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  • Shaquille O’Neal Reminds Everyone He’s the Best NBA Rapper to Ever Do It, With An Assist From Rick Ross and Meek Mill

    Shaquille O’Neal Reminds Everyone He’s the Best NBA Rapper to Ever Do It, With An Assist From Rick Ross and Meek Mill

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    Rap and basketball are inextricably linked—the majority of entertainers in both fields typically hail from the same communities and grew up in the same culture. It’s more than likely that if you made it doing one, you probably had dreams and aspirations of doing the other too. As such, crossover is inevitable and endless. J. Cole’s recent stint as a pro player is an echo of the real run Master P tried to go in in the late ‘90s. Everyone from Kobe to Allen Iverson has a rap song or five to their name if not a whole project. Kevin Durant executive produced the latest Drake album. LeBron James, one of our most important music critics, also invented the deluxe track. The list goes on, but one take is universally held as fact: if we’re talking crossover success stories, Shaquille O’Neal is the Gold Standard. And he just hit everyone with a big reminder last night.

    First, let’s back up: Rick Ross and Meek Mill are releasing a new album, called Too Good to Be True. The title is an accurate description of most collab projects, but this is a big deal—Ross and Meek’s reunion is as close as we’ll get to the halcyon early 2010s of Maybach Music Group, when they were one of, if not the hottest label squads out, with Ross’s roster spearheaded by Meek and DC rapper Wale minting club hits, street bangers and radio smashes with ease. It was a time when every Meek verse sounded like he needed to be extinguished after leaving the booth, Wale churned out melodic radio hits like it was nothing, and people of taste knew there was a real, credible argument to be made for Ross’ lifelong friend Gunplay being one of the best rappers out. French Montana, also at his peak, was a close family friend despite being formally beholden to Bad Boy Records. Even bemusing decisions like signing Omarion yielded an undeniable track or two (and later, in true Ross fashion, A1 punchlines admitting it didn’t work out.)

    Alas, all good crews come to an end. Ross and Meek had a brief (and thankfully never that serious) period of estrangement, Wale has since departed for Def Jam, Gunplay is in and out of trouble and endorsing Donald Trump amongst other problematic behavior, and so on.

    All of that is to say, while Ross and Meek have been no stranger to featuring on each other’s albums still, it’s a thrill to see them really back together, trading verses over a mean, gritty beat for “Shaq and Kobe,” mean-mugging in a music video that feels like Michael Mann directing Bad Boys 4 and in full album rollout mode up at radio stations with Funk Flex like it’s 2011 again. They kept the momentum going with an only slightly-less-hard album cut that flips Jay-Z’s classic “Lyrical Exercise.” And last night was their biggest coup yet, with a “Shaq and Kobe” remix that gets one of its namesakes back in his rapper bag. (The original song, save a “hustling 24 hours” double entendre, is light on overt NBA references and moreso just alludes to the duo’s historic dominance. Rap and ball, linked as ever.)

    Nineties babies and NBA/hip-hop fans alike are all too familiar with Shaq’s rap career, which began not long after his 1992 draft to the league, peaked with his 1996 album You Can’t Stop the Reign, and petered out right before the start of the new millennium. The annals of rap history are littered with aspiring-rapper-athletes—All-Stars who despite their achievements on the court couldn’t resist the urge to be an entertainer of a similar but different cloth. Most of the music merits participation trophies at best; few ballers came as correct as Shaq did in the 90s, with albums graced by production from the likes of RZA and Erick Sermon and features from the hottest singers and rappers of the moment. Who else can boast having the first track with Jay-Z and Nas together (in ‘96 no less, what taste) or delivering a true-blue rap classic alongside prime-era Notorious B.I.G. with the titanic yet still smooth “You Can’t Stop the Reign.” It’s not even a case of letting the smooth beat ride out until you get to Frank White’s verse—Shaq is actually spitting. (Extra Credit homework: the late, great DJ Kay Slay’s underrated 2006 flip with Shaq, Papoose and Bun B.)

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    Frazier Tharpe

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  • Heavyweight Champ Tyson Fury Only Fights for Shit Tons of Money

    Heavyweight Champ Tyson Fury Only Fights for Shit Tons of Money

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    A few days before Tyson Fury takes on rookie boxer (and former UFC champ) Francis Ngannou, the world heavyweight boxing champ is feeling feisty. The nearly warm and fuzzy promotional meetups, where Fury seemed almost affectionate toward the less experienced fighter, are a distant memory. He has now shifted his mindset into kill mode, as he prepares to separate his opponent’s body from his being to the tune of a reported $50 million payday.

    With seven children and a legacy to look after, the fighter is all business these days. Tyson Fury the wildman is gone (mostly). These days, the champ says he is living his dream, and approaches every fight with the cool and calculating mind of a professional. He says he only fights for a “shit ton of money”—but it doesn’t take much reading between the lines to hear him bristle when asked how he’d fare against fighters from other disciplines, and under different rule sets. These are fights that we may soon see as he rather strongly alludes to an MMA rubber match with Ngannou, who himself is listed as the world’s hardest puncher. Whether Fury can take the easy money and keep gliding on a path he feels is destined will be answered this Saturday in Riyadh.

    GQ: Let’s get right to it—what’s the biggest animal you could beat in a fight?

    Tyson Fury: I think probably a chihuahua. I don’t know if I could even beat that to be honest.

    So you don’t think you could beat up a bear?

    Against a bear I’d instantly fall on the floor and die. I don’t like to fight animals. First, they don’t have any combat skills, and second they didn’t do anything to me. I like to fight men, and I like to punch their faces in.

    Speaking of which, everybody thinks you are going to smash Ngannou in boxing, but who wins that fight in a dark alley?

    Me, because I’d have a pair of runners on and I’d get on up out of there as fast as I could. I don’t fight in dark alleys, I only fight for shit tons of money.

    OK, so what if they paid you a shit ton of money to fight Frances in an MMA cage?

    Well, we’ll find out soon enough. I’m not worried about his takedowns, so the fight goes like this: jab, jab, right, slip, uppercut, right, game over.

    In the promotional material I’ve seen it seems like you have a real respect and admiration for Frances. Is that fair to say?

    No, I think he is a big fat sausage and I’m going to knock him out. I was more generous with him in the past, but now I’ve switched on him.

    Why’d you change your mind? Did he do something?

    No, I’m just getting into fight mode. I don’t know him well enough to like him or dislike him. But I am going to knock him out. And I’m doing it for $50 million. Anybody would take any fight for $50 million. Wouldn’t you fight me for 50 million?

    I don’t know, man, you’re a pretty big dude.

    You’d fight me for $50 million, of course you would. What’s the worst that could happen?

    I could die.

    You’re not gonna die—it’s a boxing match.

    OK, I’d take the fight if you’re offering.

    I’m not. Listen, Frances is doing this fight to make $10 million. That’s more than he ever made in his whole career combined. It’s a snatch and run by Frances for sure.

    You and Frances both come from humble backgrounds. Is there anything about him making that kind of money off this fight that makes you feel good?

    Nothing about Frances making money makes me feel good. He is getting paid well and I hope he invests well. Ten million goes fast if you don’t spend it properly. You can blow ten quickly. I hope Frances pays his taxes straight away and invests wisely. If you do that you can make a good income.

    You talk like a man who has been rich for a while.

    I’ve never been rich and I still ain’t rich. I’m very sensible with my money. I don’t waste it on shiny things, I invest it and I always have done that.

    Some of your suits are pretty shiny, though. Where do you get them?

    I do wear some shiny, glittery things. I get it from my clothing sponsor Claudio Lugli. He has been designing my gear since 2014. He takes my inspirational quotes and he designs whatever he can with them. He puts me in some absolutely showstopping stuff that’s for sure.

    If you could be great at any other fighting discipline what would it be?

    I wouldn’t want to do any other discipline. If I wanted to, I would have done it. I’ve wanted to be a boxer and a champion all my life. I am living my dream, and I have been for the past 15 years.

    Have you heard of Gordon Ryan, the jiu jitsu champion? I skipped jiu jitsu practice to do this interview, so I need to ask this question.

    Well thank you, I know how you jiu jitsu guys are about practice. And yeah, I know who he is—silver-haired guy.

    If you went into a fight with just your boxing, and he came with just his jiu jitsu, who wins?

    Let me tell you this. I don’t believe any man alive could beat me in a no-holds-barred fight, because I will do whatever it takes to win. I’ll bite off your eyes, I’ll bite off your ears, I’ll take out your eyes.

    OK, but not a street fight, let’s say it’s an MMA match.

    Give me the time to train and pay me enough money and I’ll beat any man alive. It won’t matter the discipline. But really what you’re doing here is trying to compare a monster truck to a Ferrari.

