When the Brooklyn Nets were assembled this season, pretty well everyone expected them to be a top-tier team in the league, especially with the addition of James Harden. Despite having three superstars on the roster, the three haven’t been on the court together very often, as James Harden and Kevin Durant have dealt with injuries, all while Kyrie Irving has taken some leaves of absence. It’s been tough for head coach Steve Nash, but he’s helped guide the team to a first-place performance in the Eastern Conference.
After a win against the Houston Rockets, the Nets officially took that aforementioned top spot. Nash was asked by reporters how he felt about the whole ordeal, and as you can imagine, he is both excited and proud of his team.
“First and foremost I’m really proud of our guys,” Nash said. “They’ve had a lot thrown at them this year. We’ve had a lot of different lineups. Tough schedule and a new group. You know we’ve had three new groups. It’s impressive.”
With Harden and Durant coming back soon, the Nets are expected to get even better and most fans have them going all the way to the NBA Finals. At this point, it seems farfetched that anyone would even stop them.
The biggest vixen in the game are showing love to Taina Williams. Models Lori Harvey, Jordyn Woods, Erica Mena and more have stepped up to celebrate the mother-to-be’s 23rd birthday. Lori Harvey + Jordyn Woods Celebrate Taina’s B-Day Williams initially went to her Instagram page with a stunning set of pics. The shots feature her […]
After dropping off the impressive nostalgic nine-track project 2000AND4EVA in November, Bree Runway is finally back with her first single of 2021, the fiery summer-ready smash “HOT HOT.” In contrast to her 2020 release — which boasted eye-catching collaborations with artists such as Missy Elliot, Yung Baby Tate, Maliibu Miitch, and Rico Nasty — the London-born artist’s latest release is an entirely solo effort.
“HOT HOT” is a summer-ready anthem that’s bolstered by the catchy and self-assured hook, “You think you hot hot/You ain’t got it like me.” “HOT HOT” also arrives alongside a vibrant new Jocelyn Anquetil-directed music video, with gorgeous visuals that bring the confident and carefree aesthetic of the song to life. From shots of Bree Runway knocking out some choreography at a car wash to steamy shots of the UK multihyphenate twerking in an oily puddle, the music video for “HOT HOT” is just as dynamic as her single.
Get ready for the summer with Bree Runway’s blazing new single “HOT HOT,” and check out its music video below.
Quotable Lyrics
Oh my god, look at all my Dior on the floor He blow a bag just to get in my drawers Make him say ah like the boy is Trey Songz It’s a runway, kitty, like her name is Kate Moss
Lil Tjay is ready to deliver his upcoming album Destined 2 Win, a project that features guest appearances from 6LACK, Polo G, Fivio Foreign, Moneybagg Yo, Offset, Saweetie, Toosi, and Tyga. Upon previously delivering a Mike Tyson-narrated album teaser, Lil Tjay has officially followed up with an extensive behind-the-scenes album documentary, uploading the nine-minute video to his YouTube channel.
Miikka Skaffari/WireImage/Getty Images
In the opening shot, Tjay can be seen laying down an energetic reference track, an insight into his creative process. “I was locked up five years ago exactly,” he reflects. “I was blessed that I caught all my charges and got that phase out of me. It’s definitely a reminder that I don’t want to go back there.”
The voiceover continues as Tjay outlines his surroundings growing up in the Bronx, stating that he often found himself surrounded by people lacking ambition. As the documentary continues, Tjay opens up about several learning experiences he’s faced, teasing that many such reflections will be included on his upcoming project. “I named the album Destined 2 Win cause I always felt I had something in me that was going to be great,” he explains. “It’s a body of work to highlight my accomplishments.”
In an interesting moment, the documentary explores Tjay and his team meticulously arranging the album’s tracklist, revealing the rapper’s desire for a cohesive experience. It’s evident that the rapper is determined to make a lasting impact with this one, and though the jury is still out on the final project, the singles we’ve heard so far have certainly been promising. Should you be interested in catching Destined 2 Win when it lands at midnight, consider checking out the official Album Documentary (Episode 1) below.
