Month: January 2025

SOURCE SPORTS: Former Red Sox Reliever Chris Martin Takes Less Lucrative Offer From AL West Contender To Be Closer To Hometown

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In a heartfelt decision prioritizing proximity to home over financial gain, former Boston Red Sox reliever Chris Martin has signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, per reports from FanSided’s Robert Murray. This move marks a return to familiar territory for the Arlington, Texas, native, whose stellar two-year stint with the Red Sox made him a cornerstone of their bullpen.

Martin, 38, has enjoyed a storied career spanning Major League Baseball and international leagues, including stints with the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (Japan), Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and a prior tenure with the Rangers. In Boston, however, he reached new heights, establishing himself as one of the most reliable late-inning arms in the league.

During his time with the Red Sox, Martin posted an impressive 2.16 ERA across 100 appearances, striking out 96 batters while maintaining a WHIP of 1.077 and a K/9 of 9.0. His consistency and ability to handle high-pressure situations made him a trusted option for Boston in critical late-game scenarios.

A Personal Connection

Chris Martin’s decision to join the Rangers reflects a deeper personal connection to the Arlington area, mirroring a similar choice made by fellow Texan and former Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Both players have prioritized returning to their roots in recent years, even when faced with more lucrative offers elsewhere.

Despite the loss of Martin, the Red Sox have taken proactive steps to shore up their bullpen this offseason. They recently acquired veteran closer Aroldis Chapman, whose experience and high-velocity repertoire may position him to fill Martin’s former role in the eighth inning.

The Road Ahead for Boston

Losing Martin is undoubtedly a blow to the Red Sox bullpen, which relied heavily on his reliability and poise. However, the team appears intent on bolstering its pitching staff, with sources indicating they are frontrunners to sign All-Star reliever Tanner Scott. According to MLB analyst Jim Bowden, Boston is keen on making Scott a centerpiece of their bullpen, a move that could significantly mitigate the impact of Martin’s departure.

As Chris Martin returns to Texas, his contributions to the Red Sox over the past two seasons will not be forgotten. For the Rangers, the addition of a hometown hero with proven late-game effectiveness is a significant boost as they look to contend in the competitive AL West.

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A Blunt Smoking Travis Scott Ushered Jey Uso To The Ring During WWE Monday Night Raw

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Things over at WWE Monday Night Raw are changing. For starters, yesterday (January 6), the beloved wrestling program made its debut on Netflix. Secondly, the show rolled out its new roster, which features Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, CM Punk, and Jey Uso. But, music lovers were tuned in to witness Travis Scott’s in-ring skills.

However, the “Fe!n” rapper did one better–cause a commotion while serving as a ring escort. As Travis Scott walked Jey Uso from the Intuit Dome’s upper levels down to the ring, he appeared to enjoy a tightly rolled blunt.

Although those inside the Inglewood, California arena didn’t seem to mind, users across platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) were not pleased. Many slammed Scott’s action citing WWE’s wellness (drug) policy. But once the clip was posted onto WWE’s official YouTube channel, Scott’s fan began to flood the comment section with shows of support.

“Travis smoking the za in the middle of a WWE crowd was not in my 2025 bingo card,” wrote one user.

“Travis Scott smoking a blunt is crazy. We are indeed on Netflix. YEET,” penned another.

“Travis Scott following in the footsteps of R Truth as one of the very few people ever to light a smoke during a live WWE show,” chimed another.

Travis Scott nor WWE have addressed the incident.

Watch Jey Uso’s entrance featuring Travis Scott above.

Travis Scott Debuts New WWE Song “4X4” During Monday Night RAW

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Travis Scott came through and destroyed the building on WWE Raw. The beloved wrestling series made its Netflix debut on Monday, and Scott was among the celebrities in attendance. Unlike O’Shea Jackson, Jr. or Macaulay Culkin, however, the rapper participated in the wrestling event. He pulled up, smoked a blunt, and even chatted with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The highlight of Travis Scott’s appearance, though, was when he walked out into the arena, and treated fans to a new Monday Night RAW theme song.

Travis Scott was single-handedly responsible for one of the highlights of evening. The rapper entered the arena with a belt around his shoulder. Before fans could see him, however, lights cut off and a brand new song echoed through the speakers. Synth leads dominate the opening seconds, before Scott’s signature vocals register. WWE fans got to hear the first 40 seconds of the song, which was later confirmed to be called “4X4.” Those who didn’t watch the Netflix episode, however, were able to hear another part of the song on Travis Scott’s Instagram Live.

