Fans were overjoyed with Rita Ora returned in 2020 to share the bouyant track “How To Be Lonely.” But rather than ushering in a new era of music, the song ended up being a stand alone single. Now, Ora is back once again, this time dropping the four-track collaborative EP Bang. To celebrate the project’s release, the singer shared a short film visualizing a snippet from each track.
Bang is a joint effort between Ora and Kazakhstani producer Imanbek. But it also boasts features from Gunna, David Guetta, and Brazilian Argentinian singer Khea, who has established himself as a leading voice in the country’s trap scene. About the collaborative EP, Ora described it as a “global project” in a statement to Apple Music.
“It was like finding pen pals,” she said. “You had me in London, Imanbek in Kazakhstan, Gunna in Los Angeles, KHEA in Argentina and David Guetta, well, who knows where David is at any one time. It’s a global project that went beyond language and geographical boundaries but somehow stayed lovely and intimate.”
The singer may have recorded the EP in lockdown, but she didn’t exactly adhere to the restrictions put in place during quarantine. The UK singer was reprimanded by fans after she threw a 30-person birthday party at a restaurant in London, which she ended up reportedly being fined about $12,000 for.
Watch Rita Ora’s Bang short film above. Bang is out now via Atlantic. Get it here.
Rita Ora is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Young MA had a prolific year in 2020 despite the circumstances. The rapper followed up her 2019 debut album Herstory In The Making with the quarantine EP Red Flu. Now, the rapper is returning to tease even more music with her first track of the year, “Off The Yak.”
The rapper shared an opulent video alongside her “Off The Yak” single. The visual sees her flexing the finer things in life while spitting verses about making it big without being signed to a label. “I just stay loyal to money and music and all the guys that I be with / But back to the real, just bought me a ‘vette and still ain’t signed to a deal,” she raps.
Young MA may be unsigned, but that hasn’t stopped her from forming friendships with some iconic rappers. Most recently, Young MA earned a cosign from Eminem after she featured on his Music To Be Murdered By track “Unaccommodating.” But it took Eminem a few listens to catch some of the clever wordplay she used in a verse.
“I’m still catching [bars],” he said, gushing about Young MA’s talent. “When you get your punchlines or however your writing process is, you can always tell somebody who has studied the game and who is a student of it… Your punchlines don’t sound like setups, they sound like punchline after punchline after punchline. That requires a lot of skill and a lot of thought.”
Donald Glover doesn’t have any posts currently visible on Instagram, but he used the social media to break some news of his own anyway on Friday night. The Atlanta star and musician revealed in a four-part Instagram story that he’s bringing a show to Amazon with Fleabag and Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Waller-Bridge, who isn’t on any social media platforms that she’ll reveal publicly, let Glover do the promotional work on his also-defunct Childish Gambino Instagrm page, posting a pair of videos and two text messages that revealed the pair have a show coming to Amazon Prime in 2022. The video starts with Glover close to the screen, then backing away to begin what appears to be flossing.
Donald Glover on Instagram
The video then cuts to a bespeckled Waller-Bridge, who takes off her glasses as Paul Anka’s Put Your Head On My Shoulder starts to play. She then gets up, moves to the doorway behind her and leans against it as the song slowly starts to change.
Donald Glover on Instagram
From there is an abrupt cut to two text screens, one that reveals it was, indeed, Waller-Bridge in the video, and that she and Glover are working on an Amazon show together.
Donald Glover on InstagramDonald Glover on Instagram
The head of Amazon Studios later put the entire video up in a post on her own Instagram page.
It’s unclear what the show will be about, as the story didn’t contain any actual words. But the title Mr. + Mrs Smith is the same as the 2005 action comedy Mr & Mrs. Smith, which starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Variety on Friday described the project as a “new spin” on the film. Judging by the work Glover and Waller-Bridge have done in the past and the clues from the video — Glover nearly flossing and Waller-Bridge leaning against a doorframe — well, your guess is really as good as any right now.
An aerial camera caught a delightful sight off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida last week, as a small pod of dolphins swam through a huge aggregation of manatees. As the dolphins make their way through the shallow waters, we see around 170 manatees just chilling, as manatees do. Then we get to see the dolphins show off their playfulness, as dolphins do.
The marine mammal mingling is particularly meaningful knowing how the manatee has struggled for survival.
170 Manatees and Some Jumping Dolphins in St Petersburg, FL
Florida manatees became protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, when their numbers were estimated to be between 800 and 1,000. By 1991, their population was still less than 1,300. But dedicated conservation and rehabilitation efforts in recent decades have increased that number to around 6,300. Manatees in Florida currently make up around half of the world’s total manatee population.
