Justin Bieber Releases ‘Swag II’ Featuring Tems, Bakar and Hurricane Chris

Justin Bieber Releases 'Swag II' Featuring Tems, Bakar and Hurricane Chris

Less than 24 hours after announcing the project,Justin Bieber has released "Swag II,"the follow-up to his surprise album that dropped with similarly little warning in July. Bieber included 23 songs on the new record, with guest appearances from Tems, Lil B, Bakar, Hurricane Chris and Eddie Benjamin. The album arrived after its promised release time of midnight, appearing first onYouTube Musicbefore hitting other streaming services. On Instagram, Bieber addressed the delays in a series of posts, stating, "I'm sorry for the wait their telling me any second" and "Me waiting with u, not baiting u not sure wut the fuckkyyy is going on clicking refreshhhhhh." More from Variety Justin Bieber to Release 'Swag II' Album Tonight Justin Bieber's 'Swag' vs. Travis Scott's 'Jackboys 2': Inside the Closest Chart Battle We've Seen in Years Travis Scott's 'Jackboys 2' Bows Atop Album Chart, With Justin Bieber's 'Swag' Following at No. 2 "Swag II" was teased early Thursday morning with billboards popping up in London and banners appearing in West Hollywood, much like he had done with the grassroots advertising of the album's predecessor. He confirmed the album's imminent arrival on Instagram, stating that the record would drop at midnight. Bieber has been posting photos from the studio over the past month or so, suggesting that he was hard at work on another project. He'd done the same with "Swag," teasing that new music was potentially on the way. Hits Daily Double previously reported that "Swag" was a precursor to a second, more pop-oriented album expected to be released later this year. Presumably, "Swag II" is the record in question, serviced as an addendum to "Swag" and upping the total track count to 44 songs. The first "Swag" clocked in at 21 tracks and featured guest appearances from Gunna, Sexyy Red, Druski, Dijon, Lil B, Cash Cobain, Eddie Benjamin and Marvin Winans. Bieber handled the production on "Swag" alongside contributions from Tobias Jesso Jr., Carter Lang, Dylan Wiggins, Daniel Caesar, mk.gee, Daniel Chetrit, Knox Fortune and more. Upon release, "Swag" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and marked his biggest streaming week yet. "Daisies" also bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Yukon" peaked at No. 8 and "First Place" landed at No. 52. Listen to "Swag II" below: Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Samsung, Sonos, Criterion Collection Among Top Brands on Sale for Labor Day - See Running List Here Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byAlpha World

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September 05, 2025

Justin Bieber Releases ‘Swag II’ Featuring Tems, Bakar and Hurricane Chris

Justin Bieber Releases 'Swag II' Featuring Tems, Bakar and Hurricane Chris Less than 24 hours after announcing the project,Justin Bi...

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Justin Bieber Drops Surprise “SWAG II ”Album — Listen Now