    Which one are you?

    I’m both.

    When’s the last time you were scared?

    Every day. Every day I’m scared. I get scared that I’m not going to be a good parent. I get scared that you never know what’s going to happen in this world. I get scared about my kids, and my family, and their future.

    You have seven kids. Do any of them box? Do you want them to go the same route as you, or do something easier on the body?

    Two of them box, a 12 year old and a 7 year old. They don’t have any fights yet, though. I think all my kids will have to learn how to fight at some stage, because if you can’t fight in this life you’re going to get fucked over. You gotta fight in the workplace, you gotta fight in your relationships, you have to fight everywhere, or you’ll never succeed in life.

    With all the celebrity boxing matches going on with the Paul brothers and other YouTubers, where does that leave the cruiserweight somewhere with a 15-0 professional record who still sleeps next to the radiator?

    I think it should inspire him to do well and work hard and take his opportunities where he gets them. These influencers are growing the sport and getting more and more eyes on boxing. It’s getting bigger and bigger, and when these YouTubers are done fighting the real boxers can fight and it will be a larger audience. A lot of boxers don’t like YouTubers, they’re jealous of how much money they make. But there’s no point to that. You need to concentrate on your own goals, your own dreams. Don’t watch it on social media. If your screen time at the end of the day says seven hours, well that’s time you could have been reading a book, or training jiu jitsu, or doing something else productive for yourself.

    Do you think Frances is scared of you?

    No. At 6’4” 275 pounds and an MMA champ, he shouldn’t be scared of anyone. Truthfully I think he can’t believe his lucky stars. Ten million dollars for your pro debut? He is a lucky guy. But I should say, there is no such thing as luck. I believe in destiny. He is supposed to be here and get his money, so congratulations to the guy. But I’m still going to punch his face in.

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    Kevin Koenig

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  • “We Just Tell Them, ‘Name and School’”: Here’s How NBC Makes Those Viral Sunday Night Football Player Intros

    “We Just Tell Them, ‘Name and School’”: Here’s How NBC Makes Those Viral Sunday Night Football Player Intros

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    Any football fan knows it well. For the hardcore addicts, it’s a pop quiz. For the casuals, it’s a nice way to get to know the players that will be running around for the next three hours. For certain folks (this writer included), it’s a reminder that there’s homework due tomorrow, whether they’re still in school or not. It’s a humdrum bit of broadcasting, and also zeitgeisty enough to warrant a Comedy Central parody. I’m talking, of course, about the player introductions on NBC’s Sunday Night football—the ones where the starting lineups from each team stare down the barrel of the camera and state their name and college. Or, if they’re feeling creative, whatever else is on their mind—like longtime Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who memorably introduced himself as “Sizzle,” from “Ball So Hard University.”

    The tradition of filming live action intros started at ABC. Charlie Vanacore, a veteran replay director for SNF who came over from ABC, is sort of the proud papa of player intros. When the SNF broadcast changed homes in ‘06, Vanacore (who made the jump to NBC that same year) helped the talking-lineups component remain intact. “It’s really the only time during an NFL broadcast where you get to see a player’s face, hear his voice, and have them express themselves,” Vanacore says.

    And boy, do they express themselves: it’s not uncommon to hear all manner of exotic intros on the broadcast. According to Vanacore, a defensive back from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette was the first player to go off-script. “I think it was Ike Taylor from the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Vanacore remembers. “He said ‘Swaggin University.’ That was early on, like ‘06. Same with ‘Jared Allen, Culinary Academy.’ I think he also said his preschool once. And then, of course, there was Terrell Suggs, who gave us the scoop on that nickname. “My cousin played basketball at Idaho State,” Suggs tells GQ. “His name was D’Marr. They called him D-Sizzle. So naturally, with us having the same last name, I inherited T-Sizzle.”

    With each week offering a mostly new batch of intros—this season, SNF has already featured 12 different teams, and that will jump to 14 after this weekend’s Bears–Chargers tilt—we couldn’t stop wondering about the mechanics behind a weekly tradition that’s become interwoven in the NFL fabric. The NBC crew was happy to oblige. It starts here: during the offseason, NBC producers head out across the United States of Football to shoot about 50 guys per team. Ultimately, players from all 32 teams sit down in front of a green screen and quickly introduce themselves. But, inevitably, an unexpected depth-chart-climber or an unknown rookie shakes up the starting lineups during the season, requiring a new shoot.

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    Matthew Roberson

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  • Deion Sanders’ Coolest Move Yet? Growing This Glorious Gray Beard

    Deion Sanders’ Coolest Move Yet? Growing This Glorious Gray Beard

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    We’re used to seeing a clean-shaven Sanders; save for the occasional stache, he’s been baby-butt smooth since his Jheri-curl-and-giant-cell-phone days. But this isn’t the first time the former defensive back has rocked a jaw mane. His peak-of-the-pandemic beard was a majestic storm of gray whiskers, prompting some social media trolls to dub him “Father Time” (instead of Prime Time, get it?). Still, Sanders stood firmly by his seasoned look. “My Beard looks really good on me and I refuse to color it black and live the lie a multitude of men are living like we don’t know yo pillow case is black now!” he declared in an Instagram caption at the time.

    And you know what? We applaud him. Growing back his ashen bristles is exactly the grooming power move Deion Sanders should be making at this audacious stage of his career. He’s got no reason to hide the fact that he’s getting older, and every reason to embrace who he is right now: Football’s great disruptor. The man who, 31 years after becoming the only athlete to play in a World Series and a Super Bowl, is still shaking up the sports world like an Etch A Sketch. Not only has he earned his grays, they’re a reflection of his enduring journey and the respect he commands to this day. Besides, in the silver fox power rankings, dude could actually give Clooney and Keanu a run for their money.

    “Championship teams don’t let bull junk slide,” a still-bearded Sanders told the Buffaloes at practice this week ahead of their showdown with the UCLA Bruins on Saturday. Neither do they let Just For Men slip into their stubble. It’s all about embracing your natural talents.

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    Alex Nino Gheciu

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  • ‘Spider-Man 2’ is a Spider-Man Game For a Post-‘Across the Spider-Verse’ World

    ‘Spider-Man 2’ is a Spider-Man Game For a Post-‘Across the Spider-Verse’ World

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    We are in the middle of a bull market for Spider-People. 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home — which made nearly $2 billion at the box office — gave us three Spider-Men in Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire. That movie’s three-pronged multiverse was a drop in the bucket compared to last summer’s Across the Spider-Verse, which built on the foundation of its predecessor by including no fewer than 280 Spider-People, including an anthropomorphic jeep named Peter Parkedcar. Even Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man-less Spider-Man movies have gained some traction with audiences (at least, the ones that are about Venom and not Morbius the Living Vampire.)

    It’s into that increasingly crowded Spider-Verse that the PlayStation 5 exclusive Spider-Man 2 arrives. A direct sequel to Insomniac’s PlayStation 4 hit (and its 2020 spinoff Spider-Man: Miles Morales), the Spider-Man video games are carving out their own place in the canon, carrying the weight of the character’s 60-year history while finding new avenues to explore. “Our philosophy from day one has been that we want to respect the DNA of the franchise, but we don’t want to be afraid to mix things up,” said senior creative director Bryan Intihar in a recent interview.

    Having twice nailed the core experience of an open-world Spider-Man video game, Spider-Man 2 is largely an exercise in getting a lot more of a good thing. Where the first two games confined you to Manhattan, this one expands into Brooklyn and Queens, adding a new flight mechanic to help compensate for the boroughs’ lack of verticality. The side missions are more intricate and varied, and often more intimate, offering more perspective on a day-in-the-superheroic-life. And building on the first game’s customizable wardrobe, Spider-Man 2 gives you dozens of unlockable suits — letting you zip through the game dressed as the Spider-Men from every major Spider-Man movie, along with highlights from the comics and some clever original ones.

    And whereas each of the first two games left you playing as a single Spider-Man, this one juggles both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, telling two stories and inviting players to swap between them in real time. “When we made the commitment to put Miles and Pete in the same world, we knew that eventually a game would star both of them together,” said Intihar. “There were definitely times I said to myself, ‘Why did we do two heroes?’ But I think when we ask that, that’s how we know we made the right decision, because that’s what’s going to lead to a unique experience.”

    The game begins with both Peter and Miles at a crossroads. Peter, as usual, is struggling to balance superheroics with his personal life, though a new job at his rich friend Harry’s startup hints at a possible future where he can change the world in ways that go beyond shooting webs at bad guys. Miles is close to graduating high school and struggling with the college essay he knows could determine his future. (Of course, this is still a Spider-Man video game, so they’re also going toe-to-toe with a series of familiar baddies, including Sandman, Kraven the Hunter, and Venom.)