The increase in numbers does come with a couple of caveats, however. Manatee populations are notoriously difficult to count accurately, so estimates are just that. The manatee was downgraded from “endangered” to “threatened” in 2017, but some advocates said that designation is misleading because the threats to its survival are still just as much of a problem.
The biggest threats manatees face are collisions with watercraft, habitat loss and degradation, fishing gear entanglement, human harassment, exposure to red tide, and climate change. The loss of the manatee’s warm-water habitat is a vital long-term threat to the species, as it can’t tolerate cold waters. Traditionally, they rely on natural springs to stay warm during cold weather, but urban and agricultural development has impacted many of Florida’s natural artesian springs.
However, as far as conservation and rehabilitation goes, Florida manatees are a success story. Many groups, both within the government and non-profit sectors, work diligently to advocate for the protection of Florida manatees and educate people on how they can help. Seeing this large aggregation of manatees from above is a heartening reminder of how important that work has been.
The footage was captured by See Through Canoe, a company that sells transparent canoes and that shares videos of animal encounters off the Florida coast. They say that dolphins and manatees often swim in the same waters, but rarely interact directly. This summer, they shared a video of a small pod of dolphins actually seeming to play together—a phenomenon they say they’ve not seen in 30 years of observing these animals.
The Odd Pod. Dolphins and a Manatee Swimming and Playing Together
As human activity continues to impact the well-being and survival of creatures like the manatee, we can use videos like this as inspiration and incentive to implement more environmentally responsible habits. Seeing what we’re saving by pushing for ecologically sound policies and practices can go a long way toward keeping the momentum going.
As if spending all week getting dragged for his tweets wasn’t enough, Ted Cruz showed up to Donald Trump’s impeachment trail today with a brand new haircut that opened up a whole other avenue of comedy for dunking on the Florida senator. Social media had a field day with Cruz’s new look as folks tried to figure out what exactly Ted is shooting for with his new… mullet? We’re going with mullet.
This isn’t the first time Cruz has stumbled into a hair disaster. While joining his fellow Republicans in mocking COVID-19 restrictions during the start of the pandemic, Cruz visited a Dallas hair salon after the owner was imprisoned for contempt of court and violating a state-mandated restraining order by refusing to close her business. Cruz supported her defiance and stopped in for a not-so-stellar haircut, which also got him roundly mocked.
You can see the reactions to Cruz’s latest hair disaster below:
Cruz’s new haircut is just the latest in a long series of embarrassing moments. Cruz has been ruthlessly dragged on Twitter for mocking the NBA’s choice of Black Americans to salute during Black History Month, badmouthing Princess Leia to defend Gina Carano, trying to look smart by incorrectly citing Shakespeare, and tweeting about breast milk. And that’s just from this week! Cruz also suffered a humiliating moment when Cary Elwes tore into the senator by letting him know that the entire cast and crew of The Princess Bride have “nothing but rabid contempt” for him. As for why that message would be particularly stinging, The Princess Bride is Cruz’s all-time favorite movie. That’s gotta hurt.
Jay-Z has been making a lot of business endeavor as of late. The rapper recently launched his own brand of cannabis and signed on to a new at-home workout startup. But now, he’s linking up with Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey for an innovative project. The two billionaires are set out on a new mission: to make Bitcoin the official currency of the internet.
Jay-Z and Dorsey have both invested $23 million in Bitcoin to start the development of cryptocurrency in other countries. Dorsey was the first to share the news, which he of course did on his Twitter page. “JAY-Z and I are giving 500 BTC to a new endowment named ₿trust to fund #Bitcoin development, initially focused on teams in Africa & India,” he wrote. “It‘ll be set up as a blind irrevocable trust, taking zero direction from us.” Dorsey also added that they are looking for three board members and attached an application form to his tweet.
JAY-Z/@S_C_ and I are giving 500 BTC to a new endowment named ₿trust to fund #Bitcoin development, initially focused on teams in Africa & India. It‘ll be set up as a blind irrevocable trust, taking zero direction from us. We need 3 board members to start: https://t.co/L4mRBryMJe
Dorsey and Jay-Z’s new Bitcoin program wouldn’t be the first time the two billionaires have worked together. Back in December, Bloomberg reported that Dorsey’s company Square was in talks to buy Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming platform. Purchasing the platform would be a way for Square to “diversify” their assets. It would also be potentially beneficial to Tidal, who have not released their year-end figures since reporting they had 3 million paying customers back in 2016.
