Getting compared to Larry David is a great thing if you’re working in comedy, and perhaps not as great a thing if it’s in reference to your social skills. But for Lil Dicky, that kind of comparison is exactly what he’s been going for all along.
The rapper and brain behind the surprise hit Dave is known for a lot of things, all of them sort of referencing parts of his own life and the musical persona that first made him famous. His success with Dave only tightens the connections between his persona, his real life and the show’s plot points loosely including all of the above. And if that sounds a bit like David’s work on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, well, you’re not alone in thinking that.
In a GQ profile of Dicky, the Larry David connections are front and center in a very flattering way. Early in the piece his mother quite literally says “You’re no Jerry Seinfeld. But you’re funny” when describing Dicky (real name Dave Burd) and his big ambitions. Apparently he used to straight-up ask his parents if he was a comedic genius, though he didn’t like the answer he got:
His friend Benny, the producer and hitmaking songwriter Benny Blanco, remembers this too. “Oh my God,” he says. “He’d be like, ‘Mom, Dad, am I a genius?’ And they’d be like, ‘Eh.’”
With two seasons of Dave now under his belt, though, the comparison isn’t nearly as absurd. And one longtime David collaborator is willing to broach the subject. The piece discusses Burd’s creative process and OCD tendencies at length, exploring how he first learned he could make people laugh and the stress that introduced into his life. The juxtaposition between attempted genius and the mental strain of actually realizing that makes him a difficult person to work with at times:
At work, the neurosis has a name: The No Stone Unturned Method. This means he must try out every single possible version of something, whether it’s a lyric or a joke, before he’s satisfied. “He’s the worst person I’ve ever been in the studio with,” Benny Blanco tells me. “But also the best person.”
The flipside of his neurosis is stratospheric confidence. The co-creator of Dave, Jeff Schaffer, remembers the first time he met Burd: “He’s talking to me, a stranger, about how he’s going to be so huge. He’s telling me he’s going to be the biggest entertainer in the history of entertaining. And I’m like, Oh, he’s delusional. This is great. I love this.” Schaffer, who’s also worked on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, adds that he sees “a lot of Larry” (that would be David) in Burd.
That’s high praise for a guy many know from funny rap songs, though the perception of Burd is certainly changing with Dave. The show is funny, and very successful, and as we see more of Burd’s work, it makes all of his talk about a wildly successful career not just more reasonable, but an actual reality.
With Migos’ long-awaited Culture III dropping this week, the North Atlanta trio turned up on The Tonight Show to preview one of the album’s standout songs, “Avalanche,” with a smooth performance marked by their matching three-piece suits and jazzy backup from a live band. Built on a sample of The Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” the three rappers deliver verses in their signature head-nodding cadence with no chorus and lyrics highlighted by big-money boasts and demands for respect.
Culture III, which was originally planned for a 2020 release before being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, is led by the single “Straightenin,” which the group released last month, and will feature appearances from longtime collaborators like Cardi B, Drake, and Future, as well as features from rising stars Polo G and Youngboy Never Broke Again. It also contains a pair of posthumous appearances; both Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke were working with the band before their deaths, and those efforts are represented here.
In addition to dropping the album this week, Migos will hold a festival in Las Vegas this autumn to celebrate/promote its release.
Watch Migos perform “Avalanche” above.
Culture III is out 6/11 via Quality Control Music, Motown, and Capitol Records.
Celebrities, they’re just like us! They, too, get excited when they learn that two of the most famous and brilliant people in the world actually know who they are. That’s what happened to Trevor Noah the other night when he went to Barclays Center to see the playoff game between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. The Daily Show host and sporadic Ted Cruz sparring partner was casually sitting courtside when who should show up but former Barclays stake holder Jay Z and his wife, Beyonce, who is also very popular.
A Getty photojournalist just happened to snap the meeting of the minds, catching Noah and Beyonce mid-fist-bump. Noah made sure to post that pic to his Instagram feed, complete with a gushing, fanboyish, pinch-me-is-this-real? caption:
“I’ve thought of every possible caption for this picture but really what can I write? You’re at the @brooklynnets game, the King of Brooklyn walks in with his wife @beyonce and then they both fist bump you. You try to act cool but then later you see a picture of the moment and you realise that this life is insane!!! What a privilege and magical moment to experience in life. And even though magic happens to me every day, I hope the little South African boy inside of me never stops reminding me that I’m living a dream.”
Who among us hasn’t been sitting courtside at an NBA playoff game and traded fistbumps with Jay Z and Beyonce? Many were quick to congratulate Noah on the honor, though in the comments, Daily Show colleague Jordan Klepper took some jokey umbrage with one detail of his caption: him referring to Jay Z as “the King of Brooklyn.”
