Month: April 2023

Dillon Brooks Breaks Silence On LeBron James After Subtweet

by

Dillon Brooks has broken his silence on his beef with LeBron James following the Memphis Grizzlies’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. James appeared to subtweet Brooks by quoting JAY-Z lyrics on Saturday night as the Lakers advanced to the second round. Despite the defeat, Brooks says he has no regrets about angering LeBron James.

“That’s who I am,” he told reporters on Sunday. “I’m a competitor. I compete. I don’t think it got LeBron ‘geeked’ up. He’s back in the playoffs, it’d been a little while. He was ready to play.” Prior to the comments, the NBA announced that it had fined Brooks $25,000 for “failure to participate in team postgame media availability during the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.”

Dillon Brooks Guards LeBron James

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – APRIL 16: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against Dillon Brooks #24 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of Game One of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 16, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

“Unlike you little ****, I’m a grown ass man,” James’ tweet reads. “Big shoes to fill, grown ass pants. Prolly hustled with your pops, go ask your parents. It’s apparent you’re staring at a legend. Who put a few little **** in they place before. Trying to eat without saying they grace before!” The quote comes from JAY-Z’s song, “Trouble,” off of 2006’s Kingdom Come. James also posted on Instagram, “If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR.”

Things between Brooks and James really heated up as the games went on between the Lakers and Grizzlies. After taking Game 2, Brooks told reporters, “I don’t care, he’s old. You know what I mean? I was expecting him to do that game four, game five. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul, he should’ve been saying that earlier on. I poke bears, I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40. I pride myself on what I do.”

LeBron James Appears To Subtweet Dillon Brooks

[Via]

Diddy’s Surprise ‘Something In The Water’ Festival Performance Featured A Lyric Change Showcasing His Marketing Genius

by
Diddy BET Lifetime Achievement 2022
Getty Image

Diddy is a businessman through and through. Across every era of his career, the producer has birthed a memorable item, whether tangible or intellectual. His success over the decades has earned him enough capital to enter the talk to potentially become the majority stakeholder of BET. But there were a few times when the entertainer gave away free promotion to a company outside that he did not spearhead.

However, those days are long gone. Diddy made that known loud and clear during his surprise appearance at the Something In The Water festival. Joining Pharrell and Busta Rhymes on stage, the entertainers made a slight lyric change to their 2001 song, “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II.”

A track all about their love of smooth liquor and partying, the musicians replaced the cognac brand name Courvoisier with Diddy’s vodka company Circoc. Sharing the performance clip with the caption, “Last night was magical,” fans quickly chimed in to share how clever the modification was.

The original lyrics of the chorus sung by Pharell with the beloved adlib being rapped by Busta, originally was “We gon’ tell that n***** (Pass the Courvoisier) / We gon’ tell that brotha (Pass the Courvoisier) / Everybody sing it now (Pass the Courvoisier) / Everybody sing it now (Pass the Courvoisier).”

While the updated lyric was “Pass the Ciroc this way.” The song originally featured on Busta Rhymes’ fifth studio album, Genesis, has long been used to amp up parties since its release over 20 years ago.

Check out a few fan reactions below.

This isn’t the first time that that lyrical update has been performed. Nonetheless, fans were still giddy over the line as it was performed last night.

Jack Harlow Jokes About Kyle Lowry Landing On Him During Game 1: “His Sh*t Was Like A Pillow”

by

Jack Harlow was sitting courtside during the Miami Heat’s 108-101 win over the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday afternoon. During the game, he joked that Kyle Lowry crashed into him after throwing up a three-point shot.

“Kyle Lowry just took a fadeaway 3 and landed in my lap,” Harlow wrote. “The rumors are true. His shit was like a pillow.” Fans played into Harlow’s joking in the comments section when the Instagram Story post was shared by No Jumper. “It should have been me. not him. it’s not fair,” one user wrote. Another commented, “I swear, the n****s that be in these comments tryna be tough and act hella straight be the same dudes who hold each other down and hump they friends in a locker room. Don’t be mad because he funny and comfortable with himself to make these gay jokes.”

Kyle Lowry During Game 1

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Miami Heat reacts in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks during game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Madison Square Garden on April 30, 2023 in New York City. The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks 108-101. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Harlow’s appearance at the game comes as he celebrates the release of his new album, Jackman. HitsDailyDouble reports that the album is projected to move 45,000 to 50,000 album-equivalent units in the first week of availability.

As for Kyle Lowry, he and the Miami Heat will look to take another game in New York on Tuesday. It’s unclear whether their star Jimmy Butler will be available after suffering an injury on Sunday. Head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t provide much more information when asked about his status after the game. “No idea,” he told reporters. “You just don’t know with ankle sprains. I don’t even know if we’ll know more by (Monday). We’ll just have to see. It’ll be a waiting game. But he did not want to come out of the game, so we left him in there.” The Heat are coming off of a shocking first-round upset over the Milwaukee Bucks who entered the playoffs as the 1-seed.

Jack Harlow At Madison Square Garden

[Via]

JoJo Says AI Music Should Be “Embraced”

by

The AI debate is one of the most controversial topics in tech right now. AI technologies, such as art generators and chatbots are becoming more and more prevalent. However, there is a growing opposition to the technology. Firstly, these AI tools work via machine learning. This means that they “learn” based off the contents of databases made available to them. However, the problem with this is that it means they are essentially mashing together elements of pre-existing works. To a lot of artists and writers, this is just stealing their work.