With Valentine’s Day coming up this weekend, we felt like it was high time to talk about the Clover Club cocktail. Yes, this is a pink drink, but it’s also one of the most iconic cocktails of the 1800s and the Philadelphia cocktail scene back in those days. Plus, it’s one of my favorite sour variations across the board.
All suitable reasons for you to make this your first-ever homemade pink cocktail.
The key to the Clover Club is raspberry. You need to build raspberry into the body of the drink via raspberry syrup. While you can make your own, you can also buy a bottle right here for $10. You can use the extra syrup to pour over ice cream, make raspberry sodas, or construct more Clover Clubs. You can also add dry vermouth, but that threatens to take away from the beautiful simplicity of the drink.
The rest is a pretty standard sour variation that’s very shaken. The most technical part is that you’ll need to use a little elbow grease on the shake to get that egg white nice and frothy (you don’t really need to dry shake this one first). Other than that, you’ll just need to squeeze and strain some fresh lemon juice, making the Clover Club easy to master over a weekend at home.
Two things, use a standard dry gin. You don’t want something overly wrought in the base as it can overwhelm the softer nuances of the cocktail.
Also, please use fresh, ethically raised eggs. They taste and froth better, if nothing else.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Cocktail glass, coupe, or Nick and Nora glass
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail strainer
Jigger
Juicer
Sieve
Cocktail stick
Zach Johnston
Method:
Pre-chill your glass either overnight in the freezer or with fresh ice while mixing.
Add gin, fresh lemon juice, egg white, and raspberry syrup to the shaker.
Top the shaker with ice, affix the lid, and shake vigorously until the shaker is very well-chilled and completely frosted over (once the shaker fills too cold to go on holding it, shake for another ten seconds).
Strain the glass into the pre-chill glass (remove ice first if needed).
Let the cocktail rest for a minute so that a layer of whipped egg white creates a layer on the top of the cocktail.
Spear three raspberries and balance the stick on the edge of the glass.
Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
This is one of the drinks that makes you say “ahhhhh…” from the first sip. The raspberry body of the drink offers a bright-yet-slightly-earthy foundation. The botanicals from the gin just peek in through the fruit and citrus. The egg white turns into pure silk, making this a velvety sip.
It’s so refreshing. Light, yet full of strong flavors.
The best part is using your raspberries as little bowls to scoop out a little of the cocktail and egg white. You pop that raspberry into your mouth with the cocktail filling the cavity and you have a texture and flavor burst that’s tough to match. Hopefully a nice start to a very sensuous weekend.
Barleywine isn’t what it seems. First of all, it’s definitely not wine. Crack one open expecting a drink made from fermented grapes and you’ll be very disappointed. The moniker comes from its alcohol content. Barleywine, like all beers, is made with malts, yeast, water, and hops, but the ABVs are more like wine-ish — typically in the 6-12% range.
There are two main styles of barleywine on the market these days. The first is the American barley wine, which has a bit of extra bite from hops. This is because Americans love hops almost as much as we love apple pie, the designated hitter rule, and Easy Cheese. The other version is the English style. It’s known to be much less bitter with a much fruitier, maltier flavor profile.
Due to its high alcohol content, and rich, malty flavor notes is perfectly suited for winter drinking. So we asked a handful of bartenders to tell us their go-to barleywines to enjoy this February.
It’s perfect and loaded with malt and a light tannic flavor from juniper berries. Too easy to drink. Helps with the relentless gray skies that make Chicago winters so tough.
Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis
Anabasis from Side Project in St Louis has to be one of the best barleywine approaches of all time.
Aged for 18 months in ex- Blanton’s bourbon barrels, this one is as complex as they come. It’s rich, full of caramel and toffee, and finishes with a touch of bourbon and oak.
Coniston Brewing NO.9 is a barley wine worthy of your palate for several reasons. Imagine opening a bottle of toffee and caramel accented liquid apples with a hint of deep malt and marzipan. This barleywine carries a warming sensation when enjoyed on a cold night, and offers an 8.5% ABV which is can’t be overlooked but isn’t quite the overwhelming 12% that some barley wines carry.
Surly Fourteen Barrel. They used Parker’s Heritage barrels and you really get the whiskey character. Lots of vanilla and baking spice, but there’s also an unexpected little zing of hops in there too.
