Social media platform TikTok's misinformation policy is fairly robust, at least on paper. It explicitly bans content that contains "medical misinformation about vaccines or abortion" and "misinformation about voting," as well as a general prohibition on content that "undermines public trust." (You have to go to Twitter/X for that kind of thing.) But TikTok's community guidelines don't ban more esoteric bullshit about "reality shifting," "manifesting," and a whole lot of other esoteric beliefs. As a result, these out-there ideas are finding a new audience among the mostly young people who use TikTok. And TikTok is doing nothing about it. Which is good.

What is reality shifting?

Simplified, reality shifting is the belief that we can shift our consciousness to alternate realities. It's (very loosely) based on the "many-worlds interpretation" of quantum mechanics that posits that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are realized in some universe, and thus there are an infinite number of realities—like in that movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once. The leap that TikTok's reality shifters make is thinking there's a way to visit these alternative realities, either corporally or just mentally. As far as anyone can prove, there is not, but if you'd like to try, you can check out this video for instructions or watch every video on the hashtag in some alternative dimension where you have all day.

What is manifesting?

Reality shifting has the sheen of novelty to it, but it's actually a close cousin to the older idea of "manifesting," another belief with a strong fan base on TikTok. While it's often surrounded by exhortations to meditate or visualize, manifesting, at its most basic level, is the belief that you can have whatever you want if you believe you can have it. It's wishing, with extra steps.

Where does all this come from?

It seems that each new generation finds a way to talk about manifesting, reality shifting, and other fringe spiritual beliefs. Since it was published in 2006, over 35 million copies of the book The Secret have been sold. (Spoiler alert: The secret of the title is "if you wish for something hard enough, you'll get it.") The Secret was a modernization of the new-age beliefs that were popular in the 1990s, which were based on the "human potential movement" of the 1970s, which was based on the esoterica of the hippy generation in the 1960s. If you keep going back in time (literally, if you want to reality shift), you arrive at the "second great awakening" of the early late 1800s-early 1900s, where spiritualism, freemasonry, and transcendentalism were on-trend.

What's the harm in wishing?

While it seems pretty obvious that people can't have whatever they want just because they want it—just look at everything—but is it a bad thing? Yes and no.

On the harm side of the column: Believing that the universe delivers whatever you order only really works if you're privileged. It's way easier to think, "I have all this money because I really wanted it!" when you already have all this money than it is to ask, "Where's that car I ordered?"

It's also a pretty callous belief system. Manifesters like to pose as compassionate, but a belief in a generous universe or the present-giving God of the "prosperity gospel" movement (less popular on TikTok, more popular on Facebook ) means that anyone in an unfortunate situation must want to be in it—that kid who has cancer must want to have cancer, or he didn't pray hard enough.

Also on the negative side of the ledger: the gurus, preachers, and politicians who prey on the gullible. And when believers try to make laws based on their beliefs. And UFO cults with suicide pacts. So there are a lot of negatives.

Why we shouldn't do anything about it (except feel smug)

But on the other hand, there has always been a counter-current of occultism informing American beliefs. You can see it in the longtime popularity of astrology (another TikTok favorite), the ready availability of Ouija boards in toy stores, and the existence of your local palm reader. People are meeting some basic need, whether it's through horoscope and vision boards or Sunday morning church services. I don't understand it personally, but like Sinatra said, "I'm for whatever gets you through the night."

There have been attempts to rein in new religious movements in the past, and they tend to be disasters. After the Jonestown mass suicide for instance, anti-cult sentiment was strong enough that a cottage industry of "de-programmers" sprung up, and there were actual court cases where serious people argued that it was lawful to kidnap your relatives if you really didn't like what they believed and really didn't approve of who they hung out with.

Wringing your hands about the people who believe weird things on TikTok—and the grifters and frauds getting rich off them—isn't the answer. First, it's boring, like the confrontational atheism that was popular online a decade ago. But more importantly, Western culture, when it's working correctly, is built on the idea that people should be able to believe and say whatever they like. even if it's stupid—freedom and all that shit.

The rap war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake seems like it’s over. The winner by unanimous decision: Kendrick Lamar. But the beef is so culturally all-encompassing that even the secondary drama is going viral this week. Let me break it down for you. I'm also going to talk about the "Block Party" campaign, whether you should put pickles in your Dr. Pepper, and introduce you to my favorite new phrase: "That's poop from a butt."

What is “BBL Drizzy?”

This week’s viral videos are the thousands of version of the song “BBL Drizzy” that are blowing up all over social media. Let me explain: On one of the open salvos of the war between Drake and Kendrick, Drake put out the track “Push Ups,” where he tell Kendrick associate Metro Boomin’ to “shut yo ho-ass up and make some drums." So last week, Metro took him up on the offer and released a track called "BBL Drizzy," a remix of a song by King Willonius. “the “BBL” part of the title refers to Drake having supposedly undergone Brazilian butt-lift surgery. Anyway, Metro removed the copyright from the song, and told the public that he’d give $10,000 to whoever who made the best verse for the track. It all went viral, and literally the entire world started recording songs that attack Drake. Essentially Metro started handing out free bats and saying, “I’ll pay you to beat that dead horse over there.”

Here are only a few of the highlights of the tens of thousands of versions of BBL Drizzy:

• The original version’s laid-back 1970s vibe.

• YouTube rapper Packgod’s take. 