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    Scott Meslow

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  • The Five Most Exciting New Watch Brands of 2023

    The Five Most Exciting New Watch Brands of 2023

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    This is an edition of the newsletter Box + Papers, Cam Wolf’s weekly deep dive into the world of watches. Sign up here.

    2023 has been a really great year for watches. At the tippity-top you have Rolex releasing an emoji-laden Day-Date, and on the other end of the spectrum Blancpain launched sea-slug inspired pieces with Swatch. But it’s not just the watch-world stalwarts who are having fun. In 2023, a host of exciting new brands have emerged—both from industry legends and fresh-faced newcomers alike.

    A couple of these upstart brands represent the early returns of a growing collecting community. It’s a theory Mark Cho, the owner of Drake’s and the Armoury and a top-notch watch collector, has been floating out there: “[New collectors] are the ones who are going to shape the future of collecting,” he said during a recent GQ chat. “Just the fact that there’s all this extra interest in watches means that there’ll be other people who want to enter the industry, who want to make watches, want to design new things, and it just makes the whole ecosystem richer, more interesting, more variety, more ideas.”

    Some of these companies, however, were founded by folks who have risen through the ranks of some of the biggest watchmakers in Switzerland. For instance…

    The shapeshifter

    Really the entire conceit of this newsletter is an excuse to write about Berneron. It’s the side hustle of Sylvain Berneron, the chief product officer of Breitling, who previously worked at BMW, Porsche, and Ducati. He’s spent the past two years developing his namesake label’s debut watch, the Mirage, which comes in both yellow and white gold. The oddball design certainly has its detractors. Chris Hall made me laugh when he described it as “a chocolate left in a coat pocket,” in his newsletter The Fourth Wheel. But the Mirage floored me. The watch has such movement: The numerals look like they’re being pulled into an unrelenting whirlpool, and even the bent and crooked hands look like they’re only just resisting the riptide. If I wanted to get philosophical as a softie new-ish dad, I might say the watch looks like a reminder of how quickly time moves.

    The lazy comparison for the Mirage is the Cartier Crash, with which it shares a certain mushy quality. But I think a better fit is the work of boundary-pushing designer Gilbert Albert, who was responsible for some of Patek Philippe’s funkiest designs from the mid-20th century and a great lover of asymmetry. (Berneron has cited him as an inspiration.) Critically, unlike the Crash—which has an entirely oozing, liquid shape—both Albert and Berneron’s watches seem to be rebelling and kicking out from their more conservative boundaries. These are watches nearly imploding with energy. So, yeah, I really love this piece. I’m not alone: Berneron will only make 24 of the roughly $55,000 watches over the next decade, and all of them have already been claimed.

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    Cam Wolf

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  • Justin Bieber Just Wore His Best Date Night Outfit Yet

    Justin Bieber Just Wore His Best Date Night Outfit Yet

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    And every so often, they both just nail it, as was the case when they stepped out for a date night in Los Angeles this week. They began the evening with a service at Churchome—a Beverly Hills megachurch led by Justin’s longtime friend and former Hillsong pastor Judah Smith—and then dinner at upscale Italian spot Funke (where, coincidentally, actor Austin Butler also recently wore a great leather jacket). Now, if you’re imagining a church-dinner date might call for conservative attire, you are clearly unfamiliar with how things go down at celebrity megachurches—or with the Biebers in general. Out-there (and even sexy) fashion is welcome in Churchome’s pews, and the couple dressed accordingly.

    For the occasion, Justin wore brown-and-teal argyle trousers, tasseled Santoni loafers, a backwards baseball cap, and a boxy black lambskin Saint Laurent jacket worn open over an unbuttoned cream shirt. That allowed Justin to showcase his chest full of tattoos and, fittingly, the gift Hailey recently gave him for their fifth wedding anniversary: a pair of diamond-encrusted mushroom pendant necklaces by the New York jeweler Alex Moss. (Per Moss, there are five bejeweled spots on each ’shroom caps, for each of their five years of marriage.)

    For her part, Hailey also wore her own iced-out Alex Moss piece—a bubble-letter “B” necklace for “Bieber,” of course—plus a pair of baggy Dickies overalls over a simple white tee, black heels, a floor-length black coat, with slim Saint Laurent shades and a structured Saint Laurent Manhattan bag. (For those keeping track, all the Saint Laurent representation makes sense—Hailey is an ambassador for the brand.)

    Another great leather jacket moment from the Biebers, when Justin rocked the same Saint Laurent jacket back in May.

    Getty Images

    Together, they comprised a perfectly Bieberian his-and-hers ensemble—a couples-style duet, if you will. Individually, they each looked crazy-sexy-cool in their own distinct, fancy-disheveled sort of way: Justin as the swaggy rake, Hailey as the gorgeous tomboy.

    And while their dark shades couldn’t fully block out the paparazzi’s blinding flashbulbs, the Biebers seemed to be having fun. In a clip circulating X today, Justin can be heard saying to Hailey, “I can’t even see shit ’cause of these fucking guys,” which makes Hailey laugh. Don’t you just love love?

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    Eileen Cartter

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  • The Best Black Friday Mattress Deals Are Closer Than They Appear

    The Best Black Friday Mattress Deals Are Closer Than They Appear

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    Nectar: Nectar has one of the best sleep trials and warranties in the business, and new customers can save 30% on all mattresses as part of the brand’s fall sale. You have to be really confident in your product to offer a one-year trial—just sayin’.

    GhostBed: GhostBed is running one of the best mattress deals on the Internet right now, especially if you need a new bed and bedding to go along with your mattress. GhostBed is offering 50% off all of its mattresses, but to really save, check out the 50% savings on GhostBed bundles.

    Amazon: Amazon will likely save its biggest mattress discounts for November, but you can already find discounts on top-rated mattresses from brands like Purple, Nectar, and Zinus.

    Avocado: As part of its Early Holiday Sale, Avocado is offering up to $940 off its organic latex mattresses. You can also save up to 15% when you shop the brand’s mattress and sleep bundles.

    Bear: For its seasonal mattress sale, Bear is offering shoppers 30% off sitewide plus two free pillows with their mattress purchase. Use the code DEAL30.

    Birch: This company’s GQ award-winning mattress (and everything else they make) is 20% off if you use the sale code FALL20.

    Casper: One of the original bed-in-a-box brands, Casper is the brand to watch for Black Friday mattress sales. For now, you can save $300 on the Casper Original Mattress.

    Helix: Right now, Helix customers can save 20% on all mattresses and get two free bonus pillows with their purchase—just use the code “FALL20” to save.

    Layla: Layla’s award-winning hybrid mattress is $200 off right now. You might be noticing a trend here, but Layla shoppers also get two free pillows with their purchase.

    Leesa: For its Fall Back To Sleep sale, Leesa is offering shoppers up to $700 off mattresses. Yes, you get bonus pillows here, too.

    Saatva: Currently, Saatva is offering up to $450 off its top mattresses, but its Halloween sale ends soon. Keep an eye on Saatva as Black Friday approaches, because we imagine there will be even steeper savings where that’s concerned.

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    Timothy Werth

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  • Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker Explains Why Michael Fassbender Eats All Those Hard-Boiled Eggs in David Fincher’s ‘The Killer’

    Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker Explains Why Michael Fassbender Eats All Those Hard-Boiled Eggs in David Fincher’s ‘The Killer’

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    When he came onto Se7en, I had vastly rewritten it for [director] Jeremiah Chechick who was attached before David. The story that’s out there is a true story—that they came to David with Se7en and they accidentally gave him the first draft. When he was talking to them later down the line, he said, “blah, blah, blah, head in the box.” And they said, “Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait—we sent you the wrong one.” He insisted on going back to the first draft.

    When I sat down with him and met him, I kind of dutifully got my little composition book out—it’s weird, but I do write in John Doe composition books. And I was kind of licking my pencil and getting ready and he was just like, No, no—go ahead and close the notebook, and let’s just talk about the script from the very beginning.

    I keep waiting for the moment where I write a script and he just reads it and he goes, “Oh my God, this is so disappointing. I hate it.”

    After he gave you the beats of The Killer, did you go back to the original material at all?

    I did revisit the comics. The biggest thing for me in adapting the literal kind of voice that’s in the comics is: I was concerned about not making the Killer seem like he was doing this morally reprehensible stuff, but at the same time in his mind feeling morally superior. I read The Stranger, the Camus book. A lot of Nietzsche. There’s an alien kind of quality, in my opinion, to the Killer, where he’s almost kind of in a spaceship hovering low. A nicely edited, stripped-down-by-Fincher version of that exists early on, when he’s saying, “It’s not that I feel superior, I just feel apart.” The [character description] in the script was kind of, “If you’re really paying attention, you’ll see that he never blinks, but who would pay attention to that?” And I just love that they, and especially Fassbender, ran with that.

