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Back in 2019, French Montana was hospitalized after collapsing in his home due to what he called “a combination of a lot of things: being fatigued, dehydrated, you know, losing myself chasing money, chasing the wrong things… Too much drinking, too many pills.” The incident prompted him to give up drinking and drugs to avoid an early demise, but it’s apparently had other effects on him as well — as he illustrates in the latest video from his new album, They Got Amnesia.

The video for “How You King?” opens with an obviously inebriated and sleep-deprived Montana entertaining a pair of women at his home. Shortly after they leave, he collapses and spends the remainder of the video being rushed to the hospital, hooked up to machines, and watching himself through an observation window as he has an out-of-body experience. Meanwhile, he raps over the infamous “Impeach the President” drum loop, contemplating the heavy questions left behind by his brush with death. “If I fell with no one around, wouldn’t even make a sound,” he hums. “‘Cause I can’t even make one now.” Although the song has multiple versions on the album version, here, the video cuts off shortly after the first verse in a chilling imagining of an alternate outcome that could have seen his legacy also cut short.

Watch French Montana’s “How You King?” video above.

The idea of a video game being free used to mean it was either extremely low budget, low quality, or the free features were just a demo to get someone into the portion of the game that actually costs money. Over the last decade, however, that has changed significantly. With smash hits like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and League of Legends being full games that cost nothing and most of the profits coming from cosmetics, the video game industry completely changed.

Of course, this has come with some negative consequences. Some free games feel predatory, cash grabby, or half-baked. We are in a weird age where a game doesn’t necessarily need to be complete at launch — it can receive updates and be improved while people are playing it. We’ve seen this with games like Sea of Thieves, but we’ve also seen it with games that never actually got better or were given the chance to. This is why we wanted to reward the free games that are providing the kind of content we enjoy, don’t feel particularly predatory, and in some ways are introducing us to a deeper experience with our money at a later point.

Pokemon Unite

Pokémon is a franchise that really can be reused for anything Game Freak or Nintendo wants. While the franchise is primarily known as an RPG, there have been plenty of spin-offs over the years so few ideas really surprise us anymore. That said, when Pokémon Unite was announced, it would have been fair to approach it with skepticism. A Pokémon MOBA? How is that going to work in a space that is completely dominated by League of Legends and DOTA? It turns out, the game is better than anyone could have seen coming. By simplifying the formula and adding Pokémon-specific features like evolution, it became extremely accessible to the crowd that didn’t want to dive into more hardcore MOBA’s. Add in its portability on the Switch and Pokémon Unite was a free to play game that everyone couldn’t stop talking about for months. Also, where else can we find dapper Blastoise?

Final Fantasy XIV

One meme that popped up throughout 2021 was built off of simply explaining all the features that exist within Final Fantasy XIV. Square Enix’s hit MMORPG may have had to once be brought back from the dead after the failure of its first installment, but these days, it has swiftly moved past World of Warcraft as the MMO that everyone is playing, in part because players character can reach level 60 and play the Heavensward expansion completely free with no limit on playtime. That is basically two full games worth of content with no charge. Of course, by the time the majority of players get through all of that, they’re likely to shell out the money to play the further expansions, but this isn’t a developer hiding content behind a paywall, or a demo disguised as content. A player can stop after completing Heavensward and reaching level 60 if they choose and be completely satisfied. That’s just a great incentive to try the game out and it’s an incentive that is paying huge dividends for Square Enix.

Pac-Man 99

As the amount of Battle Royale’s continues to grow, it can be difficult for a developer to differentiate itself. How can their game feel and look different than Fortnite or Apex Legends? Leave it to Nintendo to figure out one way. First there was Tetris 99, then the short-lived Mario 35, and now, there is Pac-Man 99. Nintendo’s idea of taking retro games, throwing everyone in their own matches, and then letting these players try to play well enough to knock one another out is pretty brilliant. Pac-Man 99 is fun, fairly competitive among those who play the game at a high level, and can make for a really good weekend or a long-time love. It’s one of those games that’s fun to boot up every once in a while and play a few rounds before signing out for another few months. Sure, the people who log in every day to complete the weekly challenges are going to destroy you in the endgame, but that’s the beauty of free to play. We only have to commit as much time as we want to the game.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis

