Month: June 2021

On Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics swallowed the pill of defeat as the Brooklyn Nets officially sent them home after a hard-played 4-1 playoff series. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 32 points, 5 assists, and 9 rebounds, but his heroics was ultimately not enough to combat the ferocity of the Nets’ big three — James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant.

Following the Celtics’ first-round exit, major changes have already started taking place in the organization. First and foremost, Danny Ainge, the Celtics’ longtime president of basketball operations, has announced his retirement on Wednesday. Having spent 18 years with the Celtics, 62-year-old Ainge is the third-longest-tenured active lead executive of any NBA franchise, following only the Miami Heat’s Pat Riley and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich.

According to ESPN, the beloved architect who built Boston’s last title team — the 2008 powerhouse that featured Rajon Rondo and Hall of Famers Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce — will be succeeded by the Celtics’ current head coach Brad Stevens, ultimately leaving a massive opening in the head coaching position.

Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

In a statement from the Celtics, Ainge says, “Helping guide this organization has been the thrill of a lifetime, and having worked side-by-side with him since he’s been here, I know we couldn’t be in better hands than with Brad guiding the team going forward. I’m grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey.”

While Stevens has officially been given the presidential reigns, Ainge will reportedly stick around through the offseason to see the organization through the transition process and also help Stevens find a new head coach. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Celtics are reportedly eyeing both the Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd and the former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce as candidates for the position.

With the team not even 24 hours removed from being knocked out of the playoffs, expect more information to come in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned to see what other big moves the Boston Celtics make during this crucial offseason.

[via]

On Friday, Mo’Nique unknowingly started a contentious internet debate that would rage on for several days when she uploaded a video that encouraged young Black women to refrain from wearing bonnets, head wraps, slippers, and pajamas in public. At the start of the video, she touched on her “auntie” status in the Black community and let her followers know that she had felt obligated “to talk to her babies and say some real sh*t.”

Throughout the video, Mo’Nique criticized Black women who she has seen in airports, grocery stores, and gas stations wearing things like bonnets and basically not looking “presentable.” “I’ve been seeing it not just at the airport. I’ve been seeing it at the store, at the mall,” the comedian says. “When did we lose our pride in representing ourselves? When did we slip away of let me make sure I’m presentable when I leave my home?”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mo’nique (@therealmoworldwide)

Elsewhere in the video, Mo’Nique says, “I’m not saying you don’t have pride but the representation that you’re showing someone will have to ask you to know if you have it. It’s not to get a man … it is just your representation of you, my sweet babies.”

Of course, she was met with backlash following her attempt to enforce respectability politics, but several fans also have agreed with her statement and come to her defense. Now, days later, Mo’Nique has returned to Instagram to defend her original video as well.

On Wednesday, Mo’Nique responded to the backlash with another video on the topic, and she started her caption with an all-caps, “UNAPOLOGETIC.” She continued her caption by writing, “Hey my beautiful babies. I’m okay with some of you being in your feelings. I LOVE YALL & SOMETIMES THAT LOVE AINT EASY. I am here for the CHALLENGE. And ain’t NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME FROM LOVING YOU.”

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

In the video, Mo’Nique begins her response by saying, “The post that I did Friday in reference to us being the best us that we can be, it rubbed some people wrong, but I want to share this with yall. There were two people in my life that had I taken a different attitude, I could have felt they was rubbing me wrong. But I’m glad I took the attitude of appreciation and gratitude because they tapped me. And that was Patti LaBelle and Margaret Avery.

“I’m glad those two women love me enough that they would go out of their way to talk to me in a way that aunties, mommas, big sisters talk to their little sisters, nieces, grandbabies, [and] daughters,” the comedian and actress continues. “I was grateful for that because it allowed me to [feel] about things differently. Never once did I think those women were trying to be offensive, nasty, or mean. I thought it was nothing but love.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mo’nique (@therealmoworldwide)

Hammering home the fact that her original Bonnett video was rooted in love, she says, “So for you babies that have taken offense to what I said, I’m okay with that… And when yall say, ‘We will cancel yo a**.’ Well, they’ve tried that, and I’m still here to let yall know I love you and ain’t nothing you can do about that.”

What do you think — is Mo’Nique right or wrong about this entire bonnet fiasco?

[via]

Lil Nas X has quickly become one of the most recognizable queer figures in modern pop culture. Previously keeping his sexuality under wraps, he formally came out as gay on the final day of pride month in June of 2019, pointing to lyrics in his track “c7osure” from his debut EP where he hinted at being a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 

“some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure,” he wrote in the tweet. He has surely come a long way since then, fully stepping into his queer identity. He shared a playful photoshoot on his social media Tuesday (June 1) to commemorate the celebratory month. 

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

“happy pride month,” wrote Lil Nas in caption of the post. He added a rainbow flag emoji and a white heart to fully illustrate the message. In the disco-inspired shoot, he dons a curled hairstyle and a matching purple set with earrings and necklaces. Since sharing the photos, he’s managed to earn 259k likes. 

In other Lil Nas X news, he recently hit the stage for a coveted performance on Saturday Night Live. During his high-energy performance, he tore his pants on stage.

“So, I was pretty much going down the pole, you know, doing my little sexy drop down and boom, I feel air,” said Lil Nas X about the incident. “I was like, okay, there’s definitely a breeze going on and I also felt like, some popping, like still happening while I was down there. I was like, ‘Oh God, I hope it’s not…just please don’t be on TV already.’ 