    What was your process in writing the voiceover monologue that opens the film?

    Hopefully the first act, or the first 20 or so minutes, is going to do something that I really like to try to do, which is subvert the audience’s expectations. The process was to rigorously show process. At a certain point, Steven Soderbergh weighed in on one of the cuts, while Fincher was processing and reorganizing some things. And one of the results of him weighing in on it was [Fincher] moving the line “If you can’t stand boredom, then this isn’t the work for you.” It was a nice way to kind of warn the audience like, This ain’t going to start at a breakneck pace. I love making the audience experience the same kind of tedium and meticulousness that this person doing this job would need to have acquired.

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    Esther Zuckerman

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  • Why We’re Dressing Like Cowboys Now

    Why We’re Dressing Like Cowboys Now

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    This is an edition of the newsletter Pulling Weeds With Chris Black, in which the columnist weighs in on hot topics in culture. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.

    Going to high school in Conyers, Georgia, in the 1990s, you either embraced the trappings of our region—big trucks, hunting, American flags, belt buckles, and boots—or did not. I wasn’t interested in rocking full camo or spending weekends in the treestands with my buddies, scented with deer urine, waiting patiently for a 12-point to reveal itself.

    In the world that I inhabit today, however, nothing is cooler than dressing like a cowboy. My fashionable friends and normies alike have adopted the look in various forms. It’s not rare to see someone strolling through Soho in all denim or a western shirt snapped up and paired with a classic pair of aviators. Cowboy boots of all varieties have been popping up for the last several years, from the hard-to-miss steel-capped Calvin Klein version from Raf Simons to traditional styles from Boot Barn; even the humble Roper has made a comeback. I clocked my boss at J. Crew, Brendon Babenzein, wearing a suede pair a few weeks ago, and they looked great.

    Pop culture, meanwhile, is awash in the cowboy-adjacent. Country music has, as I’ve written, found a wider audience, thanks to the emo-tinged Zach Bryan, politically inscrutable Oliver Anthony, and Luke Combs’ country chart-topping cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Kayce Dutton, the brooding bad boy heir to the Dutton throne in the hit neo-Western Yellowstone, now in its final season, looks smoldering in his tin cloth jacket, worn-in jeans, and beat-up brown boots. GQ’s Gabriella Paiella just declared Martin Scorsese’s much-heralded new film about the Osage murders in 1920s Oklahoma, Killers of The Flower Moon, “the hat movie of the year.” Supermodel Bella Hadid, a known horse girl, is dating a horse rider and trainer, which officially makes her a “buckle bunny.”

    We can trace the recent history of cowboy dress to a style icon whose influence has more recently been felt in the prep revival: Ralph Lauren. After buying his Colorado ranch in the late 1980s, Lauren embarked on what has become a career-spanning homage to the American West, first with Polo Country, in which he combined Americana with the British countryside lifestyle, and later with RRL, the elevated Western brand that he launched in 1993. (As the photo above attests, he himself was dressing like a cowboy as far back as 1977—in East Hampton, no less.) RRL draws inspiration from the workwear worn by the gold rush miners and ranch hands of the mid to late 1800s, as well as military gear from the American Civil War and World Wars. It has become the uniform for a particular brand of wealthy new cowboy—someone who feels as comfortable in Malibu as he does in Jackson Hole. (The RRL stores, by the way, are incredible: Everything in its place, with the perfect patina. It feels like shopping in a fantasy, or on a Hollywood backlot.)

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    Chris Black

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  • Jacob Elordi Is Dressing Like a Classic Leading Man Now

    Jacob Elordi Is Dressing Like a Classic Leading Man Now

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    When Jacob Elordi isn’t carrying a killer It Bag around the city of Los Angeles or some luxuriously far-flung airport, he’s wearing some of the chicest menswear Hollywood’s seen in years.

    As a key cast member in one of the few high-profile new films to snag a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, Elordi has been on whirlwind tour to promote Sofia Coppola’s upcoming Priscilla Presley biopic Priscilla, in which the Australian actor portrays the famously suave Elvis Presley. For an appearance on The Tonight Show this week, Elordi sported a custom Valentino ensemble: a rakish gray shirt featuring what my GQ colleague Avidan Grossman described as “a perfect collar,” worn unbuttoned to showcase a white ribbed tank underneath and tucked into a pair of high-rise dress trousers, with shiny black dress shoes and a silver Cartier Tank watch. (For those keeping track, the actor also wore a yellow gold Tank Normale to Priscilla’s Venice premiere.)

    NBC/Getty Images

    So far, his press wardrobe has matched the dark appeal of the role, though Elordi himself had to come around on that end. The 26-year-old admitted to Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon that, prior to filming, “The most I knew of Elvis Presley was in Lilo & Stitch.”

    Nonetheless, these raffish takes on classic menswear speak to the style vibe he’s been channeling throughout the Priscilla press tour. (Or, as a self-professed student of old-school masters Brando and Clift, it’s also pretty reflective of his career goals in general.) Earlier this month, Elordi wore a slouchy, navy-blue Dior suit (with a wallet chain—fun!) to the film’s New York Film Festival screening; earlier that day, he rolled up both the sleeves of his crimson-striped Saint Laurent shirt and the hems of his flared black trousers for a radio press appearance. They’re ensembles that feel like a chicer continuation of last year’s loose-fitting, gray-toned menswear trend (otherwise known as the Louche Suit Movement), which was marked by baggy Fear of God’s Kenny G-esque sets and an abundance of toothless ’90s-Armani-inspired tailoring.

    NEW YORK NEW YORK OCTOBER 06 Jacob Elordi attends the red carpet for Priscilla during the 61st New York Film Festival...

    Jacob Elordi, wearing a Dior suit, at the New York Film Festival on October 6.

    Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

    NEW YORK NEW YORK OCTOBER 06 Jacob Elordi poses for a photo during SiriusXM's Town Hall with the cast of 'Priscilla'...

    Earlier that day, in Saint Laurent.

    Cindy Ord/Getty Images

    This could also be an incidental fashion choice as much as it is a stylistic one—on the Tonight Show, Elordi told Fallon ahead of the taping that he’d recently lost weight in preparation for another role. “I’m a little bit light so I was concerned about wearing, you know, such baggy clothes,” the actor said on air. “I’ve lost a decent amount of weight to play a prisoner of war, so I’m a little bit concerned because I think I look like– I’ve seen a few photos on the internet of me as Slender Man.” Bleak, and far less enticing than his sultry Saltburn eyebrow piercing, but such is the life of a thespian.

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    Eileen Cartter

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  • How Jay-Z and Roc-a-Fella Used DJ Envy to Conquer New York Rap

    How Jay-Z and Roc-a-Fella Used DJ Envy to Conquer New York Rap

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    In their new book Do Remember!: The Golden Age of NYC Hip-Hop Mixtapes, authors Evan Auerbach and Daniel Isenberg trace the history of New York rap through its humblest and most world-alteringly important delivery system— the mixtape. As the legendary cultural ambassador Fab 5 Freddy notes in his introduction, hip-hop’s global takeover began with cassette recordings of parties and live performances passed from hand to hand and hood to hood. By the early 20th century, cassettes had been supplanted by CDs and hip-hop was on its way to becoming a highly corporatized multi-billion-dollar industry— and superstar mixtape DJs like DJ Clue became all-important tastemakers, capable of shoring up a newly-mainstream rapper’s street cred or signal-boosting an underground crew into the stratosphere. In this excerpt from Auerbach and Isenberg’s book, music executive Lenny Santiago— best known as Lenny S— talks about how a 2001 mixtape enabled the rise of Roc-A-Fella Records, the label founded by Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke in 1994.

    Lenny S was a prominent Roc-A-Fella A&R who knew the importance of the mixtape. In fact, before he came to the Roc, he worked on Bad Boy’s street team as they were pushing the groundbreaking Bad Boy mixtape series. Inspired by this and some of the challenges happening at the time at Roc-A-Fella, Lenny S took advantage of his in-house connections and teamed up with DJ Envy to start his own Roc-A-Fella mixtape series. This not only gave the label a chance to control their own mixtape narrative, but it allowed him to build his personal brand in the process.

    THE IMPORTANCE OF LANDING EARLY JAY-Z MIXTAPE PLACEMENTS

    Lenny S: At that time for us, it was monumental. Especially [DJ] Clue—he was only going for the top notch. He was chasing down B.I.G. or Naughty By Nature, or whoever were the top people. Somebody like Jay, he wasn’t B.I.G., he didn’t have a hit record, he wasn’t top of the charts, he wasn’t any of that. He was just an ill, dope, self-contained, self-funded rapper from Brooklyn who hustled prior and got money.