Instagram / @TrevorNoah
“To be clear, I live in Brooklyn,” Klepper wrote. “Is the Jay Z is King a totally settled thing?”
Anyway, it’s great to know one of the world’s most powerful power couples watches The Daily Show.
For the upcoming sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, the show will have a new home on the Paramount Plus streaming platform. The season is set to premiere on June 24, and ahead of then, Paramount Plus has shared a new trailer. Aside from teasing the upcoming season, the clip also offers a brief look at some of the upcoming guests on the show, including Charli XCX and Tina Knowles, aka Beyonce’s mother.
Towards the end of the trailer, we see Knowles talking to a contestant off-camera, saying, “It was right on point.” The video then cuts to a similar shot of Charli, who says, “I am obsessed with your outfit.”
Charli’s love for both RuPaul and the Drag Race franchise runs deep. Way back in 2013, she tweeted, “Current mood = RuPaul.” Then, in 2017, Charli solicited Netflix viewing recommendations from her fans, and in response to the suggestion that she watch Drag Race, she replied, “i want to be a judgeeeee!!!!!!!” In a 2019 interview, she revisited that tweet and was asked if she has gotten involved in the show yet, to which she responded, “I haven’t! But RuPaul: hit me up. I would love to be a part of it.” She also offered her recommendation for the song of hers that the show’s contestants should “Lip Sync For Your Lives” to: “I have a song called ‘Vroom Vroom,’ which I think would be really amazing for anyone to lip sync to.”
Check out the trailer above.
Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After releasing the deluxe version of her acclaimed EP After The Rain and becoming a viral star with the video for her breakout hit “I Am,” Yung Baby Tate is now aiming to take over America’s televisions. The rising Atlanta star is joining the cast of the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop for its 10th season, making the announcement with a tweet bearing a teaser featuring “I Am” and revealing the new season’s air date: Monday, June 5.
Tate, whose tales of romantic entanglements have formed the foundation of some of her standout projects like Boys and After The Rain, will join a cast that has included longtime mainstays Rasheeda, Karlie Redd, and Mimi Faust, as well as Atlanta rap veterans such as Lil Scrappy and Yung Joc. The New York iteration of the show previously helped turn Cardi B into a household name; perhaps Tate hopes that the added exposure will help do the same for her.
Yung Baby Tate is already thoroughly established in the entertainment world thanks to her links to Insecure creator Issa Rae — whose label Raedio put out After The Rain — and her string of well-received albums, mixtapes, and EPs, as well as her appearance on Dreamville’s “Don’t Hit Me Right Now.”
Yung Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Late last month, Netflix’s dramedy series Master Of None returned to the streaming service after a four-year hiatus with a renewed focus on Lena Waithe’s character Denise and her partner, Naomi Ackie’s Alicia. As the series now focuses on the ups and downs of a single relationship rather than Aziz Ansari’s character Dev’s quest romance, the third season bears the subtitle Moments In Love.
The subtitle also applies to a new “live music experience” released today to promote the show, which features up-and-coming Black and queer R&B artists telling their stories of love. Included in the performance are Asiahn, a Los Angeles singer-songwriter who has written for the likes of Dr. Dre and Drake, Avery Wilson, who gained notice as a contestant on The Voice, Durand Bernarr, who’s sung backing vocals for Erykah Badu and The Internet, and Tiffany Gouché, a longtime industry vet whose musical family includes D Smoke and SiR, her cousins.
“Moments In Love” also includes a conversation between Waithe and neo-soul pioneer Maxwell. Shot at Winston House, the performance highlights the same sort of complex, unconventional love depicted in the show, making it a perfect pairing — and a fitting introduction to some of the most unique and talented rising stars in music.
Watch “Moments In Love” in love above and catch season three Master Of None streaming now on Netflix.
Netflix’s animated series We The People drops in exactly one month, and today, one of the stars set to be highlighted in the series, HER, has shared her musical contribution to its soundtrack, “Change.” Opening with a mean bass riff, the song describes parts of the political process and advocates for education and participation, acclaiming the power of one person to make a difference. “One day, I’ll be a leader,” she sings. “Believe in ‘We the people.’”
The singer has been lauded in recent months for the string of socially conscious hits she’s released in the past year, which includes the Golden Globe-nominated “Fight For You” from the Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack and the Grammy-winning “I Can’t Breathe,” released in response to the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin.
