Recently, Brian Szasz attended a Blink-182 concert. Without context, that sounds like a fun and innocuous night out. However, Szasz is the stepson of British billionaire Hamish Harding, who is one of the passengers on the submersible vehicle from OceanGate Expeditions, which is currently missing after embarking on a journey to see the sunken Titanic. So, Szasz enjoying a rock show amid this serious situation raised some eyebrows, including those of Cardi B. It turns out Szasz didn’t care for what Cardi had to say.
In a video shared on her Instagram Story yesterday (June 20), Cardi said in part, “People was like, ‘Well, what is he supposed to do? Be sad at the house? Is he supposed to go look for him?’ Yes. You’re supposed to be at the house, sad. You’re supposed to be crying for me. You’re supposed to be right next to the phone, waiting to hear any updates about me.”
Szasz clapped back on Twitter today, writing, “@iamcardib What a pos trashy celeb. Cardi B trying to get clout off me and my families suffering. I went to a Blink 182 concert for coping rather than sitting at home and watching the news. Shame on you Cardi get some class!” He added in another tweet, “Cardi B We know all your latest releases are trash but is your career this desperate for attention now??”
Stepson of missing billionaire from Titanic tour submarine responds to Cardi B’s criticism for attending Blink-182 concert while his stepdad is missing:
“I went to a Blink 182 concert for coping rather than sitting at home & watching the news. Shame on you Cardi get some class!” pic.twitter.com/mQYM11MiKU
@iamcardib What a pos trashy celeb. Cardi B trying to get clout off me and my families suffering. I went to a Blink 182 concert for coping rather than sitting at home and watching the news. Shame on you Cardi get some class! https://t.co/SyF4eMX0uX
Summerfest has revealed their set times ahead of the first weekend kicking off in just a few days. Here’s what to expect.
Tomorrow, June 22, the festival kicks off with Tommy Odetto as the first performance at 1:45 p.m.. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, La Sra. Tomasa, Chris Duarte, Jupiter & Okwess, Sias, Reverend Horton Heat, Larry Fleet, Frank Walker, Robert Pluer With The Rhythm Club, and more will play on the various stages.
Later that night, a few key acts to catch include Eric Church with Elle King at 7:30 p.m. and Three 6 Mafia, Declan McKenna, The Wailers, and more playing around the festival grounds at 10 p.m.
The rest of the first weekend follows a similar schedule. On Friday, Crocodyle starts things at the same time of 1:45 p.m. The Avett Brothers and Bleachers both play at 9:30 p.m. As the last acts of Friday night, Tegan & Sara play at 10 p.m., followed by Sofi Tukker on a separate stage at 10:15 p.m.
On Saturday, the final day of the first weekend, things change slightly. James Taylor plays with Sheryl Crow at 7 p.m., instead of the previous schedule for the stage. Elvis Costello and NLE Choppa perform at 9:30 p.m. and Noah Kahan is at 10 p.m.
View the complete Summerfest weekend one schedule above.
Cardi B has an issue with the ongoing Titanic submersible situation.
In case you haven’t been on the internet at all over the past few days, here’s what’s happening: A submersible vehicle from OceanGate Expeditions set out on a voyage to view the underwater wreckage of the Titanic. The vessel, which has five people aboard, has since been reported missing. Given that there is a limited amount of air left inside the submersible, this has become a life-or-death situation. (We have a more detailed timeline and explanation of what’s going on here.)
Since that news broke, it was revealed that Brian Szasz, the stepson of British billionaire and currently missing submersible passenger Hamish Harding, attended a Blink-182 concert amid all this. He explained, “It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favorite band and music helps me in difficult times!”
Cardi, it turns out, doesn’t quite agree with his reasoning.