    Those Clue tapes spoke directly to the streets, so that was a big deal for us. You had the radio DJs at night doing their thing, but the mixtape lived 24 hours a day on every street corner. So that was important when those things got shuffled down to Baltimore, Philly, and North Carolina.

    We depended on the mixtapes because they traveled around the country by getting bootlegged and copied, and by word of mouth. Mixtapes were how we discovered Nas introducing Nature, Clue introducing Fabolous—all those guys we found on mixtapes.

    ROC-A-FELLA MIXTAPE SERIES

    Somebody had a record of Jay’s that they weren’t supposed to have. Long story short, the guy got caught with the record. He had it outside the office and was playing it. Dame found out and was pissed, obviously, because we weren’t supposed to let music leak. He was so pissed that the whole staff got docked because he was like, “One team, one family, one unit. One person gets in trouble, we all get in trouble.”

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    Evan Auerbach, Daniel Isenberg

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  • The ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Movie Is Coming. Here’s Everything We Know (and Don’t Know)

    The ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Movie Is Coming. Here’s Everything We Know (and Don’t Know)

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    The franchise was originally created by Scott Cawthon, who developed Five Nights after a stalled career making Christian-centric games and films. The first Five Nights was made independently and released in 2014, earning critical acclaim and a massive fan base for an indie game. Several sequels and related spinoff games have come in the ensuing decade, including an interstellar offshoot called Freddy in Space.

    Cawthon retired from game development entirely in 2021, following controversial revelations that he had donated thousands of dollars to a number of Republican politicians in 2020, including Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. In a lengthy post on the hugely popular FNAF subreddit, Cawthon wrote, “I’m a Republican. I’m a Christian. I’m pro-life. I believe in God. I also believe in equality, and in science, and in common sense. Despite what some may say, all of those things can go together. That’s not an apology or promise to change, it’s the way it’s always been.” He proclaimed his support for LGBTQ+ members of the Five Nights community, but also somewhat flippantly wrote, “If I get canceled, then I get canceled.”

    When he departed, Cawthon stated that he would find a successor to shepherd the franchise, and Five Nights does appear to be soldiering on under new leadership—Five Nights at Freddy’s Help Wanted 2 was announced at May’s PlayStation Showcase, and, per IGN, seems to be a sequel to a 2019 offshoot game initially released for VR devices.

    Jason Topolski, a Pixar veteran and head of Steel Wool Studios, has been involved in the direction on some recent installments, though it still seems unclear who will be in charge of developing the franchise in Cawthon’s stead.

    Who’s involved in the movie?

    When FNAF’s trailer dropped, non-gamer horror-movie buffs undoubtedly took note of its striking resemblance to the 2021 Nicolas Cage horror flick Willy’s Wonderland, though obviously Cawson’s franchise preceded the mildly amusing Cage release. (Five Nights was heavily invoked in criticism of Willy’s, and there was controversy in the gaming community over similarities between the two.)

    While the FNAF movie doesn’t boast a genre-film draw of Cagean magnitude, it does feature a strong crop of talent both in front of and behind the cameras. Ubiquitous child star and Hunger Games deuteragonist Josh Hutcherson plays the lead role, and he’s previously excelled in the underseen horror comedy with Tragedy Girls. Other key roles are filled by Gossip Girl’s Elizabeth Lail, longtime character actor Matthew Lillard (Stu Macher in Scream and Shaggy in the ‘00 live-action Scooby-Doo movies), and Mary Stuart Masterson, best known for films like Fried Green Tomatoes, but also a gifted genre performer who’s showcased that side of her artistry in Daniel Isn’t Real.

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    Grant Rindner

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  • “BING BONG!”: The Story Behind That Viral Knicks Season Opener Video

    “BING BONG!”: The Story Behind That Viral Knicks Season Opener Video

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    Founded by Jack Byrne and Trent Simonian, Sidetalk has earned a reputation for chronicling eccentric New York City events like the Bronx Dominican Day Parade, Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest, and anti-vax rallies. This past July, they scored a video with Drake at Starlet’s Gentlemen’s Club in Queens. But back in 2021, they were juniors at NYU with a budding following, betting the Knicks would help them achieve the next level of internet relevance.

    “We’re standing outside of MSG, looking at my ESPN app, keeping an eye on what’s happening in the game,” Simonian recounted. “And then we’re like, Oh my God, it’s going into overtime. Oh my God, it’s going into double overtime. So if they win this, the fans are going to be going crazy.”

    The Knicks won in thrilling fashion, and the fans indeed went crazy. But the Sidetalk boys remained calm.

    “Usually there’s an initial wave of people who come out of the stadium first. We don’t really interview those people, because the most passionate fans are going to stay until the very end,” said Simonian. “Once it’s so packed you can’t see far away, and the people are already starting to cheer and they’re starting to do their Knicks chants, that’s when we like to go out into the crowd and get it crazy.”

    One of the fans captured by Sidetalk was the TV personality Desus Nice, who was struck by the intensity of the celebration. “They treated a regular-season win like an impromptu Super Bowl parade. People had actually blocked traffic on Seventh Avenue so cars couldn’t go. NYPD was not there. It was pure NYC chaos. It was such a moment,” Desus recalled.

    Then the co-host of Showtime’s Desus and Mero, had to quickly decide whether appearing on Sidetalk would be a conflict of interest. “I don’t know what platform this is going to be on. This could possibly violate my contract,” he said. “And then right away I was like, you know what? Fuck it, let’s do it.”

    The Bronx native made a move for the microphone, “I’m like, what am I going to say? You got to say something cool. You got to say something iconic. I’m going to be like, Yo, the Knicks run New York City. But because I was so amped and had been yelling for the whole game, you can hear my voice crack as if I’m going through puberty, ” he said. The next day, he showed up to work with his voice shot.

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    Jacob Forchheimer

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  • Victor Oladipo Wants to Put Out a Song With Damian Lillard

    Victor Oladipo Wants to Put Out a Song With Damian Lillard

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    Entering his 10th NBA season, Victor Oladipo—the high-flying vet once recognized as the league’s Most Improved Player—is currently focused on rehabbing a knee injury sustained during the Miami Heat’s improbable dash to the NBA Finals this summer. Rehab, though, is not slowing him down.

    The former All-Defensive First Teamer released his third studio album (Tunde, an Afrobeats ode to his Nigerian heritage), plans to record an R&B album next, was spotted courtside at the U.S. Open in New York City, and was otherwise kept busy byt his 19-month-old daughter, Naomi, who he hopes might pick up a tennis racquet one day. Soon, he’ll join his new team, the Houston Rockets, with whom he spent all of two months in 2021.

    So yeah, the hooper-slash-singer-slash-father-slash-fashionista doesn’t take many days off. But the versatile playmaker has reached something like a state of zen. After some back and forth calls—he was trying to put his daughter to sleep—GQ linked with the former No. 2 overall draft pick to hear about his growing connection to Africa, the state of U.S. men’s basketball and the importance of listening to your body in a time of adversity.

    What has your offseason been like? How’s rehab going?

    I’m about four months in right now. I haven’t even started running yet—just to put it into perspective. I’m doing a lot better though. I feel really great. I feel balanced. Overall, I’ve had great days and not so good days but I’ve remained consistent and level headed. With that mindset and approach, there’s always a chance to be successful. My story is a testimony of overcoming, and I’ve done it before.

    Do you have a timeline for your return?

    Honestly, right now I don’t have a timeline. Right now it’s just waiting and seeing. My body will tell me. I’m just being patient and listening to my body.

    Do you think that’s part of your maturity as a person and player? Would the rookie version of yourself have been as patient with this process?

    It’s definitely my maturity as a person and player, but also our game. The staff, the medical side, all of it. Everything has evolved since when I was a rookie [in 2013]. Even if I could have wanted to be more patient [back then], who knows, that may not have been pushed when I was younger. But as I’m older, you understand all the other things. You have to do all the little things to make it all work. Now I’m hyper aware of that. I’m aware of what my body needs and what I need to do in order to feel great and that’s what I strive for.

    It probably helps that you’ve also endured major injuries in the past—and have bounced back stronger than ever. What shapes your outlook and mindset when you’re working on your return to the court?

    My parents are the reason I’m successful. They weren’t perfect by any means, but they really sacrificed and instilled hard work in us. They showed us that to get what you want you have to work for it. They taught us not to settle. Not to give up. It’s funny actually, because I’ve come back from injury after injury after injury, and a lot of people don’t know that my parents came to America [from Nigeria] with nothing and created this lifestyle for four kids. What do you think is harder, know what I’m saying? They instilled that comeback mentality in me before I even understood it. They gave me a constant belief in myself, in my abilities, and in God.