• Jokey YouTube rapper Yukon’s version. 

• Japanese version of BBL Drizzy. 

• A merengue cover. 

• A harp version of BBL Drizzy.

If you had any doubts about who won the Great Rap War of 2024, Drake is out there getting dissed by a harp. 

Kendrick vs. Drake feud encouraging literacy?

All wars have unintended consequence, and this one might be resulting in literacy. Or so says Ms. C., a teacher with a TikTok account. On a recent video she said: “I have students who hate reading that are doing the most meticulous, close reading of these lyrics that I have ever seen. They’re finding subtle quadruple entendres and explaining them eloquently to their peers.” 

Why is “Blockout 2024” trending?

Earlier this week, TikTok user blockout2024 posted this video where they suggest that celebrities will lose money if people block them on social media. In a followup video, they explains "When we hate on them, they make money. When we praise them, they make money. But when we block their social media accounts and completely forget their names, they lose it all.”

The trend, alternately called “Celebrity Block Party” quickly caught on on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and everywhere else. Although the initial video seemed to have been posted in response to displays of wealth at the Met Gala early this week, a larger concern quickly coalesced: some celebrities, blockers believe, are not using their platforms to sufficiently support Palestine in its conflict with Israel. The main targets: Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift, both of whom are fairly centrist, bordering on apolitical. 

It's too soon to tell whether it's working or not, but I’d put a lot of money on “It is not working.” Online activism doesn’t have a great track record. People online tend to overestimate their importance, and the Block Party campaign relies on fans of Taylor Swift caring about Palestine more than they care about getting updates from Swift. Maybe I’m cynical, but I don’t see that happening in large enough numbers to matter. If even a million followers blocked Taylor Swift because of this campaign, she’d have 282 million left. And that’s just on Instagram. Without commenting on the specifics of Middle East politics, the whole thing has a #Kony2012 vibe.

Bumble unveils the terrifying future of dating

Whitney Wolfe Herd, the CEO of dating site Bumble, unveiled a terrifying potential future for online dating in a recent interview with Bloomberg. Herd foresees a future where each user has an AI wingman/woman to help them connect. You'd tell your robot deeply personal things, and it would scan every other person’s AI wingperson to find a match. “There is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you with another dating concierge. And then you don’t have to talk to 600 people,” Herd said.

While I’m generally in favor of not talking to people, as many have pointed out online, this is like a Black Mirror episode. Not in a general sense, but a specific episode: season 4, episode 4, “Hang the DJ.”

What’s the deal with Pickle Dr. Pepper?

Weird culinary TikTok trend of the week: pickles and Dr. Pepper. This video from TikTok’s Kayleeh109 has been viewed nearly 3 million times. It advises you to go to Sonic, fill a cup halfway with pickles, add Dr. Pepper, and then, presumably, drink it. My stomach is turning thinking about it, but I haven’t tried it, so how can I say? Judging by the response videos, people seem to like it. People down south, mainly. I'm still not convinced. It could be an elaborate prank designed to get me to drink something gross.

My favorite Gen-Z phrase ever: “That’s shit from a butt.”

There are bazillions of insults hurled online daily, but occasionally, a turn-of-phrase so perfectly captures a sentiment that it takes on a life of its own. Case-in-point: “That’s shit from a butt.” Although it was originally used to describe food (that looks like shit from a butt) the phrase is now used to describe anything that’s bad. A song you don’t like? Shit from a butt. Jerry Seinfeld’s new Netflix movie? Shit from a butt. Putting pickles in Dr. Pepper? Shit from a butt. 

Against all good sense, my old ass has been getting into mountain biking over the last few months. It’s a fun hobby, but I find the part of mountain biking where you ride up the mountain to be less fun. Miserable, even.

It's not just hard on my body. Being confronted with how out-of-shape I am is hard on my soul. So I'm grateful for my personal deliverance: Canyon's Spectral:ON CF 7. This all-carbon electric mountain bike takes the misery out of the sport, leaving riders free to enjoy themselves and/or fear for their lives, even if they aren't in peak condition.

The CF 7 isn't really a beginner's bike, though, so to get fuller perspective on it, I asked O.G. mountain biker and mountain bike instructor Colin Wedel to put the CF 7 through a more punishing set of paces. More details below, but overall, both the beginner and the ringer were impressed.

Overview of the Canyon CF 7 e-Mountain Bike

Credit: Stephen Johnson

On the mountain bike continuum. On one end, there are cross-country bikes designed to be pedaled uphill. On the other, there are "that's what ski-lifts are for" downhill bikes. The CF 7 is right in the middle, a trail bike that aims for a "does anything" sweet spot in terms of geometry, suspension, weight, and flexibility—it's designed to get you both up and down hills with (relative) ease.

Instead of getting granular about how smoothly the gears change or how well the brakes perform, I'll just say this: The CF 7 features high quality components and was built by a company that's been making mountain bikes since the 1990s. It's a $4,000 bike—far from the priciest on the market, but a "serious" ride anyway, and everything about it lives up to the level of performance you'd expect at that price.

How the Spectral:ON CF 7 rides: An experienced perspective

Credit: Stephen Johnson

Collin Wedel is a mountain bike instructor who has been riding both analog and e-mountain bikes all over the west coast for decades. He took the Canyon CF 7 out for an afternoon ride in the mountains over Simi Valley recently, and reported back. "When you first look at it, you're like, 'Man, this looks like a bulky bike,'" he said. "But when you get on it, it feels super agile, super nimble, very playful. It feels so much lighter than it actually is."