In a video shared on her Instagram Story last night (June 20), Cardi (being virtually held by a skinless man, for some reason) said, “People was like, ‘Well, what is he supposed to do? Be sad at the house? Is he supposed to go look for him?’ Yes. You’re supposed to be at the house, sad. You’re supposed to be crying for me. You’re supposed to be right next to the phone, waiting to hear any updates about me. […] Like, isn’t it sad that you a whole f*ckin’ billionaire and nobody gives a f*ck about you? Like, you missing and motherf*ckers is ready to shake dicks at concert. That’s crazy. I’d rather be broke. I’d rather be broke and poor, but knowing that I’m loved.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
A couple months ago, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek spoke about the streaming service’s future, saying in part, “I think we are ready to raise prices, I think we have the ability to do that, but it really comes down to those negotiations [with major music industry stakeholders].”
Now, in a follow-up to that news, it appears Spotify could be readying a more expensive tier of streaming service. As Bloomberg reports, Spotify is readying a new, pricier subscription option dubbed “Supremium” internally, according to “people familiar with the strategy.” It’s set to be the most expensive plan Spotify offers and will reportedly include high-fidelity audio. The new tier is expected to launch this year in non-US markets before becoming available to American users.
In response to the new report, Spotify spokesperson Laura Pezzini told The Verge, “At Spotify, we are constantly iterating and ideating to improve our product offering and offer value to users. But we don’t comment on speculation around possible new features and do not have anything new to share at this time.”
Back in 2021, Spotify announced (but has yet to deliver) Spotify HiFi, so perhaps it’s finally just about ready for consumers. Earlier this year, Spotify co-president Gustav Söderström said to The Verge of Spotify HiFi, “We announced it, but then the industry changed for a bunch of reasons. We are going to do it, but we’re going to do it in a way where it makes sense for us and for our listeners. The industry changed and we had to adapt.”
Musicians Tyga and Avril Lavigne found love in a hopeless place back in March. Since then, the “Platinum” rapper and his punk rock royalty girlfriend have taken their whirlwind fling around the globe attending fashion shows and more together. Supposedly as a token of his love, Tyga even purchased Lavigne an $80,000 custom pink and black diamond necklace.
However, according to TMZ, their chaos-inducing romance has come to an end: The outlet reported Tyga and Avril Lavigne have broken up. A source close to the pair told the publisher that despite their split, both parties will remain friends.
The entertainer’s coupling devastated Lavigne’s ex-fiance Mod Sun. The musician took to Instagram to write, “In 1 week, my entire life completely changed…I just know there’s a plan for it all. I’ll keep my head up + always listen to my heart, even when it feels broken.” During a show, Mod Sun’s fans chanted, “F*ck Tyga.”
Although Lavigne and Tyga’s fans weren’t necessarily against their partnership, they did verbalize their confusion given that they have both been linked to different members of the Jenner/Kardashian family. Tyga has dated Kylie Jenner. Lavigne’s ex-boyfriend is Kylie’s older brother Brody Jenner. Kylie’s other brother Rob Kardashian has a daughter with Blac Chyna (now known as Angela White), with whom Tyga also shares a son.
The Recording Academy gives and the Recording Academy takes away. After announcing that it had added categories in African music, jazz, and pop fields to next year’s Grammys earlier this week, the Academy revealed further changes today. Among them: making AI music eligible to win awards (under certain circumstances) and contracting the nomination fields among the so-called “Big Four” awards. Now, there will only be eight nominees for the Best New Artist and Album, Song, and Record of the Year instead of 10, according to Variety.
This returns them to their size in 2021 when they were expanded in an effort to “honor more artists and shine a light on more great music, and potentially offer a greater opportunity for more genres of music to be honored,” according to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Reducing the number of nominees to pre-2021 levels could also help by reducing the length of the show and consolidating voting for difficult choices and dark horses.
The move had proved to be controversial, with some questioning whether it was a bid to ensure that the permanently popular Taylor Swift would get nominated and thus be obligated to appear at the show, boosting its television ratings. The Academy denied those accusations. In any case, it’d have been a Pyrrhic victory at best; the other beneficiary of the expansion was Kanye West, who spent much of the past two years being a lightning rod for controversy.
