Music

‘Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin Looks To Escape In The ‘Soul Travel’ Video

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While Stranger Things is set to return this month, actor Caleb McLaughlin is looking to remind the world that he’s multi-faceted with the new “Soul Travel” visual. The 20-year-old wrote, performed, and produced the upbeat love song, asking his lover to get away from the city with him as his life is moving too fast. Throughout the video, you’ll see McLaughlin riding in between women in the car or spending time with his friends. With such a demanding life, his desire to leave it all behind and focus on who he cares about the most is sensible.

This is just the second track that Caleb has ever released, following 2021’s “Neighborhood.” He told Complex that “Soul Travel,” despite being done before “Neighborhood,” is actually a continuation of that song’s story. “‘Neighborhood’ tells the story of a teenager meeting a girl and bringing her to my neighborhood, and then in ‘Soul Travel’ I am talking about going away while driving in the video.”

You can find Caleb playing Lucas Sinclair in Strangers Things’ penultimate season kicking off this month, before closing off for good in Season 5. The show has been running since 2016 and received favorable reviews from fans and critics alike.

Dave Chappelle Was ‘Just Joking’ About Busta Rhymes Beating Up His Attacker

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Dave Chappelle would like to make one thing clear: Busta Rhymes was not the one who folded Isaiah Lee like a pretzel backstage after Lee tackled him during his show at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday. Reaching out to TMZ via his publicist Carla Sims, Dave insisted that his statements in the immediate aftermath of the attack were just jokes.

After shrugging off Lee’s initial tackle, Chappelle had returned to the stage — along with Jamie Foxx, and later, Chris Rock — to address the bizarre incident, saying, “I been doing this 35 years, I just stomped a n**** backstage,” joked. “I seen Busta Rhymes, he was like, ‘That’s how you do it, god.’” He claimed that Foxx and even fellow comedian Jon Stewart jumped in.

But perhaps worried that any legal counsel Lee pursued could use the statements as evidence in a civil case against the comedian and his security, he made sure to point out that none of the entertainers he mentioned had laid a finger on Lee. Considering his state as he was loaded into an ambulance later, they probably didn’t even need to.

Meanwhile, Chappelle has been joking about the situation ever since, as well as revealing Lee’s reason for accosting him in the first place (sorry, 50 Cent, it had nothing to do with Chappelle’s trans comments). As for Lee, he’s been charged with four misdemeanors, so hopefully, he feels it was worth both the pain — again, did you guys see his ARM!?!? — and potential jail time for the attention his attack got for his displaced grandmother and/or struggling rap career.

Pusha T Wanted To Reunite With Kendrick Lamar On ‘It’s Almost Dry’

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Pusha T reached a milestone this past week, with It’s Almost Dry going No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. In a recent interview with GQ, readers learned that the G.O.O.D Music President was looking to lyrically spar with a fellow chart-topper by the name of Kendrick Lamar on the album.

Having previously worked together on 2013’s fan-favorite “Nosetalgia,” this would surely be a welcome reunion for supporters of both. Unfortunately, the impact of “Nosetalgia” lead to this potential collaboration’s undoing as Push said he “couldn’t find a song that differed enough.” Clearly, Pusha T isn’t too torn up about it, riding a huge wave of momentum and soaking in all the positivity from those who have heard his album. He put out a post on Instagram this past week thanking all who were involved.

Luckily, Kendrick Lamar fans won’t have to wait much longer for new K Dot music either as he is set to release Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers, his final TDE album, on May 13. There is currently no single, tracklist, or inkling of who will appear on the album. The rumors of it being a rock-influenced album haven’t been revisited either, so this is truly a game of wait and see.

Selena Gomez Will Host ‘SNL’ Next Week With Musical Guest Post Malone

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Actress/singer/cooking show host/former Barney cast member Selena Gomez has been tapped to host Saturday Night Live next week, May 14th, with musical guest Post Malone.

Gomez has performed on the show before, but this will be her first time hosting. The actress has been busy over the last year, launching a new mental health site and filming the second season of the surprisingly good Hulu series Only Murders In The Building alongside former SNL castmember Steve Martin and Martin Short. Perhaps Martin will show up for a cameo?

The second season of Only Murders will air this summer, featuring new cast members Cara Delevingne, Michael Rapaport, and Amy Schumer. The show follows a group of armchair detectives whose love of true crime podcasts lead them to solve various mysteries around their swanky New York City apartment building.