"On the trail, it just comes alive," Wedel added, "It feels great on the fast flowy, and it corners phenomenally. Man, it just, it just ate up the corners. You can really sit and press into them, especially banked corners. It really settles in super nicely. I even hit a big jump, a 20-footer, and it just sent it perfect."

As for more technical sections of the trail, Wedel noted: "On the chattery bits, there's a little bit too much vibration in my hands. I don't know if that's because I'm a little over sprung in the shocks, especially in the fork, so I could probably adjust that with some fine tuning from air pressure standpoint."

How the CF 7 rides: A beginner's perspective

Credit: Stephen Johnson

I was happy with this bike's ability to drag me up a hill, but that's basically what I expect from the "e" part of any e-bike. The surprising thing was how much fun I had going down.

The CF 7 seems like a behemoth compared to the lighter mountain bike I've been riding. Even though it's all fiber, it still weighs over 50 pounds (mostly battery). I expected that a bike this heavy would feel unwieldy or hard-to-control on the downs. But the first time I hit the button that drops the CF 7's saddle, stood up on the pedals, crossed myself, and went down, those fears disappeared. It feels like something clicks into place, and you're in in a stable, in-control position, where the heft of the bike disappears. You realize, "oh, it was designed for this," and relax into the ride. Don't get me wrong: It's still terrifying, but less so on this bike.

Are you a beginner? I know $4,000 is a lot for a bike, but if you can manage it, it's an excellent ride to learn on. This is only the second mountain bike I've ridden for any length of time, and the difference between my decent, but nothing special hard-tail and this one is night and day, mainly in terms of how safe it feels. The CF 7's 160mm of travel in the front fork and the 150mm in the rear suspension is not only great for burly warriors landing big jumps, it's forgiving if you're like me, white knuckling it over rocks and obstacles and praying you don't break your neck. Getting down a trail in one piece is much easier if your suspension can eat your mistakes.

The bike is responsive in turns and holds traction well too, even if your technique is lacking. Like most beginners, I tend to ride the brakes too hard on downhills. While I didn't take it down any black diamond runs, the traction and control I felt on the drops on the gravel or fire-roads I frequent was excellent.

The "electric" part of this electric mountain bike

Credit: Stephen Johnson

I may not have a ton of mountain bike experience, but I've ridden a ton of electric bikes, and the CF 7's Shimano EP8 motor is excellent. The mid-drive, torque-based assistance delivers 400% pedal assist so smoothly it doesn't feel like a motor is helping you as much as it feels like your legs have suddenly become super-strong.

In keeping with the "it's a mountain bike" vibe, the full-color screen is unobtrusive, small, and "just the facts." It tells you how fast you're going, what your level of pedal assist is, and how much battery you have left. There's also anti-theft GPS tracking built in, and your bike can be paired with Canyon's app,

The battery is removable, but embedded in the downtube to keep the weight balanced and the center of gravity on-point. This is a minor gripe, but I found removing it to be complicated and fiddly. I did it exactly once, then charged it without removing it. I'm lazy like that.

There's no throttle—this isn't a ride for touring around town—but the bike's five assist levels mean you can sprinkle in as much or as little help as you want, from "just a little extra" eco-mode to "haul my fat ass up this mountain for me" turbo mode. How long the battery will last depends on how you use it of course, but it provides enough power that your legs are likely to tire out before the battery does.

Overall: A fun bike for any

Collin says the ideal rider of this bike is the "weekend warrior," someone who's not a pro, but still wants the performance of a high-end bike. I aspire to weekend warrior status, but I also think it's a great bike for people starting out. With a high quality ride, the learning curve is less tortuous, especially since you don't have to pedal up hills.

Pros and cons of the Canyon's Spectral:ON CF 7

Pros

• Powerful motor conquers any hill

• Solid components

Cons

• Battery removal is a pain

Specs

Price: $$4,099

Motor: 250Wh Shimano Steps EP8

Battery: Shimano STEPS 720Wh batter

Charge time: 3–4 hours

Top speed: 20 mph

Drive: Shimano Deore M6100

Brakes: SRAM DB8

Fork: Rock Shox Lyric Base

Rear shock: RockShox Deluxe Select, 230×60, 150mm travel

Frame: Canyon Spectral:ON carbon fiber

Rims: SunRingle Duroc SD42 12x148

Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5”, Maxxis Minion DHR 27.5×2.6”

Weight: 51.3 lbs.

Sizes: S, M, L, XL

The ever-rising price of “premium” streaming services and the recent announcement of PBS Retro (a 24/7 streaming channel of “golden age” public television) has me asking what else is out there. It turns out there are a lot of free (ad-supported, anyway) streaming channels you can watch on free (ad-supported, again) streaming services. It's in the “wild west” stage right now: There are thousands of channels to choose from that range from “who would watch this?” streams like Party Tyme Karaoke that broadcasts random karaoke tracks, to some really interesting streams, particularly if you have specific tastes. Below are the 10 best (or at least most interesting) free streaming channels I’ve come across that you might not know you can watch now, for nothing.

Pluto TV Spotlight

Credit: Pluto TV

Pluto TV Spotlight features a never-ending stream of movies you’ve probably already seen, and that you are probably fairly fond of. Right now, for instance, it’s streaming The Truman Show, followed by Almost Famous, then Stand By Me, a triple-feature that's perfect background TV for folding the laundry. 