In addition to the above-mentioned changes the Academy announced that the existing categories of Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical have been moved to the General Field. Meanwhile, to qualify for nomination in Album of the Year, credited contributors must appear for at least 20% of the album’s runtime; this was likely updated as album credits have exploded in size in recent years due to artists like Beyoncé crediting more collaborators and sampled artists while avoiding lawsuits.
The 2024 Grammy Awards will be a bit different than ceremonies from prior years. For instance, The Recording Academy revealed earlier this week that three new categories have been added: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording. Now, the Academy has also addressed AI music and the eligibility of works created using artificial intelligence.
As Variety reports, there are new “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Protocols” that essentially say music made purely by AI cannot be nominated for a Grammy. However, human-created work made using AI technology is eligible, so long as there’s a significant human contribution.
Here’s what it says in full:
“The GRAMMY Award recognizes creative excellence. Only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a GRAMMY Award. A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any Categories. A work that features elements of A.I. material (i.e., material generated by the use of artificial intelligence technology) is eligible in applicable Categories; however: (1) the human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful and more than de minimis; (2) such human authorship component must be relevant to the Category in which such work is entered (e.g., if the work is submitted in a songwriting Category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the music and/or lyrics; if the work is submitted in a performance Category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the performance); and (3) the author(s) of any A.I. material incorporated into the work are not eligible to be nominees or GRAMMY recipients insofar as their contribution to the portion of the work that consists of such A.I material is concerned. De minimis is defined as lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard.”
So far, Grimes has been the most notable artist to dive headfirst into AI music: A song featuring “GrimesAI,” how tracks using an AI version of her voice are credited, was released last month.
In February, President Joe Biden proposed the Junk Fee Prevention Act, to eliminate the “junk fees” that make concerts (as well as flights) so expensive. “For example, we’re making airlines show you the full ticket price upfront and refund your money if your flight is canceled or delayed,” he said at the State Of The Union. “Baggage fees are bad enough — they can’t just treat your child like a piece of luggage. Americans are tired of being played for suckers.”
According to NPR, Live Nation and Ticketmaster will pledge to get rid of junk fees, which will be starting in September. Instead, the full prices will be shown upfront. “Today’s voluntary actions demonstrate that companies both big and small recognize the importance of providing consumers with honest, up-front all-in pricing, rather than tricking them with surprise fees at the end of checkout,” the White House said. “It is also just a first step towards addressing junk fees in the economy.”
In March, Live Nation’s President and CEO, Michael Rapino, responded to Biden’s proposal by sharing that the company was aiming to “relieve a lot of the stress [and] the consumer’s perception that there’s this magical extra fee added on.”
In May, it was revealed that Slowthai (real name Tyron Frampton) had been charged with rape. Now, the rapper has officially entered his plea at a Crown court in Oxford, England: Pitchfork reports that Slowthai has pleaded not guilty to two charges of raping a woman in 2021. The charges are for alleged oral and vaginal rape.
Slowthai appeared alongside another man, Alex Blake Walker, who also pleaded not guilty, to two charges of rape and another of sexual assault. The trial is set to commence on July 1, 2024. Both were granted bail on the condition that “they keep their solicitors informed of where they are living.”
In a statement shared in May shortly after charges were pressed, the rapper wrote, “Regarding the allegations being reported about me. I categorically deny the charges. I am innocent and I am confident my name will be cleared. Until then I will apply my energy to ensure this is concluded swiftly and justly. I ask that my supporters don’t comment about this situation and respect the process and privacy of my family during this time.”
With all that in mind, we’ve shifted from our typical listmaking to try something new in 2023. We asked the core Uproxx writers to each pick their favorite song of the year so far, and what we found is something that somewhat resembles the greater music landscape. Country, hip-hop, indie, pop, and afrobeats all make appearances, while Ice Spice is just as omnipresent here as she is in the real world. There’s even a couple chart-toppers in this mix.