Justin Bieber Drops Surprise "SWAG II "Album — Listen Now

Justin Bieber surprise-released a follow-up to his July albumSWAGon Friday, Sept. 5 The album, titledSWAG II, features collaborations with the likes of Tems and rapper Lil B SWAG IIis out now NewJustin Biebermusic has arrived — already! Afterannouncing on Thursday, Sept. 4 that he was surprise-dropping a new album, Justin, 31, sharedSWAG IIin the early hours of Friday, Sept. 5, after its promised release time of midnight. Referencing the delay onInstagram, Justin wrote, "🫣🫣🫣🫣 I'm sorry for the wait their telling me any second," adding in anotherpostthat he was "waiting with u [sic]." He also joked about hisviral 'Standing on Business' quote, writing in anotherpost, "It's not clocking to Spotify and Apple Music Refreshhhh loadinggggggg………" When the album, which features 23 songs and collaborations with the likes of Tems and Lil B, finally did drop, Justin celebrated, writing, "OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG WE LIVEEEEEEEEEE," alongside ascreenshot of the recordlive on Spotify. SWAG IIis a follow-up to hisJuly album,SWAG. Included on the tracklist are songs "Mother in You," "Love Song," "Don't Wanna" and "BETTER MAN." In"Don't Wanna"with English singer Bakar, Justin sings, "I don't want to mess this up, I don't want you to leave," before going on to perhaps allude to his 2016 split with wifeHailey Baldwin Bieberbefore their reconciliation in 2018. "You said you lost your wings when we broke it off, but now I'm back at your door," he sings. Justin Bieber/Instagram Amid the album's release, Justin shared several clips and photos on Instagram of billboards and projections in various locations around the world featuring a photo with his 1-year-old sonJack Blues, and himself and his wife, 28, with the little one. Ahead of its release, Justin also sharedimages and videos on Instagramfeaturing billboards with the pink album cover in cities such as London and Paris, along with a clip of a series of billboards being erected outside Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Justin Bieber/Instagram Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Swag II midnight tonight," he captioned one of theclips. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin Bieber (@lilbieber) Released in July,SWAGwas Justin's first album since 2021'sJustice. A source confirmed to PEOPLE back in May that Justinwas in the studio in Iceland working on new music.The 21-song record features songs that allude to his relationship with his wife Rhode founder wife Hailey.Fans have wondered if tracks like "Daisies," "Devotion," and "Walking Away"are about their connection. On theSWAGtrack titled "Therapy Session,"which featuredcomedian Druski, Justin also addressed his mental health. "And that's been a tough thing for me recently," he said on the song. "It's feelin' like, you know, I have had to go through a lot of my struggles as a human, as all of us do really publicly."Added Justin: "And so people are always askin' if I'm okay. And that starts to really weigh on mе." Justin Bieber/Instagram Like onSWAG, Justin also appears to address his mental health inSWAG II. On the track titled "Speed Demon" the "Daisies" musician sings, "They try to say I'm out of my mind, but now they're singing every line. Got a lot of mountains to climb, had to leave some beggars behind." Also featured onSWAGare collaboratorsGunna,Sexxy Red, Cash Cobain, Lil B, Eddie Benjamin and more. A source alsotold PEOPLEthat fans could expect a "genre shift" withSWAGahead of its release. "It's darker, more vulnerable and less polished," the source said at the time. "It's in no way depressing though." They also noted that the music is "much deeper." The source added that becoming a new dad to son Jack Blues, who turned 1 in late August, "shaped the heart" of the LP and noted that his wife "is the most precious to him." SWAG IIis out now. Read the original article onPeople

byAlpha World

in

September 05, 2025

Justin Bieber Drops Surprise “SWAG II ”Album — Listen Now

Justin Bieber Drops Surprise "SWAG II "Album — Listen Now Justin Bieber surprise-released a follow-up to his July albumSWAGon Frid...

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'South Park' keeps tying Trump to Satan. What to know about satire and the First Amendment

'South Park' keeps tying Trump to Satan. What to know about satire and the First Amendment