Furthermore, AI is now being used deceptively. An AI startup recently posted a clip of a song their software had created. The song was not just in the style of Drake, it had been created to intentionally sound like a Drake song sung by Drake. As AI regulation begins to gain steam, its proponents and supporters say the technology is inevitable.

JoJo Says If You Can’t Beat It Join It To AI music

Vermont-born singer JoJo has become the latest supporter of AI music. Speaking with TMZ, she called AI music technology “interesting” and argued that it could be used for “harmonies and backgrounds”. Additionally, she said that the use of the technology was inevitable and the music industry shouldn’t wait too long to embrace it. While a fair point, a lot of people said similar things about the metaverse and well, how’s that going for people?

However, JoJo is not the only musician who has been sharing their views on AI music. Khalid, also speaking with TMZ said he saw the potential benefits of AI but was afraid of what it meant for human performers. Moreover, this has been a valid concern across many AI fields. In one viral instance, an artist was working on a drawing on Twitch. A viewer took the drawing, fed into an AI to finish before the artist did, and demanded credit as if they were the original creator. AI clearly isn’t going anywhere for the time being. However, it appears that the music industry is split on whether it should be embraced or rejected.

[via]

Usher Gets Up Close & Personal With Kimora Lee Simmons During Las Vegas Residency: Watch

by

If there’s one thing Usher’s Las Vegas residency stint has confirmed to fans, he’s just as much of a ladies’ man as ever. Since embarking on his latest round of shows in Sin City, the Houston native has surprised his audience with plenty of beautiful celebrity guests, from Teyana Taylor to Yung Miami. He’s been known to serenade a special select few attendees, and while Kim Kardashian previously got the star treatment, this weekend it was her friend who caught Usher’s attention.

As TMZ reports, Baby Phat designer Kimora Lee Simmons joined the socialite and her sister, Khloé, at the “OMG” hitmaker’s concert on Saturday (April 29). When Usher spotted them in the crowd, he didn’t hesitate to make the 47-year-old the object of his affection, singing to her while other patrons gazed on in envy. The fashionista didn’t hesitate to touch on the performer’s abs as he stood over her, and the younger Kardashian looks to have gotten in on the action as well. While it may be too close for comfort for some, Simmons and Usher are no strangers.

Usher Serenades Kimora Lee Simmons

She and the father of four previously worked together on his “Nice & Slow” visual several decades ago, in which things also got steamy. While Kim’s friends enjoyed the flirtatious action, she appears to have sat back and taken in the show, despite her very-much single status. This marks the SKIMS founder’s second weekend in a row visiting Vegas to watch Usher perform, proving just how much of a die-hard fan she is. Kardashian initially planned to catch a show some time back but ultimately had to postpone. Thankfully, she still got to experience a first-hand serenade from the vocal legend himself.

While the ongoing performances are certainly taking up much of his schedule, the 47-year-old has made it clear that he has his sights set on even bigger things. Just last week, he said he’s hoping to throw his hat in the ring to follow up Rihanna’s legendary Super Bowl Halftime show. Confirmation has yet to come, but it would surely be one for the books. Watch Kimora Lee Simmons’ appearance in Usher’s 1998 music video below. Afterward, tell us if you’ve been enjoying his Las Vegas residency antics so far in the comments.

Revisit 1998’s “Nice & Slow” Visual

[Via]

Deion Sanders Blasts NFL For Lack Of HBCU Rep In Draft

by

Deion Sanders helped put an HBCU school on the map. As head coach of the Jackson State football program, Sanders’ squad lost just six games over three seasons. That included two perfect seasons in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Additionally, Jackson went 12-1 in the 2022 season, only losing in the postseason Celebration Bowl.

Sanders left Jackson State at the end of the 2022 season to take the vacant job at Colorado. He brought many of his star players with him and has transformed the program there. He has put Colorado back on the map, even if the program is seeing massive player turnover. The school’s spring game sold out for the first time ever. One the flip side, 20 players entered the portal right after the game. It’s a wild time in Colorado. However, Sanders was not happy with the treatment HBCUs got at the 2023 NFL Draft. He took to Twitter to force his frustrations.

Sanders Calls Out 31 NFL Teams

HBCUs are often overlooked on draft day. Just 12 players from such schools were picked between 2016 and 2021. Four went in the 2022 draft. Furthermore, that number dropped to just one over the course of the 2023 draft. The lone HBCU representative in 2023 was Jackson State cornerback and kick returner, Isaiah Bolden. Bolden was selected 245th overall by the New England Patriots, just 14 picks before the end of the draft. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that he was a Coach Prime alum.

Posting to Twitter, Sanders made his thoughts on the lack of HBCU rep very clear. “So proud is you @isaiahbolden23 You deserved to be drafted much higher but I’m truly proud of u. I know how much u want this. I’m ashamed of the 31 other @nfl teams that couldn’t find draft value in ALL of the talented HBCU players & we had 3 more draft worthy players at JSU.” However, Sanders’ comments met a lot of backlash from white people who somehow interpreted Sanders’ comments as a call for affirmative action. HBCUs have long had to deal with being viewed as the “second-tier” in both educational standards and sporting prowess. However, it’s an unfair perception and one that Sanders is putting on blast.

[via]