Barleywines are perfect for the winter. One of the best this year is Sierra Nevada Bigfoot. This hefty ABV barleywine shines through with deep delicious notes of plum and currants. Brewed by Sierra Nevada since 1983, this release has become one of the brand’s classics and is sought out by beer nerds around the world.
While not being released in 2021, be sure to keep an eye out for Sierra Nevada’s barrel-aged version for a true treat.
I must admit this category is not one of my strongest and I have not had many experiences with barley wine. I have tried one I did not hate, it was Lagunitas Olde Gnarlywine. It tastes pretty smooth and had interesting flavors such as toffee and caramel that meshed well together.
Writing this makes me want to start trying more barley wine to see if I can get behind this as much as some of the other bartenders.
The sweet potato barley wine at Local Relic Brewery is amazing vanilla and marshmallow with roasted sweet potato. During cold Colorado days, this beer feeds my soul at 12% ABV. It’s sure to get you feeling “real nice.”
The cool thing about this brewery is there are no flagships, so they brew over 200 different beers a year.
Anchorage Brewing Company makes a world-class barleywine, A Deal With The Devil.
As the name implies this is a seriously flavorful beverage. With little to no alcohol burn, this barleywine is great for first-timers. Fully delivers on the dark berries and stone fruits with waves of chocolate, vanilla, oak, burnt sugar, and cognac. Awesome with hearty winter meals or on its own for dessert with a bit of dark chocolate.
The Bruery Saule. Bourbon barrel aging lends dark fruit notes with a rich chocolatey boldness that fills your soul. Drinking one is truly a rich, memorable, flavor experience.
Sisyphus from Real Ale is in the top tier of craft beers the hop character makes lovely briny bouquet. If you ever get a chance to try it, don’t miss the opportunity. You won’t be disappointed.
Today was a big day for women in hip-hop. Kash Dolla released the Goldilocks-inspired video for “Bossa Nova,” new Quality Control signee Lakeyah bared her heart with “Worst Things,” and Queen Key made a triumphant comeback via her video for “Too Hot.” It only seems right that one last newcomer solidifies her presence alongside the latest wave of fire female talent in rap music. Sacramento-bred Stunna Girl has been making a name for herself for a bit, recently signing with Epic Records. Today, she shares the first fruits of that partnership with the video for her new single, “Still Smoke.”
The first thing that grabs the listener’s attention is the beat, a bombastic confluence of New Orleans bounce chants and the synthesizer theme from Eddie Murphy’s 1984 comedy classic Beverly Hills Cop (it’s a big year for women and Murphy’s ’80s hits in general, with Megan Thee Stallion contributing to the theme for his Coming To America sequel). The next thing is Stunna Girl’s voice, which is brash and brassy, just a hair below shouting, and her guffaw-producing punchlines. “I just counted up a mil and still feel broke,” she humble-boasts. If that’s an example of the drive she’s operating with, then she’s definitely going to hustle until she’s a star.
Check out Stunna Girl’s “Still Smoke” video above.
Judas and the Black Messiah (HBO Max movie) — This Awards-tipped movie can’t stop with the talent. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, and Jesse Plemons, this film could be an awards contender. The story revolves around William O’Neal, who infiltrates the Black Panther Party in Illinois after being offered an FBI plea deal. His mission? To gather intelligence upon the head honcho, Chairman Fred Hampton.
Hip Hop Uncovered (Friday, FX 9:00 & 10:19 p.m.) — This six-part docuseries will air two episodes tonight. The first one introduces five contributors (Big U, Deb, Trick Trick, Bimmy and Haitian Jack), who are hip hop’s unsung legacies. We’ll see how the O.G.s learn to hustle to rise up and sharpen their collective business acumen while making a better life for their families.
Wandavision: Episode 6 (Disney+ series) — Halloween arrives in Westview, and there’s some suggestive Devil-related revelations that might change this whole show’s angle. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out, but last week, Marvel fans were thrilled to tip their hats to Kevin Feige for what’s easily the best episode of the series so far. Watch out for that brutal Easter egg, though.
Last Week Tonight: Season 8 Premiere (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host has finally returned (after blowing up 2020 and getting weird with poor, sweet Adam Driver), and not a moment too soon. A while lot has happened since we last saw John Oliver break down exactly what’s wrong with our society in a way that only he can do, and let’s hope that he brings back that award-winning hoodie, so we can all get fancy with him.