Post Malone is also slated to make his SNL debut ahead of his upcoming album, Twelve Carat Toothache, which drops June 3rd. He is gearing up to play a handful of festivals later this summer. The rapper also announced he is expecting his first child earlier this week.

It’s unclear if SNL favorite, and Post Malone’s pal, Pete Davidson will be back for this episode, as he is famously absent from a lot of the show. He’s been busy!

Jack Harlow Calls The Homophobic Backlash Against Lil Nas X ‘Totally Inappropriate’

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Jack Harlow isn’t afraid to speak up on behalf of his friends. In an interview with The Guardian, the “First Class” rapper defended his “Industry Baby” collaborator Lil Nas X from the homophobic backlash against him.

He said, “The totally inappropriate reaction to him lets you know that we still have some progress to be made. And you hear it in passing; there’s still some homophobia going on. But he’s taking the hit that artists won’t have to take in the future. That’s what makes him a hero.”

For what it’s worth, those detractors couldn’t hold the pair back. “Industry Baby” quickly rose to No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking Lil Nas’ third single to reach that height and Jack’s first. It also helped launch Jack to superstardom along with the No. 2 showing of his breakout single “What’s Poppin.” Jack’s most recent single, “First Class,” was able to go No. 1 ahead of the release of his second studio album, Come Home The Kids Miss You, out now via Atlantic Recordings.

Jack had previously addressed some of the criticism of the “Industry Baby” video, tweeting that he “followed [Nas’] lead every step of the way.” He also insisted that “if he had asked me to be in that shower scene I woulda been in that shower scene. I just let the mastermind cook.”

Pete Davidson: John Mulaney Suggested I Start A Rumor That Kanye Has Polio

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After Pete Davidson’s messy yet weirdly successful year, he has returned to the stage for a stand-up special as a part of Netflix’s comedy festival. Of course, he addressed the Kanye West-sized elephant in the room. “I’ve had a really weird year,” he stated at the start of his set. Davidson’s drama has been highly-publicized, so the audience pretty much knew where this was headed.

He then joked about Kanye starting the rumor that Davidson has AIDS, saying it was an outdated joke (though AIDS is still very much a thing). “You know what’s funny about that? That’s such a 90s thing to like [say]…John Mulaney called me and was like ‘AIDS? You should start a rumor that he has polio!”” Polio, of course, has been eradicated in the US due to vaccines. But that joke could have been pretty controversial if it was in the 1950s! His Mulaney impression was pretty solid, though.

Davidson then told some jokes about fellow friends who still work with West, like rapper and longtime friend Jack Harlow. The comedian didn’t mind that Harlow worked with West on his new album, though he joked he would mind if fellow comedian Bill Burr worked with West. “It would hurt my feelings if I saw like, Bill Burr at Sunday service. I’d be like ‘What the f*ck Bill?’ He’d be like ‘Find God, Petey!’”

Davidson didn’t mention girlfriend Kim Kardashian, though he did make a quick joke about West pulling a Mrs. Doubtfire and posing as a nanny in order to see his kids. Honestly, that’s not that far off from something he would do. Check out the clip above.

Beyonce Invests In The Flavored Water Brand Lemon Perfect

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Beyonce, whose last album was the iconic 2016 LP Lemonade, has become an investor none other than Lemon Perfect, an Atlanta-based flavored water brand.

“I don’t typically enjoy drinks without added sugar, but Lemon Perfect is delicious,” Beyonce wrote in a statement on the Lemon Perfect website. “It was an easy decision to invest in something that not only tastes great and is healthy, but also, and most importantly, allows choosing a healthier lifestyle to be affordable and accessible to everyone.”

Lemon Perfect founder and CEO Yanni Hufnagel stated: “We are honored and humbled that Beyoncé has become a part of the Lemon Perfect family. She is a worldwide icon whose talent, character, and positivity are unsurpassed. Her investment and the energy it sparks will accelerate Lemon Perfect’s rise toward its goal of becoming the number one brand in the multibillion-dollar enhanced water category by market share.”

Meanwhile Beyonce also recently wished Lizzo a happy birthday with a baby picture of Lizzo. The “Truth Hurts” singer took to Twitter with excitement but also confusion: “Where u get this pic?? I ain’t seen this since I was born [crying emoji].”