Read More: Travis Scott’s Coachella Performance Hyped Up With Historic Expectations

Travis Scott Walked Out With WWE Superstar Jimmy Uso

The rapper hopped on Instagram Live and teased a larger portion of the song. A significant portion of the firs verse can be heard in the IG snippet. It goes without saying, though, that the beat sounds a lot better when heard through a booming arena system. The WWE announcers confirmed “4X4” will be the theme song for Monday Night RAW moving forward. Travis Scott is a dedicated WWE fan, and the rapper has a lot of experience when it comes to teasing new music using wrestling as a platform. Scott did it during an episode of SmackDown in October.

Travis Scott didn’t appear on the episode, but he was name dropped by WWE superstar Jimmy Uso. He went for a ride for Roman Reigns during a segment, and when he gushed about how he had never heard the Travis Scott song Reigns played. Reigns in turn, revealed that he had a special connection with Scott. “It ain’t out yet,” the wrestler told a shocked Jimmy Uso. Fittingly, Scott walked out with Jimmy’s brother, Jey, during the same RAW episode in which he debuted “4X4.”

Read More: Travis Scott x Fragment x Air Jordan 1 Low OG Release Date Revealed

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Lupe Fiasco Heads To Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute To Teach Rap In Fall 2025

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Lupe Fiasco Heads To Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute To Teach Rap This Fall

Lupe Fiasco is stepping into academia to share his insights on rap!

The artist, born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, announced on Instagram that he will join Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute this fall as a professor for its four-year Hip Hop degree program. The program is led by Hip-Hop producer Wendel Patrick, who serves as an associate professor of music engineering and technology at the Peabody Conservatory.

“Thrilled to share that I’ll be joining the faculty at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Fall 2025 as a Distinguished Visiting Professor,” Lupe Fiasco wrote on Instagram.

The rapper behind “The Show Goes On” later added, “The @peabodyinstitute is one of the oldest music conservatories in America. World renowned for its rigorous training and for producing some of the world’s greatest musicians, and I’m honored to contribute to this legacy doing what I love most, Rap.”

As for what students can expect, the course will include lessons with a private instructor and opportunities to exercise their creativity among classmates.

“Following the one-on-one studio model of a traditional conservatory education, you will develop your skills in lessons with a private instructor — turntable majors will study with a world-class turntablist; rap majors with a chart-topping emcee,” a description of the program reads, according to Billboard. “And you’ll get to perform, with and for your colleagues, in an environment that encourages experimentation and authenticity.”

As for Lupe Fiasco, his support of students does not stop here. He is also a teacher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and will be leading a Spring 2025 course titled “Rap Theory & Practice.”

The course is also open to students enrolled at Harvard University, Wellesley College, and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. While he is pouring into students, Lupe Fiasco is also making time to do so for himself. He revealed he is currently working to complete a fellowship at Yale University.

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Karrahbooo Insists She ‘Didn’t Get Dropped’ By Lil Yachty’s Concrete Rekordz, But The Label Is Blocking Her Releases

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Back in July 2024, Karrahbooo abruptly left the Concrete Boys crew. In the weeks following, Karrahbooo and her former mentor and label head Lil Yachty were engaged in nasty mud slinging online.

When the tension began to die down, rumors began circulating that Karrahbooo had officially been dropped from Concrete Rekordz’s roster. However, today (January 6) Karrahbooo dispelled that claim and shared some of her own while promoting the new song, “Bossy Boo.”

In the video’s description box on YouTube, Karrahbooo denied she was ever dropped by Concrete Rekordz. She then went on to accuse the label of blocking her from releasing new music and interfering with other professional opportunities. “I didn’t get dropped,” she wrote. “I’m still signed hence the reason I have not been able to drop [new music].”

She continued: “I was advised not to drop this way [on my own] and do it through the ‘label’ (the one that said they dropped me but would not let me go because they wanted me to stay lol, the one that has repeatedly lied on my name to make me look bad in the media and has been pushing away bookings and deals I could keep going, but the point is this industry is weird and confusing and this is all messy [as f*ck] and taking up too much time. They dragging it, I tried to listen and do it the ‘right way’ but it’s been 6 months now so imma go ahead n try my way.”

With her friend and fellow rapper Anycia making a special cameo in the visual and the use of Kelis’ 2006 song “Bossy,” Karrahbooo appears to be ready to take control of her career despite behind-the-scenes obstacles.

Watch Karrahboo’s official video for “Bossy Booo” above.

Lil Baby Appears To Diss Gunna Again On New Song “Running Sh*t”

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Lil Baby has released the deluxe edition of his new album WHAM. Well, technically. The rapper hasn’t uploaded the deluxe edition to streaming, but it’s currently available as a digital purchase. The newest version of the album contains four new songs. One of them, “Running Sh*t,” sees Lil Baby dish out some harsh words to his enemies. Or perhaps even his old friends. The rapper drops a devastating bar about his disdain for “rats.” It didn’t take long for fans to theorize that he was referring to his former friend and collaborator, Gunna.