Where to stream: Pluto TV

SNL Vault

Credit: Xumo

The SNL Vault proves you can enjoy sketch comedy even when it’s not Saturday night. The stream presents hand-picked, individual sketches from SNL’s many seasons instead of whole episodes, so you won't have to sit through many duds.

Where to stream: Roku, Xumo 

Universal Monsters

Credit: Roku

If you like Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Dracula, as well as their second-tier associates, Universal Monsters will feed you a steady stream of monsters all day and all night. The 24/7 schedule ensures that lesser-known Universal fright flicks like Daughter of Dracula and The Mad Ghoul get some love too. 

Where to stream: Freevee, Xumo, Pluto TV

Bon Appétit

Credit: Xumo

If you like TV that makes you hungry or you just want some ideas for dinner tonight, check out Bon Appétit’s streaming channel. It’s all food, all the time, from the culinary OGs at Bon Appétit.

Where to stream: Xumo, Roku,

Car Chase

Credit: Pluto TV

Like the name says, Car Chase features news footage from car chases, and only news footage from car chases. Nothing can beat the excitement of catching a fast-paced chase as it happens, but this is a close second.

Where so stream: Pluto TV

Baby Shark TV

Credit: Pluto TV

I’m not suggesting you would enjoy watching Baby Shark TV, but if you’re a parent with a small one, I won’t judge you for plopping your kid in front of this channel to take a quick shower or sneak a cigarette. It’s like toddler-tranquilizer. 

Where to stream: Pluto TV

Night Flight 

In the 1980s, Night Flight was an avant-garde late night cable mash-up of edgy rock n’ roll, pulp movies, comedy, fine art, and anything else that was not boring. Its streaming incarnation is a nostalgia trip about remembering that old shit, but it’s still pretty cool, at least to aging hipsters.

Where to stream: Pluto, Xumo

Degrassi 

Credit: Amazon

If you think it’s weird to see Drake not in a wheelchair, Degrassi is the streaming channel is for you. It shows episode after episode of the very-Canadian teen drama series. Sadly, this channel only shows Degrassi: The Next Generation, instead of including Degrassi Junior High from the 80s or The Kids on Degrassi Street from the 70s. 

Where to stream: Freevee, Pluto TV, Roku, Tubi

Pluto Christmas

Credit: Pluto TV

If it’s Christmas all year in your heart, Pluto’s Christmas channel will shove holly in your face all day, even in the middle of July. It’s populated by those formulaic, made-for-a-nickel Christmas rom-coms; so If that’s your comfort watch, you can get as much as you like right here, year round.

Where to stream: Pluto TV

Vevo’s music channels

Music-video-hosting company Vevo pumps out a ton of music streaming channels like Vevo Pop, Vevo '80s, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Country, Vevo '90s, and more that show videos from their respective genre or decade. Pick your favorite (mine is True School Hip Hop) and clean your house. 

Where to stream: Roku, Sling Freestream, Freevee, Plex, Pluto

I don't like writing about Donald Trump, and I definitely don't want to write about his damn diapers, but one of the most widely spread pieces of (probable) misinformation this week concerns the ex-president's Pampers, so I'm going to dig in. (retch)

According to actual news sources like Sky News and MSN, along with thousands of Twitter/X accounts, Donald Trump's fans have embraced their idol's alleged incontinence and are walking around rallies wearing spite-diapers and merchandise that proclaims "real men wear diapers," "Diaper Don," and "diapers over Democrats." But are they really doing this? For that matter, does Donald Trump wear diapers in the first place? Well, depends. (See what I did there?)

The origin story of Von Sh*tzinPantz

The first widely spread claim that that Donald Trump wears diapers was from stand-up comedian Noel Casler. Back in 2018, Casler, who says he worked on Trump's reality show The Apprentice, claimed that Trump "would often soil himself" on the set. Was Casler telling the truth? It's hard to say. This is not the kind of scoop that top journalists lower themselves to chasing down, so we'll get no help there, but it's worth noting that no one else who worked on The Apprentice, as far as I can tell, came forward to say "yes, this happened," despite Casler's claim that it was common knowledge on the set. On the other hand, Trump is well-known for his employee NDAs and who would want to risk crossing a powerful, litigious lunatic like Trump? On the other-other-hand, Donald Trump looks like he's taking a dump all the time. But ultimately, Diaper Don is unconfirmed.

It is definitely true that a rumor that Trump wears diapers and shits himself is widely believed. It made its way into the official court record of Trump's criminal trial in New York this week in the form of a tweet from Michael Cohen that refers to Trump as "Von ShitzInPantz." So the scent is in the air, so to speak. But whether Trump fans are actually responding to the rumors by wearing diapers and shirts that read "Diaper Don" is questionable. Yeah, there are photos, and yeah, everyone I know believes it, but I'm not convinced—it's just too perfect.

Exhibit one: the photographs

We both know the photos themselves provide no evidence—they could be posed, photoshopped, or created by AI—but their source gives us some clues. All of the photos of people wearing diaper-centric Donald Trump gear so far originated in a single place: Dispatches from Trumpland, a blog that seems to have launched in December, and purports to be a pro-Trump website.

