Month: December 2021

On Christmas Day, the Staples Center will officially become the Crypto.com Arena. Crypto.com has been spending a lot of money when it comes to marketing their brand, and when it comes to the home of the Lakers, Crypto.com is putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the naming rights.

This has come as a huge shock to the city of Los Angeles as the Staples Center is a now-iconic name. Even with the change, fans are still determined to call it the Staples Center, which could prove to be a huge PR issue for Crypto.com as they look to get as much brand recognition as humanly possible.

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In a Twitter post from Chris Creamer, you can see that the Staples Center signage is already in the midst of being taken down. With 19 days from the big name change, the city is already enlisting crews to take down the lettering, which has made this whole thing very real. It was always going to be pretty inevitable, but now, the name change feels closer than ever before. 

If you’re a Lakers fan, it is certainly going to be difficult to call building the Crypto.com Arena. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, and it is yet another reminder that money is a lot more important than tradition.

The relationship between hip hop and basketball does not need any explanation.

There’s an old saying that ball players want to be rap stars, and rap stars want to be ball players, and as a result of mutual admiration, the two are intrinsically linked in a bond that will never be broken. Basketball is easily the most-referenced sport in hip hop, and multiple NBA players have crossed over and launched rap careers of their own. 

Image via QC Sports

Jay-Z, who has dropped some of the most famous and quotable hoops references in hip hop history, made waves back in 2013 when he founded Roc Nation Sports and became a certified agent for the National Basketball Association. In the years since, Roc Nation Sports has represented some of the league’s best players, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Caris Levert, and both Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. 

Now, joining Hov and Roc Nation Sports as pillars of music inside of basketball is record label Quality Control Music, and their sports subsidiary, Quality Control Sports. 

In a recent press release, Quality Control Sports announced the launch of their new, full-service basketball division, and named NBA agent Derrick Powell as its global head. 

Powell, who successfully negotiated a 5-year/$100 million contract extension for Cleveland Cavaliers’ center Jarrett Allen back in August, said that he is looking forward to bolstering the record label’s impressive legacy.

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“QC is the most authentic brand in todays Culture. I am truly honored and beyond excited to be a part of the amazing team that Coach and P have built at QC Sports,” Powell said. “But mostly I am ready to get to work and continue to build on the legacy of Quality Control. I am humbled by the level of commitment and dedication everyone brings to the QC Sports clients personal and professional lives every day.” 

What do you think of QC Sports launching a full-service basketball division? Let us know down in the comments. 

It’s been nearly a month since tragedy struck Travis Scott’s annual Astroworld Festival. The rapper has been relatively low-key since the backlash piled on, including numerous lawsuits amounting to billions of dollars in damages. He offered a brief PR-written statement before sharing a video of himself appearing to be distraught which has since transformed into a meme.

Image via HNHH. Photo shot by @frankievergara_

According to TMZ, the rapper has now offered an official response to the lawsuits filed against him, demanding to have his name and his companies dropped from any litigation surrounding the tragedy. A motion was filed on behalf of Scott denying the allegations against him that were filed in a lawsuit from an individual named Jessie Garcia, an attendee. The rapper wants the suit dismissed entirely in relation to himself, Jack Enterprises, and his label, Cactus Jack. The response is a “general denial” which allows Scott to respond to the civil suits filed against him. 

As you’ve likely noticed, the rapper hasn’t apologized or admitted to any wrongdoing in these past few weeks, likely in an attempt to get the lawsuits dropped. In summary, Travis Scott denied responsibility for any of the deaths or injuries that occurred at the festival.

The publication reports that Scott will likely issue a similar response to the other lawsuits filed against him, and it is possible for him to do it all at once. The rapper was recently hit with a “multi-district litigation” from a combined 275 lawsuits which all carry similar allegations. 

Scott and his team also requested for the same judge to preside over the cases, though there hasn’t been a response to that yet.

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Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have had their fair share of struggles so far this season. This is mainly due to the fact that the offense has been forcing things at times, and it has left them in a vulnerable position. Turnovers have plagued the team, and Mahomes is having his worst statistical season to date. Despite this, the Chiefs are on a five-game winning streak and are first in the AFC West. Needless to say, it looks like they will be back in the playoffs again this season.

Having said that, Mahomes struggled last night as the Chiefs defeated the Broncos by a score of 22-9. Mahomes had zero touchdowns and less than 200 yards passing, which was enough to garner some harsh criticism from none other than Skip Bayless of Undisputed.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media

During today’s show, Bayless claimed that Mahomes has essentially fallen off of a cliff when it comes to his production and that he is simply not good enough right now. He even had a wild hot, saying that Mahomes is the worst thrower in the entire league.