“Running Sh*t” is one of the highlights on WHAM deluxe. Lil Baby’s delivery is aggressive, and the beat is extremely catchy. It’s the bars, though, that will garner the most attention. The rapper makes reference to “rats,” and how much he despises them. “I don’t care what he did, he a rat still,” Lil Baby spits. “And I said what I said, don’t @ me.” Once again, no names or direct references to Gunna. When it comes to Lil Baby and Young Thug talking about rats, though, the list is short. These two know how the rat talk will be perceived, and they have never claimed they weren’t talking about Gunna.

Read More: YSL Mondo Details Lil Wayne’s “Standoffish” Behavior Around Young Thug

Lil Baby Refers To Mysterious “He” As A Rat

Young Thug made a reference to rats on the WHAM song “Dum, Dumb and Dumber.” He hopped on social media to clarify a lyric about “b*tches” being “bad,” but did nothing to dissuade fans from their Gunna theories. Lil Baby has also gone out of his way to voice his dislike of snitches and rat behavior following Young Thug’s release from jail. He went on the Safe Place podcast and vowed to never work with an artist he deemed to be a rat.

“I’m always gonna look at certain stuff a certain way,” Lil Baby explained. “It boils down to what we rapping about. We can’t rap about that if you did that. If I was making Christmas music, then I don’t give a damn what you did.” Gunna has repeatedly denied the allegations that he snitched on Young Thug in the midst of the YSL case. That said, it does seem as though Lil Baby and Gunna will be teaming up to drop Drip Harder 2 anytime soon.

Read More: Gunna’s Lawyer Claims He Did Not Snitch Amid Alleged Young Thug & Lil Baby Disses

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[WATCH] Justin Laboy Relaunches #Respectfully Show With Jim Jones As Guest On Debut Episode

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Renowned motivational speaker and social media icon Justin Laboy is back with a bang, relaunching his celebrated “#Respectfully” show. The debut episode of the revitalized series features none other than Harlem legend and cultural pioneer Jim Jones in an intimate and thought-provoking conversation.

In the inaugural episode, Justin delves deep into Jim’s formative years, exploring the influences of his mother, grandmother, and the crack epidemic of New York City on his hustler’s ambition. The conversation transitions into light-hearted banter as Jim recounts his impact on fashion, becoming the first rapper to make True Religion jeans iconic, before diving into profound discussions about loyalty, relationships, and personal growth.

Justin praises Jim’s unwavering loyalty, a trait evident in his lifelong commitment to his partner and childhood friends. The duo emphasizes the importance of investing in relationships, both romantic and platonic. Jim’s heartfelt wish for his childhood friend Cam’ron’s success alongside Ma$e on their “It Is What It Is” sports show highlights the enduring bonds of friendship.

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Lil Baby Unveils Bonus Tracks For “WHAM” Deluxe Edition

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Lil Baby is back. Well, he never really left. The rapper decided to bless fans with WHAM at the top of the year, and he apparently has more music in the stash. The very night Baby dropped the regular edition of the album, he confirmed a deluxe was on its way. Now, we have the tracklist. Lil Baby unveiled the extra songs via social media on January 6. The new WHAM features four new songs and an additional feature from longtime Baby collaborator, Future.

Lil Baby’s deluxe edition of WHAM runs 19 songs. The first 16 songs run in the same exact order as the standard edition. The four bonus cuts are “99,” “My Idol,” “Running This Sh*t” and “My Shawty.” “99” is the only song to have a feature on it, but knowing what Lil Baby and Future are capable of, we are eager to hear it. Baby’s decision to run out a deluxe edition of WHAM may have been in the works for a while, but it takes on different context in light of the album’s release. Lil Baby promised fans that WHAM was his best project to date, hands down. The reception to the project, however, has been less than stellar.

Read More: Lil Baby Has Bangers For The New Year On Our New “Fire Emoji” Playlist Update

Lil Baby Enlists Future For WHAM Deluxe Edition

Several fans have expressed their discontent with Baby’s new direction. Several high profile streamers, like DJ Akademiks and Kai Cenat, have also voiced their frustration with Baby’s new direction. Akademiks claimed that Lil Baby had fallen off in the time since his last album. Kai Cenat, meanwhile, was visibly let down during his streamed reaction to WHAM. “Too much, being too nice, I think it’s a 6.5,” he told his viewers. “I’ma keep it a whole stack. Probably like a six. Oh, my God, I don’t know, I don’t know. ‘Now you just hating.’ I don’t think I’m hating, bro.”