"South Park's" fourth episode of its 27thseason continued its trend of mocking PresidentDonald Trumpand his administration. TheSept. 3 episode, "Wok is Dead," continued a storylineof Trump having a romantic relationship with Satan. This time, though, Satan says the pair have been together "for months, and I want to leave him but I can't because I'm pregnant." The White House has previously said the show "hasn't been relevant for over 20 years," though the season'spremiere set a ratings recordthatcontinued with its second episode. USA TODAY reached out to Paramount and the White House for comment. Satire isprotected by the First Amendment rightto free speech. Experts told USA TODAY that political satire like "South Park's" has some of the greatest constitutional protection, though there are still limits. Here's a look at the First Amendment implications of "South Park's" criticism of Trump. Each episode in the season thus far has referenced the Trump administration. Its premiere episode, titled "Sermon on the 'Mount,"showed Trump in bed with Satan.It also included a scene, whichits YouTube channel noted uses "synthetic media,"showing an AI-generated deepfake of Trump wandering naked in a desert. Trump's genitalia is depicted with googly eyes and a high-pitched voice, elements that the"South Park" creators later said were addedto avoid network censorship. The second episode again linkened Trump to Satan – this time, alsoinvoking Vice President JD Vance. It showed Department of Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noemshooting dogs – a reference to her 2024 admission in a book that she shot andkilled her "untrainable" family dognamed Cricket. Itsthird episode mocked Trump's deploymentof hundreds of National Guard troops to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C. Along with Satan's pregnancy, the fourth episode referenced the craze over Labubus, aplush toy that's gone viralon social media in recent months, and shows them at one point being used in a ritual that summons Trump and Satan, USA TODAY reported. The First Amendment protects even the most "vigorous, contentious, irreverent, blasphemous" speech, saidNadine Strossen, a professor of law emerita at New York Law School and senior fellow with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Many of the show's fans appear to agree, asa YouTube comment that saidthe desert scene exemplified "what the First Amendment was made for" received nearly 40,000 thumbs up. "If I had to choose one prime purpose for the First Amendment, which has many very important purposes, this would certainly be it," Strossen said. That's becausepolitical speech is"always placed at the top of the First Amendment hierarchy," she said. TheU.S. Supreme Courthas repeatedly affirmed that notion, including in a 2011 rulingin favor of Westboro Baptist Church memberspicketing military funerals anda 1976 case that banned restrictionson how much money a political campaign could spend and how much of their own money a candidate could contribute to their campaign. In the latter case, the court said "discussion of public issues ... are integral to the operation of the system of government established by our Constitution." Some speech falls outside of the First Amendment, and experts said there's nothing technically stopping Trump from attempting to sue "South Park," though he may face an uphill battle in succeeding. Trump could file a defamation lawsuit – ashe's done many timesin the past – but his status as a public figure means winning such a case would be more difficult than if he were a private citizen. "You're expected to have a thick skin," Strossen said. "This is the price you pay for taking public office." To win in a defamation case, public figures must prove the defendant had actual malice – a legal termdescribing a person who knowingly publishes a false statement or recklessly publishes a statement without concern for whether it's true or not. The Supreme Court affirmed as much in a1988 ruling involving televangelist Jerry Falwell.The case revolved around a fake advertisement in Hustler Magazine's November 1983 issue claiming Falwell had been part of a "drunken incestuous rendezvous with his mother in an outhouse." Falwell sued for invasion of privacy, libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The first two charges were dropped, and the Supreme Court ruling overturned a lower court's ruling that awarded Falwell damages for the third. "The State's interest in protecting public figures from emotional distress is not sufficient to deny First Amendment protection to speech that is patently offensive and is intended to inflict emotional injury when that speech could not reasonably have been interpreted as stating actual facts about the public figure involved," the court said. Though "South Park's" depiction of a naked Trump was a hyperrealistic deepfake, the fact that the show added absurd details – like googly eyes -- to his body makes it even clearer that it's not being presented as a factual statement about Trump, George Washington University Law School ProfessorMary Anne Frankssaid. There's also obscenity, which is not protected by the First Amendment – though it's a historicallynarrow legal categorywithout a clear definition. Courtsconsider whether content is "sexually prurient"without any educational, scientific, artistic or other value in determining whether it counts as obscenity, Franks said. Some could argue that political satire like "South Park" has value that makes it not count as obscenity, though Franks said it's still "possible to cross that line." "We wouldn't necessarily know in advance what the line is, because a lot of that we don't know until the court tells us what it is," Franks said. Ultimately, the First Amendment protects "even really crude and offensive speech," she said. Comedian Kathy Griffin found herself at the center of a U.S. Secret Service investigation thatdid not ultimately result in criminal chargesafter she posed with a fake decapitated head resembling a bloodied Trump in 2017. Griffin hassaid the photo was meant as political satirein response to Trump's comments about Fox News host Megyn Kelly in 2015. Trump said Kelly, whomoderated a Republican primary debatethat August, had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her – wherever." Griffininitially apologized for the photoand said she "went way too far," but shelater took back the apologyand said the "whole thing got so blown out of proportion." Following the season premiere,White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers called"South Park" a "fourth-rate show" that "hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention." Vanceresponded to South Park's portrayalof him by saying, "Well, I've finally made it" inan Aug. 7 X post. Noemsaid she hadn't watched the episodein an interview on "The Glenn Beck Program" podcast but called attacks on her appearance in the season's second episode "lazy." "If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can't," she said. "They just pick something petty like that." The next episode of "South Park" is set to air Sept. 17 on Comedy Central. Contributing: Brendan Morrow BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her atbjfrank@usatoday.com. USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.Funders do not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What's the line for 'South Park' in mocking Trump? Experts chime in.

byAlpha World

in

September 05, 2025

'South Park' keeps tying Trump to Satan. What to know about satire and the First Amendment

'South Park' keeps tying Trump to Satan. What to know about satire and the First Amendment "South Park's" fourth episo...