    Shout out to immigrant parents. My parents came from Mexico. It’s a certain type of struggle that not every U.S. citizen knows about. Imagine if someone just took us right now and dropped us off in China or Spain or Australia and we just had to figure it out—the language, the culture, the institutions, all of it.

    For real. I don’t think people really understand the magnitude of that. We were just babies, and our parents may have been strict with us, but imagine moving to a new place and starting from square one. And then your kids eventually end up with [a combined] twelve degrees? Give them credit.

    As a first-generation Nigerian American, have you been able to visit Nigeria and explore your parent’s homeland firsthand?

    It’s funny—I’ve never been. Growing up it was always tough to go. An immigrant family with four children. No means. Obviously, I was in the NBA trying to figure things out for my first few years. I was planning to go in 2019, then I got hurt. And I’ve been hurt since that at different points, rehabbing in the summers. So I never got a chance to go. But this year I made a promise to my family that we would go for the first time. So I’ll be going this season. Maybe at the start of the new year, or in the summer. But I’ll be going. I want to make it a big deal. It’s my first time going home. I want it to be great for me and my family. I’m looking forward to it.

    You’ve played with a few Nigerian-heritage players: Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vincent. There’s also a few other guys in the league, like Giannis, who is Nigerian by way of Greece. How do you think the NBA’s All-Nigerian squad would do against the rest of the world, and have you considered playing for Nigeria down the line?

    I recently spoke with Gabe about this. You know, South Sudan, they just won [enough games at the FIBA World Cup to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris]. So I’m like, wait a second. Where is our team at? We talked about what needs to happen [for Nigeria] to qualify. I’ve thought about it. To be real, I’d love to represent the Nigerian culture. It just needs to make sense. Lately, I’ve been rehabbing and stuff but if we came together and made it a thing, why not? We’re not qualified for this year’s Olympics, but I wouldn’t mind trying for the future. It would be dope. If others wanted to do that, I would be on board. It would be like a Coming to America situation, and we’d just take all our guys. I think we’d be pretty good.

    After the U.S. men’s national team placed fourth at this summer’s FIBA World Cup, reports came out that LeBron wants to gather a U.S. superteam. Did you hear about that? Apparently he’s trying to assemble the Avengers of U.S. players for these upcoming Olympic games.

    If he’s getting the American Avengers, then we’ll be the DC Nigerians. Since they’re Marvel, we’ll take DC [Laughs].

    I like that. What do you think about the international competition in basketball right now? I’ve seen criticism in the media about U.S. players not being able to win like they used to. Is there any resentment in the NBA about that?

    Basketball is a world sport. It doesn’t have a race or nationality. I could care less if you from Pluto, if you’re an alien. If you hoop, you hoop. If you can play, you can play. If you not even from this planet. I don’t care. It’s no shocker that there’s great players across the country and that there’s also great players across the world. The NBA has had European and African talent way before this. Dirk [Nowitzki]. Hakeem [Olajuwan]. [Manu] Ginobli. [Steve] Nash. I don’t necessarily think it’s ever been a secret but it’s widely magnified right now because of social media and globalization. And they are getting better, for sure.

    I saw you were at the U.S. Open. How was that? What’s the experience of seeing other top-level athletes competing in another sport?

    Honestly, it was like a movie, bro. I thought our lights were bright. But those lights are very bright. Once you go and experience it, you can see that. I was there for the quarter finals. It was super intense in there. But it was a great time. That was my first time. I sat courtside. You know, my dad played tennis. I never really necessarily was super into it because I was a little. I haven’t had a chance to watch it much until recently. I’ve had more time on my hands, and I’ve grown to love it. Naomi, my little daughter, I’d love her to play some day. I want her to see Coco [Gauff] win Grand Slams.

    Besides sports, you also make music and just released your third album, Tunde. What’s the story behind that?

    It’s an Afrobeats album. I love Afrobeats. It’s out of love and respect for my Nigerian and African people. It’s similar to R&B. Music is a mental release for me. Being able to disconnect from the world and listen to music. Going to the studio, creating. When I got hurt I had more time, obviously. I had 100% more opportunities to do music and things that pertain to music. That’s when I did The Masked Singer. It all opened new doors for me and helped me connect my gift to a wider audience. Music has been that outlet for me in general. With more time on my hands it was a no brainer and I just wanted to make the most of it. There’s no feeling like creating a new song. I wanted to enjoy the process.

    Are you working on anything musically right now?

    I don’t have anything set in stone but I plan to put out another R&B album. That’s where it all started for me. R&B will never be dead to me. And I definitely want to put out more Afrobeats music. You’ll hear it soon.

    Which NBA player would you most like to collaborate with on a song?

    Damian Lillard. Hopefully we get an opportunity to collaborate. With injuries and everything, I just haven’t been able to. But I’d love to do that and release something with him. I got stuff coming up that I can send him. That would be special for both of our careers and the game. Everyone would wanna see that. That would be dope.

    I’m curious about your time with the Miami Heat. Being around Jimmy Butler, Erik Spoelstra. The team made an unexpected NBA Finals appearance last season. What did you gain from your time in South Beach? Is it really true what they say down there about Heat Culture?

    Well, first and foremost, I just want to make clear that there was some narrative about me only wanting to be [in Miami]. I never once in my life said that I wanted to be a Heatle. It just marinated and manifested on its own. Before I was [a player on the Heat], I was working out there in 2015, and I didn’t get traded there ‘til 2021. The media made their own story about all that. But I had a great experience there. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as I planned, but I learned so much there and from the guys that I can take forward in my career and show that I’m still one of the best two-way players in the world. Being around great coaches and players, it’s really a skill that people don’t realize. Winning is a skill. It separates that organization from some other ones. They just know how to win. That’s the culture. That’s what we learn from the beginning of training camp. If you’re not there to win, they’ll get you where you need to be. You can’t do nothing but respect that. It was amazing to be around that kind of talent, you know? Jimmy? He’s super underrated. His talent is insane. He will keep being successful and people will see one day. I also had the chance to play with Kevin Love, [Kyle] Lowry, [Tyler] Herro, Bam. So many great young and older players there. I gained a lot.

    I’ve heard some inspiring—and funny—stories about Coach Spo and how he connects with everyone. What’s a memory you have of him?

    Spo is a legend. His resume speaks for itself. When you have a great relationship with a coach, it transfers to the game. One time I had a meeting with him right before a playoff game against Milwaukee. I went in to talk to him—I remember going into his room and he had seven dry-erase boards, maybe more, completely full. That is the epitome of who he is. He does what it takes. That’s why his success might be a shock to most but not to those who know him and have been around him. He works hard. And he takes the time to continue growing, even with the success [he has had]. He still has the same edge and competitiveness, every day. You have to play hard for someone like that.

    It seems like no amount of planning could’ve stopped the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. You’ve seen them up close. What makes Jokic so unstoppable? There was controversy about him potentially winning a third consecutive MVP. Is he worthy?

    If you watch the game and pay attention to possessions, I don’t have to explain anything. Every game he beat us in a different way. One game he had a triple-double. Another game, a double-double. Another, he let his teammate have 30. He can just beat you in multiple ways. He’s highly skilled. He can lead the fast break. He runs the offense. He’s a big who can post. He catches it high, low, on the wing, at the top of the key. It’s hard to scout and plan for someone who can be so effective from so many places on the floor. He’s the Joker, so you know can make tricky passes. Just watch the games. You’ll see how special he is. I remember playing Denver earlier in the season, and they were missing four starters, but he played. I didn’t play because I was injured. But I was watching him closely and they beat us. He was phenomenal. He made everyone around him better. That’s really what makes you a special player in this league: that no matter who is with them, you always have a chance to win when they’re out there.

    Did you know some fans on NBA Twitter call you Oladefense, for your defensive prowess? Is that a part of your game that you take particular pride in?

    [Laughs.] I did not know that. I’m definitely an elite two way player. Defense is important to me. For a long time that’s what kept me on the floor in high school games. I was voted [national] Defensive Player of the Year in college, and also in high school. I was All-Defensive First Team in the NBA. That’s been my game my whole life. I play at a high level on both ends. So hell yeah, I love defense. I hate it when people score on me. I hate it when people make a good move on me.

    What are you most looking forward to in your return to the court?

    The biggest thing is being able to play. Honestly. And winning. Just doing what it takes to win. I have had the opportunity to experience success with a few teams now. There’s no way that doesn’t translate.

    What message do you have for fans about this upcoming season?

    The biggest thing is that it ain’t over. When I hurt myself [in April], my first thought was it’s over. But this shit ain’t over. I want to show others their own strength. I want everyone to understand their blessings. I want to shock the world again. I just keep climbing that mountain. I’ll see y’all at the top.

