Month: June 2022

Kawhi Leonard has had a rough year. He had to miss the entirety of the Los Angeles Clippers season due to a torn ACL, and in the end, his team missed him greatly as they were unable to make it to the playoffs. Heading into next year, Leonard is expected to return, and fans can’t wait to see what he can do. In fact, there are some folks out there who believe Leonard and the Clippers should be title contenders given the depth of the Clippers roster.

Now that the offseason has begun, Leonard is enjoying his time off in the Dominican Republic. Of course, this is a great vacation spot, however, Leonard still has basketball on his mind. In fact, he recently hit up a local court in the Dominican, where he got to play with some youth in the area.

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In a Twitter post from Jatnna Rodriguez, Leonard can be seen posing with some of the teenagers, who had big smiles on their faces. It isn’t every day you get to play with an NBA star, so it was certainly a special moment for those involved.

“Kawhi Leonard visiting the Dom Rep,” Rodriguez wrote. “Thank you for making the children of the neighborhood where I was born happy.”

The season is now four months away, and it seems like Leonard is ready to return. Hopefully, he is able to shake up the NBA, and deliver some memorable highlights in the process.

Drake had the world talking on Friday morning when he unleashed his surprise seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind. The Canadian rapper turned hip-hop on its head by releasing a dance album and not everyone was on board with it. Some were quick to dismiss it after breezing through the album in the wee hours of the morning while others claimed it was some of Drake’s best work in years.

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There’s been some criticism that Drake’s latest opus might have a lasting effect on the state of hip-hop. Irv Gotti recently sat down with TMZ where he expressed his concern about the future of the genre because of Drizzy’s sudden switch up. Irv prefaced his criticism by saying that Drake’s an incredible person, though he wasn’t necessarily impressed by the artistic direction.

“Drake can do whatever he wants as an artist, right? But do you feel Drake is a hip-hop artist?” Gotti asked the cameraman, who described the Canadian hitmaker as a “transcending artist.” “Drake’s new album is not hip-hop,” Gotti added.

When the cameraman asked whether this album could be the demise of hip-hop/R&B, Gotti said that he hopes that isn’t the case but he’s more inspired than ever to find a new DMX, Ja Rule or Jay-Z to carry the torch. 

In response to Drake claiming that people need to “catch up” on his new sound, Gott said, “I don’t want to catch up. Because if that’s catchin’ up then what does that mean for hip-hop? And he’s so strong and so powerful that he can chance the dynamic of shit. And any n***a who sees this, please, hip-hop, yo.”

Check out the full clip below. 

[Via]

Kid Cudi says that he’s releasing a track with Denzel Curry and JID, later this week, titled “Talk About Me.” Cudi previewed the song in a video posted to Twitter while revealing the release date.

“‘TALK ABOUT ME’ THIS FRIDAY!! DOT DA GENIUS BABY!! DENZEL, JID WHATS GOOOOOD THEY AINT READY,” Cudi captioned the post.

“Come on Denzel. Let’s go baby,” he says in the clip while listening to Curry’s verse.

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Curry teased the collaboration himself, last week, writing on Twitter: “Kid Cudi Myself JID Dot The Genius Cole Bennett. Yeah.”

The Melt My Eyez See Your Future rapper will also be joining Cudi on his upcoming tour, To The Moon.

The track comes ahead of the release of Cudi’s next album, Entergalactic, which is scheduled to drop on September 30. Cudi has referred to the project as his “greatest achievement.”

“World…I have been waiting 3 long years for you all to see what I’ve been working on all this time,” he wrote on social media. “My greatest achievement. This project will move you, it will take your heart places and make you fall in love again.”

In addition to the album, Entergalactic, Cudi is also teaming up with Netflix to release an animated series of the same name starring Jessica Williams, Timothée Chalamet, Ty Dolla $ign, Vanessa Hudgens, Teyana Taylor, Jaden Smith, Christopher Abbott, and more. The show is written by Ian Edelman & Maurice Williams and directed by Fletcher Moules.

Check out Cudi’s announcement on Twitter below, and be on the lookout for “Talk About Me” on Friday.

Brittney Griner has been detained in a Russian jail since February after she was caught with weed oil while trying to leave the country. The WNBA star’s detainment has been declared unlawful by the United States government, and as it stands, they are trying to negotiate her release. 

At every turn, Griner’s detainment has been extended by Russian officials, and according to TMZ, it doesn’t seem like the country has any interest in negotiating her release. In the eyes of the Russian government, she broke their laws, and because she isn’t a political prisoner, they don’t need to talk to the U.S. Govt about her.

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This is a sentiment that was shared by Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. While speaking on the situation, he was very firm on the fact that Russia is not looking to make an exemption for her, and that she will see her day in court just like anyone else.

“Why should we make an exemption for a foreign citizen?” Peskov said. “[Griner] violated Russian law, and now she’s being prosecuted. It’s not about being a hostage. There are lots of American citizens here. They’re enjoying their freedoms … but you have to obey the laws.”

Mike Mattina/Getty Images

This is a sobering update to the situation as now, it looks like any effort to bring her home is simply futile. Stay tuned to HNHH, as we will be sure to bring you the latest news and updates on this story.

[Via]