Check out the best songs of 2023 so far, as chosen by the Uproxx staff, below.
100 Gecs – “Hollywood Baby”
The music landscape is as diverse and interesting now as it has ever been. Given that anybody with a laptop can create and release a decent-sounding album these days, it’s hard to be shocked. And yet, 100 Gecs surprise with pretty much every song they put out. On paper, what their hyper-pop distillation of ’90s alt-rock shouldn’t work, but songs like “Hollywood Baby” just do. Given, the unbelievably catchy pop-punk-ish track sounds relatively conventional for them, but it goes to show there’s more to 100 Gecs beyond making seemingly disparate sounds work together: They’re exemplary songwriters, too. – Derrick Rossignol
Arlo Parks – “Weightless”
Arlo Parks may be a musician, but she’s a poet first and foremost. The 22-year-old UK artist has been known to expertly wield her pen to write touching songs about mental health, mortality, and identity that bring listeners to tears. “Weightless,” which appears on her sophomore album My Soft Machine is no different. While much of the subject matter on her latest LP focuses more on budding relationships than waning mental health (we love to see it!), “Weightless” still manages to be just as moving. Her unique, honeyed vocals add a soaring dimension to the reverb-drenched instrumentals, and Parks even cuts in with a spoken-word verse about the all-too-familiar anxiety that takes over when near a crush. – Carolyn Droke
Ice Spice – “Gangsta Boo” Feat. Lil Tjay
With co-signs from Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice being crowned the People’s Princess is indisputable. Although the Bronx rapper found crossover success thanks to her guest verse on “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2,” Spice’s innovation in the drill scene shouldn’t be dismissed. As her first solo track to land on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Gangsta Boo” featuring Lil Tjay is the pop drill pocket Spice thrives in. Containing a sample of Diddy’s 2002 cult-classic song “I Need a Girl (Part 2),” an infectious chorus, and a fiery guest verse — it’s a sleeper hit. After the video shoot was canceled due to Tjay’s arrest, Spice moved on from promoting the song. However, it will live on far beyond her EP’s shelf life. –Flisadam Pointer
Lana Del Rey – “Let The Light In” Feat. Father John Misty
While Lana Del Rey’s newest album has plenty of fan-favorite standouts to choose from, it’s her collaboration with longtime buddy Father John Misty on “Let The Light In” that stands out. The harmonies highlight just how well she works with folksier artists — similar to 2017’s “Tomorrow Never Came” with Sean Ono Lennon. In this breezy song’s unique dynamic, Lana and FJM go back and forth before she decides, “Screw it, maybe you should and record some other songs.” This, coupled with the fact countless TikTok edits are set to the “love to love to love you / hate to hate to hate you” part, results in another modern classic from one of this generation’s most acclaimed songwriters. – Lexi Lane
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Miley Cyrus’ The career-best No. 1 single finds Cyrus rewriting Julia Roberts’ iconic Notting Hill line. Why stand in front of a boy, asking him to love her, when she can “love me better than you can”? Cyrus has been this individualistically empowered for a decade. It just took everyone else this long to meet her there. – Megan Armstrong
Militarie Gun – “Do It Faster”
Some songs just have it. “Do It Faster” by Militarie Gun is one of them. It has the adrenaline, the post-hardcore invigoration, the catchy hook to scream wherever you are in the mosh pit: “I don’t care what you do / Just do it faster,” Ian Shelton shouts. It has their signature barks to be emitted in unison; it has a less-than-two-minute run time that leaves no room for messing around. It’s an all-in ripper for anarchy, a call to immediate fervor. – Danielle Chelosky
Nicki Minaj – “Red Ruby Da Sleeze”