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    Alan Chazaro

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  • A$AP Rocky Is Puma’s New Formula 1 Creative Guru

    A$AP Rocky Is Puma’s New Formula 1 Creative Guru

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    Back in May, Puma announced that it had signed a multi-year licensing deal to exclusively produce and sell Formula 1 apparel at all races. Which is a big job. So, they got a big name to steer it: A$AP Rocky.

    Rocky has been unveiled as the creative director of the Puma and Formula 1 partnership, and he will work closely with Puma chief executive Arne Freundt. As the partnership kicks off, that means a series of capsule collections that will be released throughout the 2024 race calendar—and, according to Puma, Rocky is already “in the lab” for a debut in Miami. “Working with brands as iconic as Puma, and as innovative as F1, has been truly inspiring,” Rocky said in an official press release. “When the world sees what we’re doing, I believe a shift will happen with how brands approach taking risks and working with diverse creatives.”

    So far, not much has been unveiled about what A$AP Rocky has in store for Puma and the F1, but in a batch of teaser images announcing the partnership, you can already sort of get a taste of what’s to come. Racing gloves imprinted with Puma’s recognizable motif, lacy balaclavas featuring Puma and F1 branding on the chin, and oversized quilted jackets doused in luminous green. In one shot there’s a beaded balaclava, while in another, Rocky wears jeans that come emblazoned with Puma graphics on the crotch.

    This isn’t Rocky’s first design gig, nor is it his first venture into fashion. Not only is he a proper fashion boy who gets down with big Bottega Veneta suits and one-off Gucci pieces, he’s also co-designed collections with JW Anderson, Marine Serre and Guess Originals. It’s not that surprising Puma’s on the books now, either. His partner Rihanna has her own creative director position at the brand, which has seen her design two collections of Fenty-branded footwear.

    Rocky’s first capsule collection will drop in the coming weeks—and Formula 1 will continue its journey to becoming one of the coolest sports on the planet.

    This story originally appeared on British GQ with the title “Just like Rihanna, A$AP Rocky’s got a new gig at Puma”

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    Zak Maoui

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  • Why Does Everybody Dress Like They Have a Stylist?

    Why Does Everybody Dress Like They Have a Stylist?

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    Some observers argue that these guys would be better off if they actually did have stylists. Cultural critic Raven Smith characterizes Nobu style as “shop-bought not home-grown” and “paint-by-numbers rather than feel-it-out.” There’s certainly a safety in it, which can feel crucial in our era of public scrutiny. But this, Smith says, seems to miss the point of getting dressed in expressive clothing in the first place, and ignores the creative possibilities of collaboration. “References that marginally tweak tradition are so accessible that it’s become easy to consult nobody and dress with a palatable feeling of flair, without any genuine personal commentary,” he says.

    Then again, Nobu style might represent a watershed moment in American masculinity. It’s significant that a famous corn-fed tight end who lives in Missouri considers shopping for fancy clothes to be one of his favorite hobbies. If that’s a new status quo, it’s a meaningful one. And it’s clearly catching on throughout the NFL, which was long resistant to the more flamboyant fashion choices seen in Hollywood and the NBA. According to Detroit Lions defensive end Romeo Okwara, one of the most original and soulful dressers in all of sports, the locker room at Ford Field is often filled with chatter about planned shopping trips to Japan. “Guys feel like they have a little more freedom to be themselves,” says Okwara, who adds that when he played for the Giants a few years back, all-team meetings on the eve of games became the scene of competitive fit battles. “It was just guys shopping and buying stuff they fucked with,” he says. Which is important, whether the results are paint-by-numbers or not.

    What does this all portend for actual stylists? The “no stylist” movement has been strong in hip-hop for years, and the likes of Timothée Chalamet, the king of chaotic daywear, have proved that Nobu style is by no means a requisite for fame. (And in fact we spill more ink over the most unpredictable dressers—looking at you, Adam Sandler—than those who hit every note.) But the role of the modern celeb stylist is broader than making moodboards. Well-connected stylists are critical for celebrities who want to land lucrative brand deals and get invited to fashion shows and industry tentpoles like the Met Gala. And as I’ve previously reported, as red carpet events have grown in frequency and scale, stylists have, if anything, become overburdened. Their influence is in no danger of waning, and in fact the rise of Nobu style is an affirmation that the work they do is resonating.

    Nobu style, on the other hand, strikes me as a mere stop on a long journey of discovery, an expression of genuine enthusiasm that can lead to a more personal relationship with clothing. It’s anyone’s guess how Kelce’s passion for his walk-in closet will develop. His rumored girlfriend, Swift, has a stylist but famously looks unstyled. It will be fascinating to see how they influence each other. But for now, Kelce appears to be steadfastly following his own sartorial instincts. As he put it to the WSJ, he already considers his gametime outfits to be bigger than himself. “For the most part,” he says, “I do it to put a smile on somebody’s face.”

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    Samuel Hine

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  • How to Score a Sick Vintage Tie for $20

    How to Score a Sick Vintage Tie for $20

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    Suits, you may have heard, are back. In the post-pandemic era, when most folks are still working from home and you can wear jeans to a wedding, there are fewer occasions than ever that actually demand a two-piece. Which is exactly why we’re pumped to wear them. These days, suits have transcended their stultifying background to becoming something much rarer: a righteous flex, and the easiest way to distinguish yourself from the sheeple in head to toe fleece. It’s no surprise brands like Fear of God have made swaggering, languorous tailoring a cornerstone of American luxury fashion—or that designers like Anthony Vaccarello have supercharged age-old European maisons by doing the same.

    Ties, on the other hand—well, ties have had a rougher go of it. (With a few notable exceptions.) Even for the most zealous tailoring nerds, ties can feel a step too far removed from the current moment, the final vestige of menswear’s before times. That ends today. Because, we’re thrilled to report, ties have never looked cooler. Already mastered the blazer-and-jeans mashup? Salute—now try the tie-with-rumpled-striped-shirt combo. Do you really need to wear one, in the same way you do a hardy tweed sportcoat when the weather takes a dip? No! And that’s the fun of it.

    Better yet, some of the raddest ties around are next-to-nothing on the vintage market. Think about it: guys have been wearing them for so long, and so consistently, that our tie-less reality has given way to a glut of extremely rad options (from some seriously flashy names) for pennies on the dollar. So we tapped two of the savviest suiting gurus in our rolodex to weigh in on the best places to scoop a neckful of sick silk accessories—and the brands to set an eBay alert for. Keep your eyes peeled, fellas.

    The Godfather of Italian Fashion: Giorgio Armani

    Giorgio Armani’s louche ‘80s-era tailoring has taken on a new relevance in 2023, says Peter Zottolo, US Director for Plaza Uomo—and the designer’s ties help explain why. “He always chose such wonderfully unique and airy fabrics, like texturetastic woven stripes or ‘50s geometric throwback prints in crepe silk,” Zottolo says. “Some are a bit boardroom, others a bit more abstract, but [they’re] always tasteful.” What better way to spice up your ginormous suit than with a tie from the label that made them a bona fide thing?

    The All-American Classics: Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart, and Ralph Lauren

    Polo Ralph Lauren

    Handmade In Italy Silk Necktie

    Polo Ralph Lauren

    Handmade In Italy Silk Necktie

    Armani’s breakout era not quite your speed? Classic American labels like Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, and Paul Stuart are always a good bet. Sean Crowley, the founder of Crowley Vintage, favors the trio of Americana masters for their quality, taste, and sheer ubiquity. “They’re available, they’re always going to be good, and there’s enough of them that, even though prices have gone up, you can still find them.” Pro tip: Look for ties that boast a ‘Made in U.S.A.’ or ‘Made in Italy’ label.

    The Fun, Freaky Innovator: Rooster

    Crowley also points to the now-defunct label Rooster, especially if you’re after vintage ties with a kookier bent. In contrast to the ties churned out by Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers during their heydays, Rooster’s can be experimental and downright weird—a welcome shift away from the stodgier styles that dominated menswear in the ‘60s. “Rooster was this wild card that was just novel and fun and whimsical,” Crowley says. The brand didn’t invent the square-end tie, but they damn-near perfected it, a “new and irreverent” flourish Crowley still appreciates today. Over half a century on, the square-end remains a low-key way to flex your menswear chops—and it looks fresh as ever.

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    Gerald Ortiz

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  • 19 Waxed Canvas Jackets That Are Rugged, Durable, and Ready for Duty

    19 Waxed Canvas Jackets That Are Rugged, Durable, and Ready for Duty

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    Good question! The answer is twofold. As capable as they are, synthetic jackets will eventually break down. And once they do, they’re actually more difficult to repair compared to their waxed counterparts, which require re-waxing only sparingly. Secondly, waxed jackets are known for their unique patina. Like your favorite jeans, their propensity to fade and crease over time, redistributing their oily finish to different parts of their exterior, is a huge part of the appeal. And today, there’s never been more ways to get your wax on. From brush-busting countryside coats to burly parkas to Bond-ian truckers, there’s a waxy number for practically everyone in 2023—and almost definitely one on this list that’s perfect for you.