For a long time, Phantasy Star Online 2 was a relatively successful MMORPG that was available only in Japan and a handful of other countries. While a vocal group of fans really wanted the game to get an official release in the U.S. and Europe, it felt like that was never going to happen. Then, to everyone’s surprise, the game was announced for a worldwide release in 2019 and hit consoles a year later to moderate success. Then in 2021, catching many of us off guard, a huge expansion that completely reworked the game was released. Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis refreshed the nine-year-old MMO and modernized it, all for free. Anyone can access what really feels like a brand new game and have a good time with it. There are microtransactions and whatnot, as expected out of every MMO, but it’s so rare to see a game that had been successful get reworked like this almost out of nowhere. There was a point where we didn’t think the game was ever going to come out in America. Now, it’s here with a completely fresh coat of paint.

Deltarune Chapter 2

Deltarune Chapter 2 came out this year when Toby Fox suddenly announced the game’s release date on the sixth anniversary of Undertale. Not only that, but the game was free and anyone who wanted to play the first game, Deltarune, could play that for free as well. This was unprecedented for someone who created a story-based game. Deltarune Chapter 2 doesn’t have microtransactions, or a multiplayer mode, or any of the traditional ways games make money. At most, you can purchase the soundtrack. Fox made a game that has been as beloved, and well-liked, as Deltarune Chapter 2 and released it completely for free. Go play it, it’s a good time and worth the investment.

Yesterday, a preliminary hearing was held in regard to the charges Tory Lanez faces for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. Now, a day later, Megan is taking exception to some media coverage of the proceedings, accusing “blogs/journalists” of “gaslighting” her and “dismissing that I was attacked with a [WEAPON] WHILE I WAS UNARMED.”

The rapper wrote on Twitter today, “Don’t blogs/ journalists have to have accurate/ credible sources before going with a story ? Or is it just like a new I got paid to post this or I heard out from my home girl type policy these days.” She added in another tweet a few minutes later, “Like I’ve been SHOT and the focus of some these headlines are dismissing that I was attacked with a WEPON WHILE I WAS UNARMED and trying to paint it as a cat fight between friends why do I have to relive this with everyone on the internet every day ? And watch y’all gaslight me.”

Based on the timing of Meg’s tweets, it appears she may be referencing a post that TMZ shared this morning. They reported that in Lanez’s preliminary hearing yesterday, “an independent witness told cops they saw Megan Thee Stallion and her female friend, Kelsey, fighting just moments before Meg was shot in the foot… a piece of evidence Tory Lanez’s team feels cast serious doubt on what Meg said about him being the shooter.”

After Megan’s tweets, TMZ updated their post to add:

“Megan’s got big issues with what the independent witness told police about her arguing with Kelsey … and she makes a good point. Megan just tweeted, ‘I’ve been shot and the focus of some these headlines are dismissing that I was attacked with a weapon while I was unarmed and trying to paint it as a cat fight between friends.’

Fact is … even if there was a dispute with Kelsey inside the SUV, we know Megan was shot while she was standing outside the vehicle. Megan’s openly said she got out of the car because she didn’t want to argue anymore … which makes the dispute almost irrelevant to the moment the trigger was pulled.”

Aside from this situation, things have been good for Meg lately: In just the past few days, she graduated from college, won a humanitarian award, and was named TikTok’s top artist of 2021.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While mid-December isn’t traditionally the time to announce or show off new games, that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to welcome the opportunity to end 2021 with some excitement. Nintendo hosted an Indie World Showcase on Wednesday so everyone could check out a handful of indie games that will be coming to the Switch in the near future.

The event itself was only a little over 20 minutes long, so we strongly recommend watching it and experiencing everything it had to offer, but there were still a handful of games that stuck out above the rest. These games all stuck out for a variety of reasons and it was a reminder of why we enjoy Indie games so much. As AAA developers try to stick with the familiar, Indie developers are frequently trying out new ideas and doing their best to stand out. It gives us a strong variety of games and we felt we found that with these three in particular.

River City Girls 2

River City Girls was a really fun spin on the old River City Ransom formula from the days of the NES. Two heroes go and save their significant others from kidnappers, but this time instead of boyfriends saving their girlfriends, it’s two girlfriends saving their boyfriends. The game itself was flashy, fun, and one of the best 2D beat’em ups in recent memory.