The truth is, Nicki Minaj isn’t slowing down anytime soon. When she teased a minute-long snippet of “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” in February with the Lumidee “Never Leave You (Uh Oh)” sample, it was highly anticipated. “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” checks off all the boxes that make a rap song great in this era of music: top-tier production (shout out to Go Grizzly, Cheeze Beatz & Tate Kobang), a nostalgic Y2K sample, a catchy melodic hook, masterful lyricism, and memorable Instagram-ready bars like, “Shout out to hoes that’s watchin’ me like Movados.” Nicki is playing the role of rapper, singer, and featured artist on this standout, resulting in a bold boost of confidence to the soul of all who listen. No, slowing down isn’t in the plans. “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” is merely a cute reminder that “bad gyal don’t die.” – Cherise Johnson
PinkPantheress & Ice Spice – “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2”
Breakout stars PinkPantheress and Ice Spice kicked off the year proving they were the ones to watch in 2023. With PinkPantheress’ painfully relatable account of a dishonest ex, and Ice’s punchy bars reminding us why she stays on his mind, the song has proven inescapable. Whether you’ve heard the song in the club or discovered it on one of many viral TikToks, you can’t help but shake your “duh-duh-duh” when “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” comes on. – Alex Gonzalez
Tyler The Creator – “Dogtooth”
Over the course of Tyler The Creator’s 10-year career in hip-hop, we’ve heard him angry, boastful, depressed, dismissive, gleefully defiant, introspective, and occasionally even impressed, but on “Dogtooth,” we finally hear him truly, ridiculously in love. Amid boasts about his luxury rides and snide jabs at phony would-be hangers-on, Tyler, at last, drops the facade of uncaring stoicism to simp out for his lady love for a minute, boasting “My girl look like Zazie Beetz and Kelis.” – Aaron Williams
Victony – “Soweto (Remix)” Feat. Don Toliver & Rema
With afrobeats’ increased presence in the mainstream light, fans of the genre have often been critical of the crossover collaborations, often in the form of remixes, that have been used to boost songs. It’s happened with records like “Essence” and “Calm Down,” but not with Victony’s hit record “Soweto.” That song, off his 2022 Outlaw EP, grew to prominence after it went viral on TikTok, and its remix with Don Toliver and Rema kept it close to its roots while simultaneously introducing it to a new audience. Rema’s verse on the remix has been memorized from start to finish by fans for what is now one of this year’s most well-received features and Don Toliver fits like a glove on the song’s new take to make it a textbook example of how crossover remixes should be done. – Wongo Okon
Wednesday – “Chosen To Deserve”
Part rock anthem and part teenaged dirtbag confessional, this is Karly Hartzman looking back on every bad decision she made in adolescence and concluding that she still deserves the world. But the words aren’t pushed to the forefront — it’s the crunching power chords borrowed from Southern rock gods Drive-By Truckers and that lifesaving pedal steel lick wafting throughout like a breeze on a sticky summer afternoon that immediately commands your attention. And, then on the 20th listen, Hartzman’s memoir finally lands a devastating blow. – Steven Hyden
Zach Bryan – “Dawns” Feat. Maggie Rogers
The meteoric rise of Zach Bryan during the pandemic era has been impressive to witness, especially as he operates far outside the normal country playbook. He generally eschews interviews, has licensed about 7000 songs to Yellowstone, and has hit both the top 10 on the Hot 100 and the top line of multi-genre festival lineups. But while his sound veers closer to the outlaw lane, this one-off collaboration with Maggie Rogers isn’t really a country song at all, showing the range and possibility for a young artist that doesn’t have expectations yet to defy. But while the male-female vocal tradeoffs and driving string section underscore the song’s emotional pull, it’s in Bryan’s words that he demonstrates his power, evoking his mother’s death, his relationship’s disillusion, religion, and the passing of time. Bryan is turning out great songs by the dozen these days, but “Dawns” is one of his best yet. – Philip Cosores
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