Despite the win, Melo couldn’t help but comment on the Pistons’ attempts at distracting his team. Prior to the game, the Pistons used an incredibly strong fog machine, and as you can see in the photo below, Melo wasn’t having a very good time with it. “You guys love that fog machine huh?” Melo joked.
Luckily for the Blazers star, the fog machine didn’t slow him down as he came away from the game with 16 points and the dub. Regardless, on April Fool’s Day, it’s good to see Melo joking around and giving the Pistons some crap for their antics.
At 29-18, the Blazers are starting to close in on the Lakers for fourth in the Western Conference, which is something many fans wouldn’t have expected at the start of the season. Needless to say, Melo continues to make an impact.
If there is one thing that has defined this NBA season, other than COVID-19, it would most certainly be injuries. It feels like every big superstar has undergone some sort of setback, and we are seeing that right now with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The injury bug has also affected the likes of Kevin Durant, who is easily one of the best players in the sport. He has missed several weeks with a hamstring injury and he hasn’t exactly been rushing back to the court. In fact, things got worse for the Brooklyn Nets, as James Harden went down with a similar injury.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets shouldn’t be too worried right now as it appears as though Harden’s injury is only a day-to-day injury. As for Durant, he should be back soon, as he is taking the time to make sure he is 100 percent and ready to go once he does hit the court.
As Charania noted, had this been the playoffs, Durant would have rushed back sooner but at this point in the season, there really is no point in forcing the issue and coming back sooner than what would be comfortable. Either way, this is good news for the Nets, who are looking poised for a championship run.
Stay tuned for more NBA news throughout the day, as we will be sure to bring it to you.
Earlier this week, hit TV series The Voice surprised fans by announcing that a big-name star would be joining their roster. Ariana Grande is officially replacing Nick Jonas as a judge for the series’ 21st season this fall. But that’s not the only celebrity they’ve recruited. The Voice announced that Snoop Dogg will also be joining their team to coach contestants and share his advice on how to make it in the music industry.
The rapper broke the news about his new guest role Thursday. He’ll be joining Blake Shelton, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Nick Jonas as a “Mega Mentor,” or someone who offers contestants advice ahead of the Battle Rounds, the segment where two contestants go head-to-head to deliver a rendition of the same song.
In a statement, The Voice shared their excitement about Snoop joining the show, saying: “Drawing from his unique experience in navigating the music and entertainment industry as a renowned rapper, producer, and performer, Snoop Dogg will impart a new and fresh perspective to help the artists craft their performances. Coaches alone choose the winner to advance from their team. Each coach has one steal in the Knockouts.”
Snoop’s official The Voice appearance will take place on 4/19 and airs at 8 p.m. EST. Tune in here.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
The right voice can make even the most generic boasts sound not just convincing but compelling. That’s the lasting impression left by Rod Wave’s third studio album SoulFly after a few listens. Content-wise, the project leaves a lot to the imagination; Rod doesn’t reveal much about himself, his circumstances, or his worldview… but he sounds absolutely great singing his ghetto blues.
There’s oddly little biographical information out there about the trapsoul crooner from St. Petersburg, Florida, which would seem to run counter to the intense fervor he apparently inspires in fans. He doesn’t do interviews and he maintains a relatively low-key social media profile, mostly tweeting the sort of one-line platitudes you’d read on an office poster with a photo of a chimp in a suit.
Yet, his last album, Pray 4 Love, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with relatively little promotion from either Rod or his label. SoulFly is reportedly on track to exceed that accomplishment, even though the rollout started with Rod goading his label, threatening to withhold the project unless some kind of dispute involving his pay was sorted out. It apparently was; the rest of the rollout proceeded without a hitch, with Rod dropping two singles, “Street Runner” and “Tombstone,” before dropping the album itself.
Even the music is atypical of most chart-toppers today; aside from one feature from Polo G on the new album, Rod seemingly avoids collaborating with bigger names to expand his fanbase. To date, his highest-profile collaborators appear to be Lil Durk, Lil Baby, and Yo Gotti, the latter duo only being added to the deluxe re-release of Pray 4 Love four months later. He’s an iconoclast in a music landscape where iconoclasts — especially commercially successful ones — are quickly becoming an endangered species.
