms, and I sometimes let those dark moments get the best of me. During this time I felt very dissociated. Not connected to my body and I felt out of control. […]

I was seeking a friend, someone to talk to who understands what finding the core means but also knows what my weaknesses are and can help me work around them and find my other strengths. I knew I was entering a no judgment zone and I needed to be held accountable for my actions and Stella helped me step up. We would meet once a week on Zoom, have a catch up on life over a quick coffee and then get to work. Then, a day or two later she would send another video my way so I had something to work towards the end of the week. She was encouraging, but not pushy. If life got in the way, I didn’t feel like I let her down — but I loved our sessions. I looked forward to them. I started feeling closer to her, and closer to myself, and it helped things seem hopeful. And I just wanted to share that with the world. Instead of the darkness. Instead of my fears. My message is to work through them. Even when it’s hard. Even when it hurts. Reach out. Reach out to that friend who helps you reach out towards yourself.”

Watch the “Porta” video above. Van Etten also announced a run of European tour dates (ahead of her joint tour with Angel Olsen and Julien Baker), so check that out below.

05/31 — Lisbon, PT @ Aula Magna
06/05 — München, DE @ Muffathalle
06/06 — Antwerp, BE @ Openluchttheater Rivierenhof
06/07 — Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle
06/13 — Berlin, DE @ Metropol
06/14 — Utrecht, NE @ TivoliVredenberg Grote Zaal
06/15 — Paris, FR @ La Cigale
06/17 — London, UK @ O2 Brixton Academy
06/18 — Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
06/19 — Leeds, UK @ 02 Academy Leeds
06/21 — Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
06/22 — Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street

This week in pop music saw the return of some buzzing pop artists. Rosalia fired off an empowering tune, Tate McRae turned envy into a banger with a new single, and New Zealand pop star Benee shared a breezy new track.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.

Rosalia — “Saoko”

After officially announcing her Motomami album with a nearly nude photo of her as cover art, Rosalia shared the rhythmic single “Saoko.” Flexing her clever lyrics and pumped-up beats, “Saoko” gives Rosalia fans a taste of the dynamic and innovative songs they can expect to hear on her upcoming project.

Tate McRae — “She’s All I Wanna Be”

Certifying her pop star status, Tate McRae returns with the fired-up single “She’s All I Wanna Be.” The track is about the all-too-familiar feelings of jealousy in a relationship. Over a upbeat tempo, McRae leans on her smokey vocals to sing of comparing herself to another woman who’s “got everything” that she doesn’t have, like a perfect smile, a big house, and a nice car.

Benee — “Beach Boy”

Benee’s career may have started with a breakout song on TikTok, but she’s back to flex her songwriting talents with the new track “Beach Boy.” Officially announcing her upcoming project Lychee, “Beach Boy” boasts dreamy chords, catchy refrains, and Benee’s sun-drenched voice.

Flume — “Say Nothing” Feat. May-A

Grammy-nominated Aussie producer Flume announced his anticipated album Palaces this week, his first full-length project since 2016. To celebrate, the electronic producer teamed up with singer May-A for the tantalizing tune “Say Nothing,” a song that beautify combines May-A’s soaring vocals and Flume’s intricate beat-making. “This song is about feelings of post relationship clarity,” Flume said about the single.

Ali Gatie — “Perfect”

After winning fans over with his swooning voice and tender love songs heard on his two previous albums, Ali Gatie is back with the new ballad “Perfect.” The piano-laden song leaves room for Gatie’s endlessly captivating vocals as he sings emotionally-charged lyrics about a less-than-perfect relationship. The single is Gatie’s first of the year and previews the intimate performance he’s expected to deliver at this year’s Coachella.

Jim-E Stack, Lucky Daye — “Next To Me”

After captivating audiences with his fun production and laundry list of collaborations, Jim-E Stack now teams up with R&B crooner Lucky Daye for the elevated single “Next To Me.” Both chilled and invigorating, “Next To Me” perfectly combines Daye’s honeyed vocals with Stack’s ornate production to craft a captivating collaboration.

Sofi Tukker — “Original Sin”

Duo Sofi Tukker bring their refreshing pop sound to the new track “Original Sin,” officially announcing the sophomore album Wet Tennis. The single features a bouncy beat and wildly catchy verses about the importance of staying true to yourself. Describing the song, the duo say it’s meant to be an anthem for letting your freak flag fly. “It says: we aren’t meant to be saints. We aren’t born sinners,” Sofi Tukker said. “We’re just a bunch of freaks who make mistakes and keep trying to do our best.”

Yeule — “Bites On My Neck”

Innovative pop singer Yeule officially released their album Glitch Princess this week, showing off their ability to write deliriously catchy music. The song “Bites On My Neck” is emblematic of Yeule’s artistry, combining buzzing synths and breathy vocals for an intriguing tune that leaves you wanting more.

K.Flay — “The Muck”

Acclaimed hitmaker K.Flay returned with revved-up album Inside Voices / Outside Voices, showing off her wide range of songwriting talent with collaborations from the likes of Tom Morello and Travis Barker. Her track “The Muck” gives fans a taste of her inviting vocals and electrifying chords as she sings of feeling stuck.

Trip Carter — “Excuses”

LA-based multi-faceted musician Trip Carter showed off his funky songwriting this week with the perpetually playful tune “Excuses.” Emulating Shaggy’s era-defining hit “It Wasn’t Me,” “Excuses” brings the musician’s cheeky style of songwriting to a new generation of fans, adding on a groovy bass line and soaring vocals.

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