“I cannot remember a young quarterback, who’s been an MVP and Super Bowl MVP, falling this far this fast,” Bayless said all while taking to Twitter, noting “Patrick Mahomes has the single worst throwing mechanics in the league and it ain’t close.”

Considering what Mahomes has done in just four seasons, Bayless’ critique is extremely harsh. However, you come to expect this from Bayless, who is an elite hot take merchant.

At the end of last month, it was revealed that Tiffany Haddish and her boyfriend Common had broken up after spending just over a year together. On December 3rd, the Los Angeles-born actress celebrated her 42nd birthday, and her ex proved that there’s truly no bad blood between them by posting a super sweet tribute to her.

“Happy birthday to the Queen @tiffanyhaddish,” he wrote. “One of the most beautiful and dynamic and wonderful people I’ve ever known. May the most HIGH continue to bless and shine through you. Wishing you joy, love, peace, light, and fun on your born day. Love!” 

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The photo he shared shows a glammed up Haddish, looking radiant in a low cut, red top. At the time of their split, a source explained to PEOPLE that “they’re never in the same city together and both of them are just too busy for a serious relationship. 

The recent birthday girl has been spending her time filming Disney’s reboot of Haunted Mansion, in which she’ll star opposite of The Harder They Fall actor, LaKeith Stanfield. She’s been staying booked and busy, also having just wrapped up Apple TV+’s series The Afterparty.

According to Complex, Common has also linked up with Apple TV+ for his latest job. The 49-year-old has been cast alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, Tim Robbins, and David Oyelowo in Wool.

After confirming their relationship in August of 2020, Haddish had plenty of good things to say about her man to the media and friends, and the feelings between them were clearly mutual. While on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, the Girls Trip actress revealed that Common approved of her bald head – read more about that here.

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The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t entirely behind us yet. The rising number of cases across the world due to the Omnicron variant has led to concern, though politicians have stated that they are more prepared now than when the pandemic initially began. 

Unfortunately, it seems that things could get worse in the future, according to one professor who worked on the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Per The Guardian, Oxford University’s Sarah Gilbert spoke at the 44th the Richard Dimbleby lecture series where she offered a prediction of what we could expect in the future, which seems rather bleak if precautions aren’t taken.

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“This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods,” she reportedly said.  “And I’d like to finish on a high note, but the truth is the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious or more lethal, or both. We cannot allow a situation where we have gone through all we have gone through and then find that the enormous economic losses we have sustained mean that there is still no funding for pandemic preparedness.”

Ultimately, Gilbert preached of the dire need to be equipped with dealing with another pandemic down the line. With the science community’s quick response to creating a vaccine, Gilbert said that ahead of future pandemics, there should be a reserve fund within the budget to fuel speedier results.

“We must invest in people, research, manufacturing, and institutions to defend against pandemics,” Gilbert said.

Check the clip below.  

Last week, “The Box” rapper Roddy Ricch announced that his sophomore studio album, LiveLifeFast, is set to release this month, on December 17. The record’s late release date will surely keep it off most 2021 end-of-year lists, but still, the excitement for another full-length project from the Compton, California rapper is palpable. 

Accompanied by a Nipsey Hussle-inspired album cover, LifeLiveFast will serve as a follow up to Ricch’s 2019 album, Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial. And while it’s yet to be seen if Ricch’s latest work will rival his critically-acclaimed debut record, the 23-year-old is already moving like it will. 

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Capitalizing on the success of Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial and giving context for the upcoming LiveLifeFast, Ricch dropped a cool $5.6 million Beverly Hills mansion which, according to Yahoo, is fully equipped with “parking for up to 10 cars, a large swimming pool and terraced gardens with a sports court and grassy lawns.” The 3,500 square foot mansion sits on an acre of land, and includes a “fully detached guesthouse that could easily be converted into a ‘gym … or music studio.'” Ricch’s new digs, which directly border the estate of the late Eddie Van Halen, comes with “vast patios, ideal for entertaining purposes” and are surrounded by “mature trees and towering hedges,” Yahoo reports.

Ricch, who has credited Hussle with inspiring better business and life decisions, recently took to social media to thank his fans for their support and patiently waiting for LiveLifeFast, and acknowledged the challenges of running into an immense amount a money at such a young age. 

“Coming into the amounts of success and monetary gain while young is challenging,” he wrote. “But KINGS and QUEENS can be any age and still have to fight their battles.”

It’s almost certain Ricch will address those battles on his upcoming record, and if this massive real estate purchase gives any indication of how he’s handling them, it seems like he’s doing quite alright. 

What do you think of Roddy Ricch dropping $5.6 million on a new crib? Let us know down in the comments. 

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