    The Best Waxed Canvas Jacket, Overall

    Chances are, Barbour is the first name that comes to mind when you think of waxed jackets. For well over a century, the iconic British brand has outfitted the countryside set in rugged waxed cotton gear, and today, the Bedale remains its most popular silhouette. It’s built with Barbour’s Silkoil fabric, a 6 oz. waxed cotton canvas that’s lightweight, pliable, and super durable. It comes with nifty details like handwarmer pockets, snap flap waist pockets, a protective storm flap, and a luscious corduroy collar. Take a peak inside and you’ll find Barbour’s signature Tartan cotton lining and a zipper detail for adding a wool or quilted lining for extra warmth. (You can also purchase a hood, which snaps into the collar for even more rain protection.) All of those details amount to an insanely durable and versatile jacket that works for three seasons—four, if you’re really pushing it.

    The Modern-Day Waxed Canvas Jacket

    Flint and Tinder

    Flannel-Lined Waxed Trucker Jacket

    Icons like the Barbour Bedale are hard to beat, but Flint and Tinder’s flannel-lined trucker jacket is a modern classic in its own right. The slightly cropped silhouette is flattering on almost everybody, which is the natural outcome when you crib inspiration from vintage denim jackets. The spot-on fit alone would be enough to earn it a spot on this list, but of course, it’s got plenty of cold weather bona fides too. It derives its warmth from a substantial-yet-soft 7 oz. waxed sailcloth from Martexin, which makes it one of the few options on this list to use an American-made fabric. Plus, the body is fully-lined with a polyester blanket fabric that’s plenty warm and soft enough to wear with just a T-shirt (or, for that matter, without a T-shirt). On top of that, it’s cut, sewn, and finished in the USA, which keeps the carbon footprint low and the quality high.

    The Hog-Wild Waxed Canvas Jacket

    Favored by motorcyclists around the world, the Belstaff Trialmaster is the quintessential British racing jacket. Celebs like Daniel Day-Lewis and Ewan McGregor are big fans, but you don’t have to have an Emmy or an Oscar to look like a high-wattage star wearing one. (You don’t have to know anything about motorcycles, either.) That angled chest pocket sure makes it easy to whip out your road map, though.

    The Cinematic Waxed Canvas Jacket

    Waxed canvas jackets tend to appeal to the scruffy-faced, shit-kicker-wearing types (y’know, close relatives of those brolic seafarers and their fish oil-soaked jackets). The Mfpen Commute coat does not. Like all great trench coats, the Commute coat offers volume and a beautiful drape. It’s louche and elegant, like an Old Hollywood movie star. But it ain’t just handsome to look at: It’s made from an extra-durable ripstop cotton which is then waxed to keep you dry through the most dramatic rainstorms. It’s dashing over a suit, rakish over a knit polo and jeans, or just plain cool with a thrashed hoodie and a pair of shorts.

    The Blizzard-Beating Waxed Jacket

    RRL

    Faux-Fur-Trim Oilcloth Parka

    You know that one very swaggy photo of Snoopy in a big red puffer jacket? Turns out, they made it a real thing. And, if you can believe it, it’s even better than the cartoon. RRL’s expedition-ready parka features a waxy oilcloth fabric that’s milled in England by a factory that’s been in the business of waxed fabrics since the 1880s. On top of that, the whole shebang is stuffed in heat-retaining poly-fill, lined with deep-pile fleece and trimmed with faux fur at the hood. In other words, you’ve got the guts of the coziest duvet with the shell of a weatherproofed military tent.

    The Get-It-Done Waxed Jacket

    When there’s work to be done did, Dickies is the BS-free brand to get shit done. The new Lucas jacket doubles down on the brand’s iconic Eisenhower jacket with the same silhouette, but with some extra oomph packed into it. It features a hardy waxed cotton canvas shell trimmed with luxurious corduroy at the collar and an insulating flannel lining to keep you warm when you’ve got a cold hard list of chores left to tackle. But even if your “chores” are more like getting groceries and returning a pair of shoes, Lucas will make you look rugged as hell.

    Plus 13 More Waxed Canvas Jackets We Love

    Alpha Industries

    A tad longer than Barbour’s Bedale jacket at a slightly friendlier price.

    Barbour

    The slightly longer and trimmer sibling to Barbour’s Bedale, the Ashby is built for the slim-fit die-hards among us.

    Albam

    Waxed Overhead Smock Green

    Reminiscent of vintage military smocks, Albam’s rain-shedding layer will look absolutely choice with some beefy cargos and heavy boots.

    Schott

    Water Resistant Waxed Cotton Work Jacket

    Look, if you had one Schott or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment would you capture it or just let it slip?

    Older Brother

    Naturally dyed with indigo and waxed by hand, Older Brother’s rain-ready jacket will age beautifully in more ways than one.

    Filson

    Tin Cloth Foul Weather Hoodie

    It’s hard to stand up to the workwear prowess of the legends of the Pacific Northwest, Filson, and this hooded waxed jacket is proof. It’s built like a tank and stuffed with serious insulation to keep you thawed and thriving through the foulest of conditions.

    XLIM

    Most waxed jackets give “English countryside.” But we’re glad to report that other designers are taking the material and twisting it in fresh, non-stodgy ways.

    Oliver Spencer

    Grandpa Waxed-Cotton Overcoat

    Name a more elegant waxed jacket…we’ll wait!

    Sunflower

    Plop this over a hoodie and some baggy jeans and you’ve got an easy fall fit.

    Dehen 1920

    Heavy Duty Waxed Raincoat

    Dehen’s mountain-roving raincoat delivers OG gorpcore and ought to be paired with some serious corduroy pants and a pair of thrashed hiking boots.

    Drake’s

    Wader Water Repellent Waxed Cotton Jacket

    Cropped to perfection and upgraded with luxury details like Scottish waxed cotton, a cotton plaid lining, velvety corduroy, and a mess of pockets, Drake’s take on the classic Barbour is a notch above.

    Our Legacy

    Grizzly Waxed-Cotton Jacket

    Harkening back to old-school deck jackets, Our Legacy’s Grizzly is ideal for the high-waisted-pant-loving bros among us.

    Banana Republic x Peter Do

    Detachable Utility Trench

    Fabulous and waxed cotton aren’t words that ever go together. And yet, here we are staring at this undeniably fabulous trench, dreamed up by Peter Do and Banana Republic.

    Already Own a Perfectly Patinated Wax Jacket? Here’s How to Re-Wax It

    Step 1: Clean your jacket by using a damp cloth to wipe away dust and debris.

    Step 2: Prepare the wax. Waxes can come in different forms. Some come in a tin which you then place in warm water in order to melt the wax. Other waxes are sold as a bar which must be softened with heat, often with a heat gun or hair dryer.

    Step 3: Apply the wax. For tinned wax, dip a sponge or a clean rag into the wax and wipe the jacket evenly. For bar wax, rub the bar all over the jacket, applying the wax evenly. Then use a heat gun to melt the wax into the fibers of the jacket.

    Step 4: Allow the jacket to dry. Hang your jacket to dry for about 24-48 hours, keeping it away from other clothes or objects to avoid staining anything with the still-wet wax. And voilà! Good as new.

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    Gerald Ortiz

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  • Pedro Pascal Wore a Big Suit (But No Shirt) on SNL

    Pedro Pascal Wore a Big Suit (But No Shirt) on SNL

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    During the first half of 2023, Pedro Pascal was inescapable. He headlined two of the biggest shows on TV (The Mandalorian and The Last of Us), co-starred in a steamy Pedro Almodóvar short with fellow internet-darling hunk Ethan Hawke (Strange Way of Life), and then proceeded to promote the living daylights out of those projects in an ever-escalating string of Fashion Daddy fits—all culminating in an unforgettable pair of thigh-baring Valentino shorts on the Met Gala red carpet.

    Following that Twitter-imploding leg moment, though, Pascal has been largely out of the public eye in recent months. Which is why, upon his reemergence on SNL this past weekend, the 48-year-old star brought out his menswear fastball to remind everyone he’s still at his blush-inducing best. Popping up for a quick cameo during host Bad Bunny’s monologue, Pascal sported one of the most iconic ensembles in all of fashion—a breezy pleated Issey Miyake suit—only revved up via a clash of electric hues and an alluring lack of a shirt. Combined with Bad Bunny’s own oversized double-breasted number, it was about as compelling a case for non-traditional tailoring as you’re ever likely to see.

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    Yang-Yi Goh

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