If Dispatches is really a pro-Trump blog, it's a lazy one. It hosts a total of five non-diaper-related posts, mainly even-handed articles covering the GOP primary. They seemed like AI writing to me, so I ran this post by three AI-writing detection services, and they all returned definite "It's AI" results. The posts about diapers, though come back as "human."

Unlike the boring primary articles, the diaper posts are vague on details. The first one offers no location for the photos of Trumpers in diaper gear, but mentions "a merch cart picked up by the news in Michigan," without providing a link. (If that story exists, I can't find it.) The second diaper post says the pictures were taken at "Trump’s latest event in rural Pennsylvania" without mentioning where or when this event happened.

All this combined strongly suggests the site is astroturf, a political smear job that only exists to spread the photos. Everything else on the site seems designed to provide a thin veneer of plausibility (as long as you don't take 10 minutes to look into it.)

Exhibit number two: the psychology of Trump's supporters and detractors

Another data point: If we know anything about Trump supporters, we know they're proud of the things they do (no matter how onerous). So why don't we have any verified Trump supporters posting diaper pictures? If anyone really believed that wearing "real men wear diapers" merch would trigger liberal tears, why isn't your shitty uncle wearing that t-shirt right now? Trump supporters missing a chance to own libs stretches credibility past the breaking point.

It also doesn't seem like them to embrace something seen as weakness and pin it on their pal Donny. They like Trump to be seen as strong, not a doddering old pants-shitter. Reclaiming insults is a liberal thing.

On the other side of the coin, Trumpers trying to do a "Dark Brandon" but only succeeding in making themselves look more ridiculous is exactly the kind of thing you'd send to your friend group and post on Threads with the caption, "get a load of what these assholes are up to now!" It's just too pat. Too perfect. Too clearly playing into the biases of one group.

I respect the hustle, but seeing how the sausage is made makes me a little queasy. Sure, it's effective propaganda, and there's no "unfair" in democracy, so I see the political wisdom of shaming Trump supporters and providing a ton of "they write themselves" jokes for late night comedians, but the idealist in me wants to say, "Shouldn't we be better? Do we really need to invent ridiculous things Trump supporters do?"

We may never know whether this is grassroots or astroturf

You can now buy all manner of "real men wear diapers" t-shirts at online shops like teepublic, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence they were sold before Dispatches from Trumpland's April 11th, first-diaper-sighting post. No doubt we'll be seeing this merchandise in the wild soon, probably from both Trump fans who believe in it and Trump haters who are doing it mockingly. And Trump-shits-himself will no doubt be a running a theme of this nightmarish election year, repeated as often as "Hillary Clinton is on death's door!" was in 2016. Remember that one?

Seriously, this whole thing is gross

Rolling around in the mud may be necessary to win an election in 2024, but the more I think about this specific smear, the uglier it seems. Not because of Trump (fuck him) or his supporters (fuck them too) but because real men do wear diapers. Real women wear diapers. Not being able to control one's bowels isn't a sign of weakness and it isn't particularly funny. It's an indignity that isn't fair, and happens to the great and to the terrible alike.

I understand that the finer point here is making fun of the slavish and weird devotion Trump's fans have to their idol, but, at the risk of being a party pooper, using adult diapers as a medium of ridicule is really not fair to people who are incontinent. Ageism is as much an -ism as any other, and if you imagine using the same tactic with some other marginalized group, pointing at Trump and saying, "Ha! Von Shitshispants" is a lot less funny.

I believe in cooperation and mutually beneficial solutions, but conflict is a part of life too—so this week, I’m taking a look at conflict in four forms: rapper vs. rapper, man vs. machine, college student vs. college student, and cat vs. cat. So read on if you want to know why Kendrick hates Drake, how to tell a bot from a person, and are curious about the meanest cat on the internet.

The Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud, explained

You’d have to be very out of touch to not have at least heard about the ongoing war between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar, but if you want to know what it’s actually about, what brought two of the biggest rappers in the game to open lyrical warfare, and why it's important, I’m going to attempt to explain it all, god help me. Settle in; it's a deep dive. 

The Drake vs. Kendrick beef has been bubbling under the surface for more than a decade, so there’s a deep rabbit hole of side feuds, tweets, interview quotes, verses on mixtapes, and tons of gossip and speculation to get lost in. You could write a book about it, and I’m sure people will, but on the broadest level, the beef began as a style war: Drake is a more commercial, pop rapper; Lamar is a headier, more “conscious” rapper. Think of it as Michael Jackson vs. Prince, a comparison Lamar mentions on “Like That” the song that kicked the idling feud into high gear in March. On the track, by Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin, Lamar raps: “Your best work is a light pack, and Prince outlived Mic Jack," along with a string of other disses.

It may have started as a “who’s the realest?” style dust-up, but the Kendrick vs. Drake beef quickly blew up into a war of words that rivals the viciousness of Biggie vs. Pac or that time nerd core rappers took on Alex Trebek. Both Drake and Lamar cross lines by directing lyrics at their rival’s families, and Kendrick took it even further.

Drake responded to “Like That” “with “Push Ups” few weeks later. After aiming a few lines at Future and dismissing Metro Boomin by only mentioning him to say he should “shut up and make some drums,” Drake turns to the main course, taking shots at Lamar’s collaborations with Taylor Swift and Maroon 5, his height, shoe size, mixed reaction to Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album, and a litany of other rap beef insults, including saying that Lamar can’t respond because Taylor Swift’s album is coming out. Speaking of Swift, Drake also released “Taylor Made Freestyle” that uses AI-generated verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg to diss Lamar, but it was quickly taken down after legal threats from Tupac’s estate.