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Netflix series) — Director Joe Berlinger (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the Ted Bundy movie starring Zac Efron and Paradise Lost, the HBO documentary trilogy about the West Memphis Three) launches this new anthology series that explores why some notorious crime locales gain their reputations. This season’s all about L.A.’s so-called “hotel death” and what happened when a young woman named Elisa Lam disappeared without a trace and after behaving bizarrely. Along the way, Berlinger seeks to crush conspiracy theories and vanquish ghost theories, although the whole affair is still a spooky ride.
Map Of Tiny Perfect Things (Amazon Prime film) — Time loops somehow don’t get old, especially after Palm Springs and Russian Doll freshened-up the concept once more. In this film. two teens find themselves reliving the same day while inexplicably drawn together. It’s a love story, of course, where they weigh how and whether to escape their never-ending yet ultimately perfect day.
Into the Dark: Tentacles (Hulu film) — The monthly horror-movie series returns with a psychosexual horror-thriller about love, or love gone wrong at least, when a young Los Angeles couple falls deeply in love, only to find that their intimacy takes an enormously dark turn. Happy holiday of love, y’all.
Here’s the rest of this weekend’s notable programming:
Saturday Night Live (Saturday, NBC 11:29 p.m.) — Regina King hosts with musical guest Nathaniel Raitliff.
Supermarket Sweep (Sunday, ABC 8:00 p.m.) — Leslie Jones and every bit of her enthusiasm will host contestants in this revival of the grocery-shopping game show.
The Equalizer (Sunday, CBS 8:00 p.m.) — Queen Latifah’s toting the gun in this reboot as enigmatic former CIA operative Robyn McCall. This week, she must rescue a boy who’s been kidnapped by a human trafficker, and she must pull off unorthodox information procurement to save the day.
The Lady and the Dale (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — The Duplass Brothers are at it again. This week, they conclude the story of Elizabeth Carmichael, whose mysterious past casts a shadow upon her release of a 1970s fuel-efficient vehicle.
Shameless (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — The Milkoviches next door can’t cope with that late-breaking bullet from last week, so Ian and Mickey must help, and Liam is attempting to deal with his role in the mess.
Your Honor (Sunday, Showtime 10:00 p.m.) — It’s limited series finale time for the Panic-Cranston series, and the main man is still breaking bad as a corrupt judge. Adam’s reeling, Eugene is seeking justice, Carlos concludes his trial, and Michael is still a goddamn mess. Fun!
Here are a few more streaming picks:
To All The Boys: Always And Forever (Netflix film) — Noah Centineo’s reign as the Internet’s Boyfriend may be coming to an end with the conclusion of Netflix’s smash-hit, romcom trilogy. Lana Condor’s still keeping Lara Jean’s head on as tightly as possible while things get dreamier with her boyfriend, although everything could change with their oncoming plans for college. Will they both go to Stanford and keep their love alive, or will Lara Jean depart school in New York City? Long distance love isn’t so lovely, and god only knows what else can be revealed in this film that they haven’t shown in this trailer (this franchise is a master at the art of revealing the whole movie in a few minutes), but fans will be excited to find out whether Peter and Lara Jean can actually make it beyond their idyllic high school setting.
Malcolm & Marie (Netflix film) — Zendaya and John David Washington are getting “achingly romantic,” not to mention dramatic, in this black-and-white film shot during lockdown. Sam Levinson directs and Marcell Rev is on cinematography, so the film looks achingly beautiful as well. Washington’s character is celebrating his movie premiere, and Zendaya portrays his girlfriend, and something goes wrong once they return home with revelations flying and their love put to the test. Levinson meant to send an ode to the Hollywood romances of yesteryear with this one, so Happy (early) Valentine’s Day.
More Than Miyagi (Streaming on VOD platforms) — The The Karate Kid films would never have translated with a lesser Miyagi actor than Noriyuki “Pat” Morita. He was Oscar-nominated for the first film, and as Ralph Macchio reveals in More Than Miyagi (a new Love Project Films documentary), his one Morita-centered regret is not being able to walk the awards red carpet with his friend. Cobra Kai fans will also love this film full of revelations from an impressive assembling of Morita’s well-known co-stars, all of whom express nothing but love and respect for an icon.
The New York Times Presents: “Framing Britney Spears”: New Episode (FX on Hulu) — The seemingly unending saga of mega pop star Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship is only one focus of this docuseries that aims to do a deep-dive, retrospective view on how Spears’ life and career has also been shaped by public perception and the press. It’s been a long twelve years for Britney under her father’s financial thumb, and that followed a few years of public chaos, which I’m sure you will never forget. Her fans rally in this series for her “freedom,” given that Britney has vowed not to work again until she can make her own decisions again.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