Lil Baby has even been accused of trying to boost his album sales by issuing a deluxe edition of WHAM so soon after its release. It hasn’t even been a week since the standard edition hit streaming platforms. “Same week deluxe sh*t for the sales push is embarrassing,” one Twitter user posited. In the rapper’s defense, WHAM is only available as a digital deluxe. It will be added to digital streaming platforms at a later date.

Read More: Young Thug Credited As Mixing Engineer On Lil Baby’s New Album, “Wham”

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Lil Uzi Vert Confuses Fans With Intense New Face Piercings

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Lil Uzi Vert is one of the most influential rappers of the SoundCloud generation. They have always been at the forefront of new waves, and been good for a smash single or eccentric guest feature. That said, Uzi has been making headlines for reasons other than music as of late. The rapper’s last album, Eternal Atake 2, was widely panned by fans and critics. Now, Lil Uzi Vert is taking to social media to debut a new, intense look involving dozens of facial piercings.

The rapper unveiled his piercings on Monday, January 6. The rapper posted a video dancing to a new song in what appears to be a kitchen. They also get up close to the camera, revealing piercings in their nose, cheeks, lips, and forehead. It’s unclear whether these piercings are real. Lil Uzi Vert is very clearly showing the piercings off, but they never address them. Anybody familiar with the rapper knows they have always had a penchant for bold body piercings. Uzi made headlines in 2021 when they unveiled a massive forehead piercing with a $24 million pink diamond.

Read More: Lil Uzi Vert Compares Whippets To Eating Mayonnaise:”You Eat That You’re A Serial Killer”

Lil Uzi Vert Pierced Their Lips, Mouth And Forehead

The forehead piece made so much noise online that Lil Uzi Vert fans voiced their concern about its health ramifications. Rolling Stone spoke with Simon Babaev, a spokesman from Eliantte & Co, Uzi’s jeweler of choice, regarding the safety of the piercing. “It’s as safe as any other piercing,” they stated. “As long as you maintain it well and have good upkeep, it’s perfectly fine. We made sure that prior to getting anything done that Uzi brought someone in to consult on everything.” The concern was valid, given that Uzi’s insurance company nearly cut them off.

“My insurance tried to cut me off,” Uzi explained on the Scuffed podcast. “They were like, ‘This kid’s trying to kill himself. My insurance looked at it like, ‘This kid just implanted this diamond in his head, and he’s gonna die.’ I really had to call the piercing person and show them low-key.” Lil Uzi Vert continues to field backlash for their last album. The rapper’s comments about pulling a “Frank Ocean,” however, has some fans hoping Uzi will drop something better than Eternal Atake 2, and soon.

Read More: Lil Uzi Vert Shares His Thoughts On Women’s BBLs Being Either Over or Underrated

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TI And Tiny’s Massive Lawsuit Victory Reduced By Federal Judge

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TI and Tiny Harris scored a major legal victory in September 2024. The couple sued MGA Entertainment for trademark infringement. They claimed the company has issued dolls with designs and named similar to the duo’s girl group OMG Girlz. A federal jury ruled in their favor, and TI and Tiny were awarded a large sum of $71 million. It was a success by any measure, and the couple made it clear that they were happy with the ruling. At least, initially.

On January 6, U.S. District Judge James Selna made a preliminary ruling on the case. He claimed that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that MGA Entertainment directly copied OMG Girlz designs. It’s still highly suspect, but Selna ultimately asserted that the lack of evidence did not support the massive payout that TI and Tiny had been granted. The judge pointed to the Lanham Act, which emphasizes how important it is to prove that a company willfully infringed on an existing trademark. As far as he can tell, MGA does not qualify. This means the company will not be on the hook for $53 million in punitive damages.

Read More: T.I. Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Ex-Friend, Sabrina Peterson, Over 3-Year-Old Allegations

TI And Tiny Will Still Be Taking Home $17 Million

 
 
 
 
 
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TI and Tiny are still getting paid. It is, however, a significantly smaller sum due to Selna’s ruling. Instead of $71 million, Judge Selna determined that the couple should take home $17 million. This will no doubt be a disappointment to TI and Tiny, who praised the court’s initial decision. “We wanted to thank the jurors for just seeing us through this,” Tiny explained to People Magazine. “And just believing in what we said. They heard our story and they knew we wasn’t lying. It’s amazing.” TI echoed his spouse’s sentiment.

“I think it’s a testament to the relentless and resilience of my wife, daughter and nieces,” the rapper said. “We’re just happy we were able to come out on top and fight for creatives and our intellectual property.” The fact that the court is still ruling in TI and Tiny’s favor means the importance of their victory is still a relevant talking point. Even if the celebrity couple are taking home much less than they were promised back in September.

Read More: TI’s Hilarious Reaction To Usher Feeding Tiny A Cherry Goes Viral

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