So what gives? How does a rapper who barely promotes his work, who doesn’t work with other artists, and who doesn’t dazzle with pyrotechnic displays of lyrical wizardry end up fronting the XXL Freshman cover and topping the Billboard charts? After playing back SoulFly multiple times and wrenching my critical brain for something that explains it, there’s only one possibility: That damn voice.
It’s the sort of voice honed in a Baptist pulpit, mellowed by handles of whiskey, and put through its paces by the demands of turning dry missives like “I play the game that was taught to me / I fry the beef that was brought to me” into soulful, blues-inspired croons. It’s a warm, inviting tenor, shot through with just enough vibrato to suggest emotional turmoil, along with a sprinkling of grit, like a pinch of pepper flakes in a salt shaker.
It allows him to convincingly sell hustler narratives and their resulting trauma without getting into the authentic details that you usually need to make them work. To his credit, there are enough true-life tales that undergird the framework of those narratives to hold them up, even when you scratch the surface. On “Pillz And Billz,” he details watching “my cousin smoke crack his whole fuckin’ life,” lamenting, “Fentanyl hit the street and he OD’d the same night.” There are enough truthful moments underlying the boasts that the boasts feel earned.
If these attributes don’t necessarily make Rod Wave a singular artist — his sole guest on SoulFly, Polo G, convincingly uses similar methods in his own work — Rod has the fortuitous timing to exist at a time when he can just be the artist he is, without bothering with courting the algorithms or resorting to attention-grabbing social media shenanigans.
It’s impressive that there are still artists who can do it with just a voice. While there’s not a tremendous amount of true introspection or innovation on SoulFly, there is, however, a supreme level of self-assurance and technical craftsmanship. What Rod lacks in wit he makes up in emotion, and where his stories lack detail, he imbues them with a powerful sincerity that makes them read just as truthfully, resonating as deeply as an impressionist portrait. Maybe at a time when cryptocurrency is the future and math runs just about every aspect of our day-to-day lives, what people really want — really need — is music with some soul
The last time popular investing app Robinhood was in the news, it was because a handful of Reddit users had banned together to successfully driving up the value of GameStop stocks on their platform. Now, Robinhood finds themselves in hot water over a photo they used of Ice Cube.
In a recent newsletter, Robinhood inserted a photo of the rapper along with the caption, “Correct yourself, before you wreck yourself,” an obvious play on words from his “Check Yo Self” track. According to TMZ, Ice Cube sought to sue the company because he claims the photo wasn’t authorized by him or his team.
Furthermore, someone from the rapper’s team claims that Ice Cube would “never endorse Robinhood.” In a statement given to TMZ, Ice Cube’s team made it clear that he doesn’t want anything to do with the app. In fact, Ice Cube thinks Robinhood is “antithesis of everything that [he] stands for” and even named the app “horrible.”
However, Robinhood has responded to news of Ice Cube’s lawsuit, saying that they were completely within their rights to use the photo in question. “No, we didn’t use his image without permission. The image was licensed and used for non-commercial, editorial purposes in connection with a blog article.”
The new video is directed by NLE Choppa, showing him goofing around with knives in his kitchen and doing the “Beat Box” challenge in his driveway. His lyrical content deals mostly with sexual themes, describing an encounter with a woman for a few lines before dropping some menacing bars about firing off some rounds at his opps.
At the end of the video, the teenaged rapper shows off his latest merch offerings: hoodies and t-shirts with his mugshot on them.
NLE Choppa is back home and he’s still doing his thing. Listen to his “First Day Out” freestyle below.
Quotable Lyrics:
Walk him down straight to the ground, we make sure that he don’t get up Caught a red beam and his mama tell him, “Come and pick him up” I’ma smack you with this .40, askin’ is my Glizzy tucked Only like it sloppy, she gon’ beatbox when she suckin’ me Told her, “Bring a friend” if she ever think about f*ckin’ me Touchin’ who? Touchin’ me? To God where yo’ ass gon’ be Leave him stuck and sеnd him up like he f*ckin’ with Cardi B