Now, we’re lucky enough to get a sequel with River City Girls 2. While it’s still early, what we’ve seen so far gives us plenty of reason to be excited. River City Girls 2 appears to be just more of what made the first game so fun. More characters, more power ups, more baddies to beat up, and more locations to explore. Sometimes the perfect sequel is just more of the same thing but bigger and that’s what River City Girls 2 looks like to us.

Sea of Stars

What if someone took the universe of The Messenger, gave it an art style and gameplay system that feels very reminiscent of Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana, and let Yasunori Mitsuda compose the music? What you likely would get is something that looks a lot like Sea of Stars.

This RPG just oozes charm in every detail that’s on the screen and if there’s one thing we know from the developers over at Sabotage Studio it’s that they know how to nail a theme. The Messenger, one of the best indie games in recent memory, was developed by this studio so we’re confident in Sea of Stars being another hit. It has all of the right energy to it that someone should expect from an RPG of this style. We can’t wait to actually get our hands on it.

Loco Motive

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? We sure do. Loco Motive is the debut game from Robust Games and it has the feel of a first-time winner. Everything from the art style to the murder mystery on a train theme to the comedic tone of it all forms into something that looks like a really good time.

It’s fun when a murder mystery game like this has a silly tone. It takes the edge off when exploring for clues and allows us to really enjoy the experience. With three main suspects, we’re curious to see if this ends up being a game with multiple endings. Maybe it’ll be something like the movie Clue? It definitely has the right tone to it, but we also want to see how it makes itself unique. Maybe there are branching paths, or multiple endings, or a huge twist at the end? We’re excited to find out.

If Conservative America had its way, Kyle Rittenhouse—after being found not guilty of murdering two men he admitted to killing—would have walked out of the courtroom in Kenosha, Wisconsin and declared “I’m going to Disney World!” In the weeks since his acquittal, the 18-year-old gunman has been passed around conservative GOP circles like some sort of trophy (even making his way to Mar-a-Lago to hang with the former prez). And now he’s being touted as a “top conservative leader” by Turning Point USA, and as such has been asked to speak at the group’s upcoming AmericaFest gathering.

As Newsweek reports, the first-ever AmericaFest later this month in Phoenix, Arizona—a four-day event they describe as “the largest celebration of our constitutional rights and freedoms—featuring the best and brightest speakers in the country, dozens of like-minded sponsoring organizations, thousands of freedom-loving patriots, and the introduction of musical talent with a number of very special concerts.” In other words: An event you couldn’t pay most people to attend—unless you’re Kyle Rittenhouse.

Yep—the automatic weapon-toting teen who Tucker Carlson described as a “sweet kid,” the same one who Donald Trump Jr. desperately wanted to gift with a brand-new AR-15. Speaking of which: Carlson and Don Jr. are also on the docket of speakers, as are a whole slew of people who make a living saying stupid and/or offensive things. (See Exhibit A)

And just what can we expect Rittenhouse to speak about? We’ll let his profile do the talking…

(Via Newsweek)

When the 2022 Grammy Awards ceremony goes down next year, Finneas won’t just be up for awards for his work with sister Billie Eilish. That’s because the singer and producer, who released his debut album Optimist in October, is also up for the Best New Artist award. Filled with expertly written ballads that ride the wavelengths of the pop music spectrum, the album shows just how polished Finneas is on his own.

“Only A Lifetime” is one of the more pensive songs on the album and in the new single-take video, Finneas ruminates on the words as he walks through the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. He asks, “How do you know if you’ve done everything right? Is it the love you have in hand or the cash you kiss at night?” while passing groupers and anemones in their massive tanks. The song is very forwardly about seizing the time that we have before us and he speaks like a comforting therapist as he sings “So don’t waste the time you have, waiting for time to pass. It’s only a lifetime, it’s not long enough, you’re not gonna like it without any love, so don’t waste it.”

And as his lyrics begin to conclude, the camera pulls back it reveals the surprise, that he’s actually there with his family. Eilish, their momma, Maggie Baird, and pop, Patrick O’Connell. They look on at the fish and it drives home the point of the song, like a wholesome new-age Norman Rockwell painting come to life.

Watch the video for “Only A Lifetime” above.