We The People, streaming July 4, is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and aims to inspire viewers to become more engaged with their community and government. A description from Netflix reads:
Combining music and animation to educate a new generation of young Americans about the power of the people, We the People is a series of 10 animated music videos that covers a range of basic U.S. civics lessons in not-so-basic ways. Set to original songs performed by artists such as H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Lambert, Cordae, Bebe Rexha, KYLE, Andra Day, and poet Amanda Gorman, with a groundbreaking mix of animated styles — each episode of We the People is an exuberant call to action for everyone to rethink civics as a living, breathing thing and to reframe their understanding of what government and citizenship mean in a modern world.
Listen to “Change” above. We The People starts streaming 7/4 on Netflix.
It was made official a few weeks ago that the second season of Lil Dicky’s beloved FX series Dave will premiere this summer. Now there’s a new trailer for the upcoming episodes and it reveals some of what will be going on this season. The new season, by the way, is set to premiere on June 16 at 10 p.m. on FXX before streaming on Hulu the next day.
Dicky seems to be experiencing a creative block and having trouble making his debut album, despite other things in his life going well. For example, Dicky seems to have connected with Doja Cat through an online dating platform. Elsewhere, he encounters Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd, as well as Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner at Benny Blanco’s house. The trailer wraps up with him hilariously talking with NBA legend (and Airplane star) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about how basketball used to be.
Other celebrities not in the trailer but previously revealed to be making appearances this season are Lil Nas X, CL, Kyle Kuzma, J Balvin, Lil Yachty, Kevin Hart, and others.
Press materials previously said of the new season, “Dave knows he’s destined for rap superstardom — but at what cost? With the pressure mounting as he records his debut album, he has to decide if he’ll sacrifice friendships, love, and his own sense of self in order to make his dream come true. Simultaneously exasperating and inspiring to his friends, Dave vows to leave no stone unturned on his quest to become the next superstar.”
Netflix just dropped the first official trailer for We the People, an animated music video series created by Chris Nee and produced through a joint collaboration between Kenya Barris and Barack and Michelle Obama. Featuring a powerhouse set list of musical stars like H.E.R. and Janelle Monáe, the 10 episodes series will feature a collection of music videos that will hopefully inspire viewers to rethink their civic engagement. A “Civics Remix,” as the trailer calls it.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Combining music and animation to educate a new generation of young Americans about the power of the people, We the People is a series of 10 animated music videos that covers a range of basic U.S. civics lessons in not-so-basic ways. Set to original songs performed by artists such as H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Lambert, Cordae, Bebe Rexha, KYLE, Andra Day, and poet Amanda Gorman, with a groundbreaking mix of animated styles — each episode of We the People is an exuberant call to action for everyone to rethink civics as a living, breathing thing and to reframe their understanding of what government and citizenship mean in a modern world.
Action Bronson may have lost 140 pounds since last year, but he’s still got that unmistakable Action grin. It comes paired with a “smiling eyes” brand of warmth that’ll make you feel like you’ve known the guy for years. His vibe has always been to live loud. Smoke what you want, eat what you want, do what you want, and give yourself over completely to life’s pleasures. It’s part of what makes his personality so infectious and why people flock to catch his show F*ck That’s Delicious, currently airing on YouTube, which is literally just about Action eating at the places he likes to eat (now with more kettlebell squats!).
But if you were worried that the new, healthier Action Bronson might live like a monk, fear not. He’s still the same dude with the same passion for food and life. He just felt like the fast life was catching up to him and he needed an adjustment.
“I put it out there for people to be free and fat and this and that, and eat what you like,” he says. “But unfortunately, some people have genetics like me where it just fucking sticks to your ass. I wanted to make amends… I realized that I was a fuckhead and I should stop doing these things and change shit up.”
That realization came while the multi-hyphenate was working on his new self-help book, Fuck It I’ll Start Tomorrow, which Action admits began as an attempt to get a check before morphing into a genuine journey of self-examination. We linked up last week over Zoom to talk about writing the book, getting fit, eating plant-based, and how it will all affect Fuck That’s Delicious going forward.
***
Let’s talk a bit about your new book Fuck It I’ll Start Tomorrow. It’s positioned as a self-help book — what kind of lessons do you teach people in the book?
Deceit, lying, lying to yourself, coming to the realization that you’ve lied to yourself and you’ve lied to everybody else… you know all kinds of things. It’s experience-based, a lot of people can relate to some of the things I’m saying, but I wrote it with deceit in my mind. When I wrote the book I had no intention of putting my all into it, which is unfortunate because I only do things that I put my all into. This I did strictly because it was a check and a way to get to another cookbook, which I really wanted to do. I didn’t want to do a fucking self-help book because “I don’t fucking give a shit,” that was my attitude.