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

Logic And Russ Clear Their Heads With Some ‘Therapy Music’

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In all the talk about whether Jack Harlow has surpassed Lil Dicky’s career aspirations (and how he definitely surpassed Asher Roth’s), we’ve all been overlooking two very important members of the melanin-challenged rappers’ coalition: Logic and Russ. Fortunately, they’ve both returned to remind us they deserve consideration too — and, happily, they’ve done so on the same track. “Therapy Music” finds the Def Jam lyricist recruiting the indie champion for a throwback, boom-bap production to address their personal mental health journeys with some extremely flexy raps.

Logic particularly sounds revitalized, which is a good thing, since he’s working on a new album called Vinyl Days. If the new track is any indication of the sound on that project, it looks like Logic has been blasting “Lofi Beats To Study To” and collecting his best material to address the backlash against his prior albums. But although he does sound disappointed in the reception to his prior efforts to talk about mental health, he can at least rest easy in the knowledge that those efforts at least had some positive impact.

Meanwhile, Russ, one of Uproxx’s latest cover stars, is launching his own label, seeking yet another route to disrupt the music industry and return power to the hands of the artists.

Listen to Logic’s “Therapy Music” featuring Russ above.

The Wife Of The Man Drake Trolled Speaks Out On Unwanted Attention

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It appears the viral moment caused by a Drake follow and DM has become too much for Toni Bowen, who took to Instagram on Thursday to address the drama. In an Instagram Story, Bowen says despite receiving hate and unwanted attention, she and her husband Ceddy Bowen find the situation amusing and are very happy with one another. While some may use this opportunity to promote a clothing brand or new single, Bowen says she has no interest in being famous.

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She found herself in Drake’s cross-hairs earlier this week after the rapper commented on Chris Matthews’ (aka @lethalshooter) Instagram post supporting and defending Ja Morant’s father, Tee. Drake said, “Imagine your son makes the league and he’s Ja or Melo or Lonzo, all you can do is be elated and competitive and over supportive, and it’s a right of passage to that the OG’s talk shit.”

Ceddy replied to Drake’s comment with a joke about ghostwriting and Adonis, to which Drake said he was going to follow Ceddy’s wife because she is probably miserable and needs some excitement in her life. The moment went viral, spawning endless laughs and conversations about what different men would do if The Boy DM’d their girls.

While the situation’s 15 minutes of fame have expired, this is just another example that one should be wary of crossing the “Petty King.”

50 Cent Wonders Why Dave Chappelle’s Attacker Wasn’t Charged With A Felony

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After tackling Dave Chappelle onstage during the comic’s recent show at the Hollywood Bowl, an aspiring rapper was charged with four misdemeanors and no felonies, despite being armed with a knife at the time of the attack. According to ABC News, 23-year-old Isaiah Lee has been charged with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, and two charges related to interfering with a performer. County prosecutors determined that “evidence, as presented, did not constitute felony conduct,” which has some commenters scratching their heads.

One of those commenters, of course, was 50 Cent, who’s never seen a headline he couldn’t turn into a joke or a post on social media. This time, he posted a headline declaring that the attacker wouldn’t be charged with a felony, expressing his disbelief — and some “light” queer-phobia — in the caption. “Is the LGBTQ gonna kill dave right in front of us?” he wondered (circumstances point to: “not bloody likely, chief.”). “He had a weapon a gun, knife how he or she don’t get charged? The world is over, Fvck this.” He also compared the attack to recent incidents involving his “protege” DaBaby. “@dababy they would have charged your ass for thinking about doing that.”

Sigh. It’s always funny when rappers break kayfabe (remember, this is the guy who walked around with “guns the size of Lil Bow Wow” in his rhymes), but the double-dose of speculation that Lee might be trans or that the queer community is responsible for the attack is just irresponsible. It’s also disappointing that 50 didn’t read beyond the leading headline (and I could write another 300 words about how irresponsible the headline is) to know that Lee has been charged, just not with a felony.

By the way, lest we forget, DaBaby has now shot two people in self-defense without being charged, one of whom died. He’s also been caught on camera repeatedly lashing out at several people, many times for little reason at all, so it’s safe to say he’s earned his charges too. Meanwhile, Lee likely has much less access to high-priced lawyers to negotiate his consequences down to something like probation, let alone the resources to get any mental help he may need. We love ya, 50, but maybe this ain’t the hill to die on.