If you’ve turned on a radio anytime in the last six months, you’ve probably heard Masked Wolf‘s breakout hit “Astronaut In The Ocean” — even if you didn’t know that it was called that at the time. With its inescapable chorus (“What you know about rollin’ down in the deep?”) it’s been a hit on charts across the globe, including the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 6 in May. You may have also seen its video, which has racked up well over 265 million views on YouTube — which means you probably have seen the video.

This week on Behind The Video, the Australian rapper explains the concept of the video (“I have no idea,” he says), which he says only took two hours and $1,000 to create, and fields a few questions and reactions from fans in the YouTube comments. In one, his song gets compared to British singer Adele’s similar-sounding hit “Rolling In The Deep.” “The amount of times I’ve received this question is beyond a number,” he jokes. “It’s infinity. The weird thing is I hope people don’t feel what it’s like to roll down in the deep, ’cause it’s representing pain.”

He also breaks down the paradoxical title of the song, saying that it comes from the feeling of being in the wrong place — i.e., an astronaut being in the ocean rather than in space where they actually belong.

There’s plenty more Behind The Video above… Check it out.

Over the past half-decade, we’ve come to think of food differently through the lens of food influencers. Flat lays of brussels sprouts drizzled in a balsamic reduction are a far cry from the overboiled greens of our childhood. Powdered sugar suspended in tableau above a pyramid of plant-based donuts send us running to our air fryers, convinced we can recreate the delicate dessert scene. But who influences the influencers? Where do they go for a bite to eat after they hang up their earth-toned aprons and head out for a night on the town?

While social media platforms have begun to prioritize equal representation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-owned accounts, we still don’t see as much representation of Black-owned restaurants. So let’s change that, starting today.

We asked Black food influencers to tell us where we can get authentic, incredible food from Black-owned restaurants, just *in case* that spiralized zucchini tagliatelle you made turned out to be a bit more work than the 20 second TikTok video made it seem.

Alexis Nicole (@blackforager) — Willowbeez SoulVeg in Columbus, Ohio

Why Alexis Loves It:

Vegan Soul-food is hard to come by, especially in the Midwest, but Willowbeez, which started as a pop-up and now is a brick-and-mortar in Cbus’ North Market, is a dream come true for folks like me who miss my Aunt’s cornbread. The owner, Carnell Willoughby, is one of the kindest people I know, who is so community-minded!

Melissa L Jones (@foodtalksncolor) — FishScale, Washington DC

Why Melissa Loves It:

The most savory and mouth-watering fish burgers can be found at FishScale, one of my top favorite restaurants. This Washington, DC-based and Black-owned establishment specializes in handcrafted wild-caught seafood burgers and they do not disappoint. From the rockfish burger to the king salmon, their creations are mindfully curated with integrity and environment in mind, two things I admire most. Pair Chef Brandon’s True Blue MD Crab Burger with his grilled Japanese sweet potato topped with a special plum drizzle, you’ll become a frequent fan like me!

Vallery Lomas (@foodieinnewyork) — Ginjan Cafe, Harlem, New York

Why Vallery Loves It:

Gingan Cafe is a refuge of West African food and drinks in Harlem–from their signature Ginjan ginger-based elixir, to the tasty wraps and my personal fave–a sauteed mushroom, avocado, and plantain Kale Salad.

Jazzmine (@dashofjazzblog) — ChopnBlok, Houston, Texas

Why Jazzmine Loves It:

I love ChopnBlok because they are introducing the West African flavors I grew up on to the folks who might not otherwise experience it. Black foodways are global and diverse, yet interconnected, and ChopnBlok is putting that on display.

Aaron Oliver (@seasonedandblessed) — Virtue Restaurant, Chicago, Illinois

Why Aaron Loves It:

The macaroni and cheese at Virtue is some of the best in Chicago. The texture, consistency, and cheesiness are all top-notch in my book! I’ve always felt a special connection to Virtue Restaurant because of my relationship with my grandmother. Her love for me as a child was unmatched.

Every time I visit Virtue, the service and hospitality remind me of her which is something I’ll cherish forever.

Dawn Konofaos (@alevrilife) — Gabby Bakes (at Pure Kitchen), Tampa, Florida

Why Dawn Loves Them:

I just love Gabby and Jonny! They are beautiful humans. Gabby is a super talented, baking nerd. She mostly bakes cakes, but at markets she has cookies and cute loaves and her pie flavors are amazing as well. She’s a fellow vegan baker and she also makes cupcakes. As a whole, the Tampa Bay area doesn’t have really good representation for any minorities in the food industry. It’s a really hard place for Black-owned businesses and POC businesses to thrive, but Gabby is awesome.