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Did Barron Trump get rejected from Harvard? What to know after judge rules with school

Did Barron Trump get rejected from Harvard? What to know after judge rules with school

A federal judge handedHarvard University a winon Sept. 3 in a legal battle against PresidentDonald Trump's administration. Harvardis one of several universities that has been targeted by the Trump administration, which alleges schools aren't doing enough to protect Jewish students. Harvard has defied the administration's orders and taken the issue to court.U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughsruled with the school in its quest to regain access to $3 billion in federal research funding. The judge stated the defendants under the administration "used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities." The White House condemned the ruling and vowed to appeal, USA TODAY previously reported. When the back and forth with Harvard started earlier this year, it kicked up somesocial media tauntingthat suggested without evidence that the president may have a personal vendetta against the school. If he does, it does not appear to be from the president's college-aged son,Barron Trump. More:Judge says Trump administration 'used antisemitism as a smokescreen' against Harvard No. According to the first lady's office, he didn't even apply. "Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false," Nick Clemens, spokesperson for the Office of the First Lady, said in an emailed statement on May 27. Harvard University did not respond to multiple requests for comment. In the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the president's youngest son attended a Florida rally, and then-candidateDonald TrumpconfirmedBarron Trump's plan to go to college. "He's now going to college, got into every college he wanted to,"Donald Trumpsaid at the July 9, 2024, rally in Doral, Florida. "He made his choice and he is a very good guy." Barron Trump recently began his sophomore year atNYU's Stern School of Business. He's projected to graduate in the class of 2028. Barron Trump broke tradition when he chose NYU, the first of Trump's five children to go there. Here is where the other Trump kids graduated from: Donald Trump Jr.: University of Pennsylvania in 2000 Ivanka Trump: University of Pennsylvania in 2004 Eric Trump: Georgetown University in 2006 Tiffany Trump: University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and Georgetown Law School in 2020 Trump has threatened to withhold funding from several universities in the U.S. if they do not follow federal directives, all under the banner offighting antisemitism. He has alleged the institutions did not do enough to combat antisemitism during the protests against the war in Gaza, which brought allegations ofboth antisemitismandIslamaphobia. Harvard rejected the administration's orders, which included ending all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, hiring an external auditor to ensure the university hosts diverse ideological viewpoints, and update admissions processes to bar students "hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence." Defying the orders has put billions of dollars worth of federal funding and Harvard'stax-exempt statusat risk. President Donald Trumpgraduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in May 1968 with a degree in economics. But he didn't spend allfour years at Wharton. Trump started off his college days at Fordham University in the Bronx in 1964 but transferred to Wharton two years later. Contributing:Zachary Schermele,Jennifer Sangalang, Antonio Fins, Savannah Kuchar, Jeremy Yurow,USA TODAY Network Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Did Barron Trump get rejected from Harvard? Judge rules with school

byAlpha World

in

September 05, 2025

Did Barron Trump get rejected from Harvard? What to know after judge rules with school

Did Barron Trump get rejected from Harvard? What to know after judge rules with school A federal judge handedHarvard University a winon Sept...

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“Young Sheldon” star Raegan Revord comes out as nonbinary

"Young Sheldon" star Raegan Revord comes out as nonbinary

Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Young Sheldonactor Raegan Revord is happy to think they might be inspiring others to be their true selves. "It's so cool because growing up, whenever I would see a celebrity or whoever come out as non-binary or queer or anything, I was like, 'Oh my god, this is so cool. Like I see myself in you,'" they toldEntertainment Tonightin a recent interview, when asked about coming out as nonbinary this year. "And now it's so crazy to have that experience where I'm now that person." Revord hopes to offer comfort to someone watching them. "And there might be a kid somewhere who's like, 'Oh my god, like, I see myself in you,'" Revord said. "And that's such an insane thing to think 'cause I was in that kid's shoes one like at some point in my life." In addition toYoung Sheldon, which ended in May 2024 after seven seasons, the 17-year-old has played their character, Missy, on several episodes ofGeorgie & Mandy's First Marriage, a spinoff ofYoung SheldonandThe Big Bang Theory. Revord had just completed filming on another episode when they sat for the interview. "It was a lot of fun. It was great," Revord said. "I missed everyone so much. And it's a great storyline." The actor said they would be up for reprising the role in the future. "I love Missy so much. I couldn't say no." Revord other acting work includes episodes of series such asModern Family,Night Court, andGrace & Frankie. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. In addition to acting, they are the author of the new YA bookRules of Fake Girlfriends, a queer love story. "A lot of people will doubt you because of your age, and a lot of people will not take you seriously," they toldPEOPLE. "I had such a passion and such a love for this book and this story, and I thought it was so important to tell. And if that's how you feel about being a writer, then you have enough." Rules of Fake Girlfriendsis available now. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAlpha World

in

September 05, 2025

“Young Sheldon” star Raegan Revord comes out as nonbinary

"Young Sheldon" star Raegan Revord comes out as nonbinary Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Young Sheldonactor Raegan Revord is happy to thi...

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