Lamar’s response, “Euphoria” is a definite escalation. It’s a blistering, six-minute rant that mentions Drake being an absent father, and ends with an ominous warning: “If you take it there, I'm takin' it further. Psst, that's somethin' you don't wanna do.” Lamar then dropped “6:16 in L.A,” a more impressionist take on the diss-track genre, that gives an overall vision of Drake as an out-of-touch phantom haunting a glittering empty mansion, unable to sleep, and surrounded by friends on his payroll who aren’t loyal to him. 

Drake shot back with “Family Matters,” where he suggests that one of Lamar’s children was actually fathered by Dave Free, Lamar’s manager, and accuses him of being abusive and unfaithful to his wife.

Lamar’s “meet the grahams” is aimed at Drake’s children. It begins with this line for Drake’s son, “Dear Adonis, I'm sorry that man is your father,” and goes on from there to accuse Drake of having a number of illegitimate children, employing sex offenders, paying for sex, and having a secret daughter. 

In keeping with the two-for-the-price-of-one diss tracks, Lamar also released “Not Like Us,” a track that comes close to straight up accusing Drake of being a child molester. Including this instant classic line: “Why you trollin' like a bitch? Ain't you tired? Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A-Minor.”

The final shot in the war, as of this posting, is Drake’s “The Heart Part 6.” In it, Drake says that the supposed secret daughter he has is fake: ”We plotted for a week and then we fed you the information/ A daughter that’s 11 years old, I bet he takes it/ We thought about giving a fake name or a destination/ But you so thirsty, you not concerned with investigation.” And goes on to say that he has never been with anyone underage, and almost seems to underplay the feud, casting it as something he’s not all that concerned about anyway. 

And that’s where the beef stands as of May 6.

As for who's winning, it's a personal thing, but Kendrick is winning. Drake's been outclassed since the beginning, and his last track is just weird. It comes across like someone losing an argument on the internet. He mostly seems defensive, and then he tries to play it off like he doesn't care, and the idea that he set Lamar up with fake information is an interesting tactic; even if that really happened, I'm not sure "you don't fully fact check" is an effective diss in 2024. Overall it feels like Drake is trying to wave the white flag, but without losing face, so this might be the end of the beef. But I guess we’ll see. 

"Human or Not" taking over internet

From rapper vs. rapper to man vs. machine. A new website called Human or Not is taking the Turing test to the masses. The web-based game/chat program lets you chat with a faceless stranger for a couple of minutes and then guess if they are a human or a bot. The original Turing test called for a five-minute conversation, but if you’re good at spotting AI, you only need two. Here’s the record of my first 10 games (yes, I’m bragging). 

Credit: Stephen Johnson/ai21

And here’s what it looks like when you, a human, tries to sound like a computer while a computer tries to sound like a human.

Credit: Stephen Johnson/ai21

I’m open to the possibility that whatever data you can glean from thousands of people trying to spot bots will eventually be used to make the AI harder to identify, and to the possibility that Human or Not isn’t really telling you whether you’re talking to an AI or not because it’s all AI. Also: I am AI already and so are you.

Viral video of the week: University of Mississippi Protests

The third leg in my depressing tripod of dissent is this week’s viral video, in which a group of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Mississippi are beset by a group of counterprotestors and things get racist, ugly, and depressing. The video, posted by Twitter/X by Ashton Pittman, shows a group of white frat guys, some wearing American flag overalls, jeering, chanting “lock her up,” and making monkey noises at a black woman. It’s a snapshot of what’s happening on campuses across the country as pro-Palestinian protest become more common. 

While most people responded by condemning the dude making the monkey noises (including his own fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, who kicked him out, and the University itself, which launched an investigation) Congressman Mike Lee of Georgia posted the video on Twitter/X with the caption “Ole Miss taking care of business.” Because that’s where we are now.

Viral video of the week number 2: POV cat chase

This week’s bonus viral video is a cat video, But the cats aren’t being cute, they’re going at it like Drake and Kendrick Lamar. TikTok user max20499 attaches a camera to his cat and posts videos POV of the scraps, streetfights, and chases it gets into around the neighborhood. This particularly exciting chase has been viewed over 78 million times since it was posted April 25. I don’t know enough about cat behavior to say for sure, but Max’s cat seems like a serious menace to the other cats in the neighborhood.

If you're looking for a new show to watch this week, streaming has you covered. Some of them are even worth your time! There's the "oh, my word!" scandal and romance of Bridgerton's third season, a brand new Doctor in a brand new season of Doctor Who, and the fascinating historical-thriller series The Big Cigar. Time to warm up the old couch and tell your eyes to get ready for a TV party.

Bridgerton, Season 3 — Part 1

Bridgerton, the romance series set among high-society ladies and gentlemen of Regency London, is going into its third season, and Netflix is dropping four episodes that tell the story of Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope's (Nicola Coughlan) friends-to-lovers romance. Series regulars Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton), Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), and Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury) are returning, and there will be new faces too, including Daniel Francis as dashing gentleman Marcus Anderson and James Phoon as the rakish Harry Dankwort.