She also bakes cupcakes and sells them at Pure Kitchen.

Shanika (@orchidsnsweettea_) — Mangoseed, Brooklyn, New York

Why Shanika Loves Them:

I love Mangoseed in Prospect Lefferts Garden in Brooklyn, NY. Coming from a Jamaican background, Mangoseed is the perfect rendition of Jamaican food meets an edgy new, innovative twist on Jamaican classics. Whenever I get a chance to eat at this restaurant, I often enjoy their take on Oxtails + Parmesan grits or a healthier dinner option — Jerk Salmon with Rice + Peas and sauteed spinach.

All in all, this restaurant brings me back to the amazing dishes that I grew up eating, but in a fresh new way!

Glenroy Brown (@chefboyprince) — Aunts et Uncles, Brooklyn New York

Why Glenroy Loves Them:

My favorite Black-owned restaurant is called Aunts Et Uncles. It’s a plant-based Cafe/Bar located in Brooklyn NY. I love this cafe because it’s inspiring for me as a chef and wanting to own something similar to it. It’s small yet intimate, great ambiance, and is very welcoming.

The owners are a couple and I literally watched them build this cafe from the ground up. I used to get my haircut next door and every time I visited, I saw them working on it until it was completed.

I would definitely recommend this as a go-to spot to hang out, relax and kind of get away for the moment. The menu is limited but the bar, atmosphere, and people working there make up for it.

As will happen on occasion, social media has become obsessed with a new feline hero, Jorts the Cat. (For the record, the cat pictured above is not Jorts, but this guy does have a smooth cowboy bravado that we suspect Jorts would approve of.) Jorts came to everyone’s attention thanks to a viral “Am I The Asshole” post on Reddit that’s a wild tale involving allegations of ethnic stereotypes, a random cat buttering, and a downright heroic conversion of anti-vaxxers. It literally has everything.

In a nutshell, Jorts and Jean are two workplace cats who are clearly loved at the original poster’s office. However, one of the workers, Pam, loves one, Jorts, just a little too much and has been raising concerns about the ginger cat’s inability to open doors. It got to the point where Pam concocted ways to teach Jorts how to open doors until the OP said, yes, Jorts is kinda dumb, but it’s no big deal. Pam did not like this one bit. Via Reddit:

She started crying and left the hallway, then sent an email to the group (including volunteers) and went home early.

In her email Pam said I was “perpetuating ethnic stereotypes by saying orange cats are dumb” and is demanding a racial sensitivity training before she will return. I don’t think it’s relevant but just in case, Pam is a white person in a mostly minority staff (and no she is not ginger/does not have red hair).

It just gets crazier from there. In a hilarious update, the OP reveals that HR had to set Pam straight, but that’s where an interesting fact was discovering. Apparently, Pam had been coating Jorts’ fur with margarine in an effort to coax him into grooming himself better. Instead, it just gave Jean diarrhea.

On top of all that drama, five employees were refusing to abide by the building’s vaccine mandate. However, after learning that they would be deprived of seeing Jorts and Jean, four of them got the jab.

Folks, the internet stans a hero.

(Via Reddit)

If making her new Twitter photo a picture of Netflix’s You star Penn Badgley is any indication, Cardi B is a big fan of certain TV shows. That’s why she was perplexed when one of the stars of the hit show The Vampire Diaries popped up in her Twitter mentions recently — and she had the best reaction.

Cardi oftentimes takes to Twitter to seek advice from her massive fan base on matters from skincare to motherhood woes. This week, Cardi sought some more information about the vegan lifestyle. The rapper said she wanted to try out going vegan, aka nixing all dairy and meat products from her diet, but was apprehensive to go against her love of meat. “I want to go vegan but I love meat.. are vegan meat replacements similar to meat in taste or not really?” she asked.

While many people responded, Cardi was most surprised that The Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley, who played the character Stefan Salvatore in the supernatural series, responded to her question. “Hello Cardi B- going vegan is the best decision I ever made,” Wesley wrote. Upon seeing the response, Cardi was absolutely perplexed.

Cardi didn’t say anything else about her potential pivot to veganism, but Wesley’s response could have swayed the rapper in that direction.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.