We’re halfway through 2021 and it’s safe to say that it’s been a solid year for music already. Some of the top players in the game have shared new bodies of work while new artists emerge to claim their time in the spotlight. As we ring in June, many people are reflecting on some of the best releases of the year so far, as well as acknowledging some of the hard-working MCs that are grinding and keeping their pens sharp.

 Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images/Getty Images

Yesterday, Brian B.Dot Miller rattled Twitter when he shared his list of “top 10 best rappers of 2021 (so far).” Miller based the list on skill, performance and presence. Lil Baby sits atop of the list with J. Cole and Lil Wayne holding the number 2 and 3 spots respectively. Then came the double dose of Griselda with Conway and Benny The Butcher edge out Drake to round out the top 5.

Apparently, not everyone was fond of the list but instead of airing their grievances towards B.Dot, they took it out on some of the artists included. Benny The Butcher took to Twitter where he revealed that he was personally facing backlash for the list that B.Dot created. “That @bdotTM list be makin rappers mad at me like it’s my list,” tweeted Benny The Butcher. 

Benny has rightfully earned his position on that list. Following a prolific run in 2020, he returned with The Plugs I Met 2with Harry Fraud at the top of the year and recently followed it up with another new compilation album, Trust The Sopranos with 38 Spesh. Plus, Benny has pretty much been bodying every guest verse this year.

Check out B.Dot’s list below. 

May was a huge month for the sneaker world as we saw numerous dope shoes make their way to the market. A lot of these models were hyped up which led to some quick sell-outs amongst various resellers around the world. From Air Jordan’s to Nike Basketball to Adidas Yeezy kicks, there was a lot to choose from and regardless of what your tastes are, there was probably something for you to sink your teeth into.

Luckily, if you missed out on any of these releases, eBay is certainly the solution for you. For instance, they have an Authenticity Guarantee that allows all of you sneakerheads to breathe easier knowing that your shoes have been thoroughly inspected. These authenticity checks are done in conjunction with Sneaker Con who is a leader in the sneaker industry. Not to mention, if you’re a seller looking to offload some of your stock from the past month, eBay also proves to be a prime solution as there are no seller fees for shoes over $100 USD.

To celebrate the past month, let’s take a look at some of the best releases of the month.

---

Undefeated x Nike Kobe 5 “Hall of Fame”

Image via Nike

With Kobe Bryant being inducted into the Hall of Fame, it only made sense that Nike would look to honor him with a brand new shoe. Undefeated has always been known for their Kobe collaborations and with the Hall Of Fame model, they absolutely knocked it out of the park. With its gold upper and purple highlights, these are shoes fit for a king, and if you’re a Lakers fan, you can’t help but fawn over these. These colors perfectly represent Kobe’s championship-winning time with the Lakers, and it’s no shock that these sold out instantaneously. If you’re looking to grab pairs from eBay, you can do so right now in the $350-$500 range.

---

Air Jordan 1 High OG “Shadow 2.0”

Image via Nike

One of the best colorways of the Air Jordan 1 High OG is the”Shadow” model. This is a shoe that has gotten a ton of retros over the years and fans have been clamoring for new versions of it. Well, this past month, Jumpman came through for everyone as they delivered what has been dubbed as the “Shadow 2.0.” As you can see, the big difference here is the layout of the black and grey colors. The toe box, side panels, laces, and tongue are all black, while the overlays and Nike swoosh are grey. It is a simple yet effective colorway that will definitely turn some heads regardless of your outfit. For now, prices are ranging from $230 to $290 over at eBay.

---

Concepts x Nike Kyrie 7 “Horus”

Image via Nike

Kyrie Irving has been a big fan of working with Concepts over the years and it is easy to see why. The Boston sneaker boutique was a big supporter of his while he was with the Celtics and to this day, Kyrie continues to enjoy their aesthetics on his shoes. His latest signature shoe is the Nike Kyrie 7 and this past month, Concepts came out with this gorgeous teal “Horus” colorway which is filled with Egyptian imagery and iconography. Kyrie has become fascinated with these images over the years and when blended into a teal, orange, and gold colorway, the motif comes together quite perfectly. This was yet another popular collab and on eBay, these are currently selling for an average of $190 USD.

---

Air Jordan 7 “PSG”

Image via Nike

Paris Saint-Germain is one of the best teams in European soccer and over the last few years, they have been coming through with a plethora of Jumpman collaborations. Soccer fans have been huge fans of these shoes and as a result, Jordan Brand keeps on making more. The latest was an Air Jordan 7 which incorporates PSG’s iconic white, red, and blue colors. PSG branding is found throughout the shoe and it mostly keeps the same vibe as the other PSG x Jordan Brand shoes. If you’re a fan of the early 90s aesthetics brought forth by the Air Jordan 7, then this shoe is an absolute must-cop. Most pairs are currently going for about $250 USD on eBay.

---

Adidas Yeezy Basketball QNTM “Flash Orange”

Image via Adidas

Last but not certainly not least, is the Adidas Yeezy Basketball QNTM in the “Flash Orange” colorway. One of Kanye West’s best designs so far has been his basketball shoe which teeters on a high-top lifestyle offering. There have been various colorways of the model to make it to the market although none have been as flashy as this new orange offering. From the orange streeks throughout the upper to the beige highlights, this is definitely a great basketball shoe for the summer. Not to mention, the Boost midsole makes things that much more comfortable, especially as you run up and down the court. Pairs are currently going on eBay for $300 to $350 USD.

Lets us know your favorite releases of the month, in the comments below.