The bottom line is, this book was written with bad intentions but somehow it turned a mirror on me and I realized that I was a fuckhead and I should stop doing these things and change shit up. Never do anything that you don’t put your all into and this book taught me a lesson.
The book ended at the pandemic, it was a prequel to all the change that’s happened now, but it was a catalyst. The book was a catalyst unknowingly, I hated every second of it, you could ask Rachel Wharton the woman who wrote the book with me, James Beard award winner, two times New York best-selling author. She went through hell with me to do this shit, I feel terrible. At one point I called them up and was like “Yo, I’ll give you the money back I’m not fucking doing this.” It was a shit show, but I’m just glad everything worked out.
In the book, you could feel my pain and my joy.
This year has been a definite journey, you’ve totally changed your life and changed the way you eat. What has impacted you the most about transforming, not just the way you look physically, but your diet, which was originally built around excess?
I’ve always been able to eat right, I actually went to school and got a 100 in nutrition, I know what we’re supposed to eat. I know what we need to eat to be healthy, I know what not to eat, I know not to eat 10 desserts at one time, but I’m an addict.
You have to break through that addiction, but the mind is stronger than anything and I feel like my mind is ironclad. 140 pounds bro. That’s not easy, I was disgusted I had 140 to lose, I still got to lose another 20 to 30, it’s unreal. At least I’m at a normal weight now, before I was so abnormal, it was disgusting.
I caught some of the new episodes of Fuck That’s Delicious, and I noticed just because you’ve gotten healthy, you haven’t gotten soft, you’re rocking the kettle ball to the pizza joint, you’re still as passionate about food as you’ve always been. That’s particularly inspiring because you’ve changed your whole life around but you haven’t given up the joy, and I think that’s an important message to share with people. What was your thinking going into the new season?
My thinking going into it was pretty much trying to mix my new lifestyle with the show. Every time we do Fuck That’s Delicious, all this shit was made up because this is my life. It was chronicling my life with the homies, and that was it, we never put any stage shit on, it’s all just one take, put a camera on and we just lived. So I just put the camera on and lived again, and this is just the way I’m living now so we’re capturing this.
For so long, it’s been just “blast yourself with 45 meals a day and desserts. It’s okay, just laugh, drink your face off, and smoke your life away.” Yeah, cool. There comes a point where it catches up and it caught up heavy to me. I had to chill out but the love of food is always going to be there. It doesn’t mean you have to stop eating, it just means you have to stop being an animal.
You gotta know when to hold them and you gotta know when to fold them. I learned when to fold them. Before, I didn’t know how to fold them.
Right now you’ve got a partnership happening with Field Roast and their show Make Taste Happen, what should we expect out of that partnership?
Big things man, it’s exciting, I love doing things where it’s something I use organically and it’s not just some bullshit. I was once a little bit intimidated by food that was mimicking real food but is made with plants, but these things, they’ve made in an approachable way. I understand sausage, I understand the way it is, I understand what’s going on in the world now.
It’s innovative and delicious and healthy. It’s this canvas that allows you to make unbelievable things, not just from a taste angle alone. It allows you to imagine and take the mind places you’ve been in the past — some real nostalgia stuff.
What makes Field Roast different? Why partner with them?
Just in my own opinion, I’ve tried plant-based sausage and plant-based burgers, and the texture usually isn’t there. It’s grainy or the flavor is off. There are only a couple of brands that seem like they’re doing the right thing, and in my estimation, Field Roast has been the best product I’ve tried so far. It’s very versatile, it browns up the way it should, it tastes amazing, it’s a vehicle for all kinds of flavors.
If you just have a couple of items in your pantry it’s really all you need — you can create masterpieces.
What are some of your favorite things to prepare? You sent me a photo of you doing apple sausage, broccoli, onions — what are we cooking here?
See that’s a classic Italian dish, I believe it’s a Roman dish, when you do the sausage with the orecchiette, the little ear pasta, with the broccoli. I decided that I’m going to mimic a dish that I have and I love and make it ethnic as well and take you around the world and give you flavors that go “mmm.”
I made this unbelieved pistachio pesto [full recipe here] to top it with, you could eat it every day. Use a little bit of Sambal. People submitted some items that I should be using and they tried to trick me on some Chopped stuff but I just created a masterpiece.
Field Roast
What’s your secret to a plant-based meal?
Not treating it as if it’s something different. You don’t put white gloves on like “ooh its plant-based” you just hit it with hard flavor like you normally would. It’s all about flavor, good olive oil, good products, it’s still all about the products. Make sure you keep it nice and fresh and creative.
(@yungbabytate) 