Where to stream: Netflix

Doctor Who, Season 14

The first four episodes of season 14 of British science fiction institution Doctor Who are available to stream on Disney+. The series has been around since 1963(!), but this is the first season to appear on Disney+, so it's a good place to jump in. The first couple episodes see the 15th Doctor—played by Ncuti Gatwa, who digs into the role with lighthearted panache—and his new companion Ruby Road (Millie Gibson) battling goblins, then whipping through time and space, from the dinosaur era to Regency London, before landing on a space station run by babies 20,000 years in the future. Regular Doctor Who stuff, is what I'm saying.

Where to stream: Disney+

The Big Cigar

The early 1970s was a wild time in America, and The Big Cigar aims to bring it to life. Apple TV+'s new series tells the of-the-chain true story of Black Panthers founder Huey P. Newton's escape to Cuba in the early 1970s. Wanted by the FBI, Newton (André Holland) teams up with Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola), the producer of The Monkees and Easy Rider, and together they hatch an audacious plan to fake a movie as a smokescreen to smuggle Newton out of the country.

Where to stream: AppleTV+

Outer Range, Season 2

The set-up of Outer Range will seem familiar for fans of TV neo-Westerns: Josh Brolin plays Royal Abbot, a Wyoming rancher fighting to protect his land. But the series takes a wildly unexpected turn toward the supernatural when Abbot discovers a mysterious, perfectly round hole on the edge of his property, and otherworldly events begin occurring around the ranch. The first season of Outer Range left a lot of unanswered questions. Let's hope season two's answers live up to the promise of the premise.

Where to stream: Prime

The Killing Kind

The Killing Kind began its life at Paramount+, where audience responded favorably, but the series was pulled from the service. Paramount's loss is Hulu's gain: This rollercoaster ride of a series tells the story of defense attorney Ingrid Lewis (Emma Appleton) who successfully defends John Webster (Colin Morgan) from stalking charges. When Webster shows up in her life a year later, he's either trying to keep her safe or hiding a murderous secret.

Where to stream: Hulu

Royal Rules of Ohio

Hulu’s Freeform platform is home to this reality show documenting the adventures of a family of African royals in Ohio. Sisters Brenda, Thelma, and Nana Agyekum are the daughters of royal descendants of two of the most wealthy and powerful Ghanaian kingdoms, so life in Columbus, Ohio is going to take some getting used to, especially if they’re going to stay true to the rules of royalty.

Where to stream: Hulu

Last week's picks

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School

The first season of the Pretty Little Liars reboot is a rare thing: A horror TV show that's actually good—so good, it was dubbed "one of the best horror TV shows of the past two decades" by the horror-freaks over at Bloody Disgusting. Season two, subtitled "Summer School," finds high schoolers Tabby, Noa, Imogen, Faran, and Mouse in class for the summer. The season of romance and fun they imagined is interrupted by a terrifying new villain: Bloody Rose, a mysterious knife-wielding murderer who gets off on testing their limits. Choose this if you like genre-bending horror.

Where to stream: Max

Black Twitter: A People’s History

Based on a Wired article by Jason Parham, Black Twitter: A People’s History is a three-part documentary series that details the people and memes that made Black Twitter such an influential and powerful force. Through interviews with W. Kamau Bell, Kid Fury, Jemele Hill, Roxane Gay, Raquel Willis, and many more, Black Twitter: A People’s History examines how Black people on social media shaped our politics and culture throughout Barack Obama’s election, the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and beyond. 

Where to stream: Hulu

Hollywood Con Queen

This three-part documentary series from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Chris Smith (Tiger King, Fyre) details an extremely strange criminal operation that snared many LA movie industry hopefuls over the course of decades. The con: A criminal impersonated Hollywood executives and hired low-level entertainment industry professionals to work on movies. Victims then traveled to Indonesia only to find there was no job and no movie. Unlike most criminals, the mastermind here wasn't just trying to make money; they had other, more mysterious motivations.

Where to stream: AppleTV

The GOAT

Remember back around 2004, when reality television was everywhere and shows like The Surreal Life had washed-up celebrities live together to see what would happen? The GOAT feels like a throwback to those halcyon days. Hosted by Daniel (Tosh.0) Tosh, The GOAT features 14 "reality superstars" like CJ Franco from F Boy Island and The Bachelorette's Joseph Amabile living together in GOAT Manor and competing for $200,000 and the honor of being named the greatest reality star of all time.

Where to stream: Prime

Stupid Pet Tricks, Season 1

Sometimes, you just need to look at some cute animals. Sarah Silverman hosts this comedy-variety program featuring performing cats, dogs, camels, hamsters, foxes, and all manner of other smart animals doing stupid things. David Letterman originated the gag as a segment on his show back in the 1980s and lends a hand here as the executive producer of this piece of pleasantly brainless feel-good television.

Where to stream: Max

Looking to settle in with a good movie? Me too. That's why I've pored over the release schedules of major streaming services to bring you the best original and new-to-streaming movies you can watch right now.

There's something for any taste this week. Netflix's Power is a hard-hitting documentary about the relationship between the people and the police. Disney's remastered version of 1970s documentary Let it Be details the making of the last creative gasp of The Beatles. And you could even watch a movie about a singing unicorn, if you're into that.

Power

The big-ticket Netflix originals this month may be comedy and historical costumes, but there's a serious side too, embodied by Power, a hard-hitting, critically acclaimed documentary that looks at our relationship with the cops and asks "Who is more powerful, the people or the police?" Directed by Academy Award nominee Yance Ford, Power examines the history of policing and asks tough questions about whether and how we're being oppressed by the boys and girls in blue.

Where to stream: Netflix

Let It Be (1970)

Let it Be was meant as "Beatles in the studio" TV documentary, but director Michael Lindsay-Hogg captured the biggest band ever just as they were about to break up instead. After a limited release in theaters, Let it Be was mothballed, and couldn't be seen legally for 50 years, so Disney's restored and remastered version is eagerly awaited by fans; even if you only kind of like The Beatles, it's worth a watch. Let it Be it clocks in at under 90 minutes, and, unlike Peter Jackson's exhaustive, eight-hour documentary Get Back, it focuses on the music instead of the internal friction that would soon break up the band, leaving "the band is going to break up soon after this recording session" as subtext.

Where to stream: Disney+

Madame Web

There's a Hollywood saying that goes "behind every bad movie is a good mortgage," and Madame Web is a perfect example. It definitely isn't the best movie you could watch this weekend but there's something fascinating about dissecting high-profile failures. Dakota Johnson plays Cassandra “Cassie” Webb AKA Spider-Woman, and she's a good actor. Madame Web is a co-production between Marvel and Sony, so it had real money behind it. Superhero origin stories are inherently interesting. So what went wrong? Watch it to find out, and console yourself that many people who worked on it bought houses.

Where to stream: Netflix

Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal

When hackers called "The Impact Team" took over find-an-affair website Ashley Madison in 2015, they told its owners "welcome to your worst fucking nightmare"—but the nightmare extended beyond the business owners. All of Ashley's Madison's users, from ordinary Joes to political figures and entertainment industry leaders, had their sordid details spilled to anyone who wanted to take a look. Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal tells the entire sleazy story, but doesn't shy away from the real-world emotional devastation the imbroglio wrought.

Where to stream: Netflix

59th Academy of Country Music Awards

All your favorite country stars will be on-hand to do-si-do at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards. Billed as "Country Music’s Party of the Year," this year's event will be hosted by Reba McEntire, who is also slated to perform new music during the show. It's an interesting time in country music, as the often-staid genre confronts a new wave of performers. The "entertainer of the year" category, for instance, pits neo-traditionalists like Cody Johnson against new school iconoclasts like face-tattooed, hip-hop influenced artist Jelly Roll.

Where to stream: Prime

Thelma the Unicorn

This animated feature was directed by Jared Hess, whose first film, Napoleon Dynamite, is a quirky masterpiece, so Thelma the Unicorn has the potential to be more interesting than a typical computer-animated, streaming-only kid flick. Based on the best-selling books by Aaron Blabey and starring Brittany Howard in the title role, Thelma the Unicorn tells the story of a pony who masquerades as a unicorn to fulfill her dream of musical stardom. It features the voices of Jemaine Clement, Edi Patterson, Fred Armisen, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Heder, and Shondrella Avery, a more-than-solid crew.

Where to stream: Netflix

Last week's picks

The Iron Claw (2023)

Even though The Iron Claw was nearly universally lauded by critics, it wasn't nominated for a single Oscar. Rip-off! Maybe a movie about professional wrestling is too lowbrow for "The Academy," but their loss. Yes, The Iron Claw is about wrestling, but it's also about mourning, loss, and the resilience of family. Plus, The Iron Claw features fantastic performances from Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White (The Bear), and Harris Dickinson as the real-life Von Erich brothers, a wrestling dynasty beset by so much tragedy they come to believe they've been cursed. After watching this flick, it's hard to argue with them.

Where to stream: Max

Roast of Tom Brady

Most football fans are eager to see ex-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady get taken down a few pegs, and this roast brings in Jeff Ross, Kevin Hart, and a host of the most vicious comedians on Earth to hit Brady harder than a 260-pound linebacker. And they don't make helmets for your feelings. The Roast of Tom Brady was broadcast live and unedited, ensuring an anything-might-happen evening of insults and comedy.

Where to stream: Netflix

Fire in the Sky (1993)

I recently went on a bender of movies where people are abducted by aliens, and Fire in the Sky is the best of them. Despite the mixed reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, this movie makes the most clichéd version of an alien kidnapping story terrifying by keeping everything as grounded and realistic as as possible, until main character Travis Walton takes a traumatic UFO ride (with probing). Then everything goes batshit. Fire in the Sky leans into the inscrutable, impossible-to-understand nature of aliens in a way I found deeply unsettling. The fact that everything in the movie can be fact-checked against real life (except the UFO trip, of course) makes it extra creepy.

Where to stream: Paramount+

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Picnic at Hanging Rock's director Peter Weir went on to make The Truman Show, but I prefer this film's mysterious vibe and slow burn. Set in the early 1900s, the picnic of the title is a Valentine's day excursion to Australia's Mt. Macedon undertaken by a group of students from a nearby girl's boarding school. While on the rock, something happens—it's not possible to say what, exactly—and only some of the party returns. Beautifully photographed and shot through with mystery, Picnic at Hanging Rock is must-watch.

Where to stream: Criterion Channel

Living with Leopards

I'm a sucker for nature documentaries, so I'm psyched for this made-in-the-UK movie that details the lives of a pair of leopard cubs, from birth to adulthood. Living with Leopards promises an up-close-and personal look at a the coming-of-age of some of the most majestic creatures on earth.

Where to stream: Netflix