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The Weeknd recently set social media ablaze with the announcement of brand new music, sparking hype for what fans have been describing as “The Dawn Era.” While we wait for the next chapter of The Weeknd’s musical odyssey, a recent GQ interview with the Canadian pop icon has shone some light on one of the more divisive albums of his career — 2013’s Kiss Land, The Weeknd’s major-label studio debut. 

Though it’s hard to believe given how beloved The Weeknd’s After Hours remains on the critical front, Kiss Land was not received so warmly upon its release. Weeknd actually opened up about the project’s creation, release, and reception upon being asked why Kiss Land ultimately “fell short.” 

“Kiss Land is not a label’s type of record,” he explains. “As a debut record, there was an expectation for it. I guess, for me, it was the fourth album. I feel like I said everything I needed to say on Trilogy—and that sound and whatever I wanted to put out into the universe. It created a genre, and I made 30 of those fucking songs. I think by the time I got to Kiss Land, I was definitely emotionally tapped out. I did three albums in one year—plus I was working on Take Care too.”

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“And me not fully transitioning into full-on pop star yet, I was kind of in a middle ground,” he continues. “And I feel like Kiss Land was that. It was a very honest album. It was a lot of me being stubborn, of not letting a lot of input in. I had hit writer’s block, and my friend Belly helped me out of that. It was a lot of overcompensation to really say, ‘I don’t know. This is what I have, but I don’t know what this is.’ And it became Kiss Land.”

“If it wasn’t for Kiss Land, I wouldn’t have been able to make this new album,” explains The Weeknd. “That song that you just heard? That’s Kiss Land, man. It’s just me understanding how to use Kiss Land now, in my craft. But it’s definitely my most honest record. I was the most naked. Most vulnerable. And it is what it is.”

Though he was initially disappointed in some of the reviews, The Weeknd ultimately found beauty in the madness. “I think people were confused,” he reasons. “It wasn’t that it was bad music. I think people were just confused. As much as I was confused. And I kind of like that.”

For more from The Weeknd, be sure to check out the full GQ interview right here. Look for The Weeknd’s Dawn era to kick off this week — are you excited? 

Lonzo Ball is one of the most coveted free agents on the market right now when it comes to the NBA free agency period. There have been various rumors surrounding Lonzo, and at this point, most analysts believe Lonzo will be signing with the Chicago Bulls as there has been prolonged interest from both parties. Teams can only start negotiating with players as of tonight, and most reporters believe Lonzo will be in Chicago on a four-year deal worth upwards of $80 million.

Now, however, a brand new scenario has popped up thanks to The Athletic’s John Hollinger. As he explains, the Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets might be interested in a double sign and trade involving Devonte Graham, If this deal were to go down, Lonzo and LaMelo Ball would be playing on the same team together.

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Per Hollinger:

“However, one late, hot item I’ve heard is that a double sign-and-trade may be in the works that sends Ball to Charlotte and Devonte’ Graham back to New Orleans. The Ball brothers would be reunited with the Hornets while the Pelicans would still have a young point guard.”

As of right now, this move is simply a rumor and there is no telling whether or not it will actually go down. If it does, however, then it is going to be very interesting to see how LaVar reacts. Having his sons on the same team would be huge for the Big Baller Brand, and it would certainly bring more eyes to the Hornets.

Keep it locked to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates from the NBA.

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Simone Biles has caught the ire of former Olympians, celebrities, and regular non-athletic spectators for withdrawing from nearly all of her individual gymnastic events at the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer. Following an uncharacteristically shaky performance during the artistic team all-around, Biles revealed she was suffering from the “twisties” and subsequently removed herself from the competition for her personal safety and the success of the team.

According to the NY Post, “twisties” are a psychological condition that gymnasts often suffer from, which cause a gymnast — even a six-time Olympic medalist — to lose a sense of where they are in the air and often leads to dangerous landings. Simone Biles has since refrained from defending her three other gold medals in floor exercise, vault, and individual all-around, citing mental health reasons. Thanks to a surprising new announcement, however, it has been revealed that Biles’ competitive journey at this year’s Olympic games is not over quite yet.

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“We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow – Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!!” USA Gymnastics revealed six hours ago. “Can’t wait to watch you both!” 

Biles’ return to the balance beam finals means a chance for her to redeem her bronze-medal performance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Other than her third-place finish in balance beam in Rio, Biles would have walked away from the 2016 Olympics with a full gold medal sweep, so it is rather poetic that it will also be her only individual event in these Olympic Games. 

Stay tuned to see how Simone Biles fares in the balance beam final on Tuesday.

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Though the first Venom movie wasn’t exactly the most critically-acclaimed piece of Marvel property, Tom Hardy’s turn as Eddie Brock slash Venom proved to be a hit with fans. Before long, Sony’s symbiotic antihero had become a runaway money train. Woody Harrelson’s Carnage was introduced in a post-credits scene, proving that a sequel had always been in the cards.

Today, a new trailer for the upcoming Venom: Let There Be Carnage has arrived, granting us the biggest look at Woody Harrelson’s Carnage we’ve seen thus far. In true modern trailer fashion, the bones of the plot are served up on a silver platter, giving us a reasonably clear-cut timeline as to how events unfold. Predictable though it may be, there’s a simple pleasure in seeing a veteran actor like Harrelson chewing the ever-loving hell out of the scenery; his symbiotic counterpart would be proud. 

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For the most part, we’re looking like a bigger, badder, and hopefully more uncut update on the first film; if not for anything, the amusing dynamic between Brock and Venom appears to have developed quite nicely, bringing no shortage of comedy into the mix. On the other hand, it also appears to be a little more violent — see Carnage murdering a man by lodging his serpentine tongue down his throat — though it’s unlikely we’ll see this one slapped with the coveted R rating. Not with such a vast crossover audience from the Spider-Man crowd.

Be sure to check out the madcap trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, set for release “this fall.” Will you be tuning in to see this one on the big-screen?

Kathy Griffin is best known for her no-filter takes on just about everything, resulting in a constant swirl of controversy around her. On Monday morning, the sixty-year-old set all jokes aside to share some gut-wrenching news about the current status of her health. 

In a statement shared on both her Instagram and Twitter, Kathy announced has been diagnosed with lung cancer. The star shared her personal shock at the diagnosis, stating she’s never smoked — but would be heading into surgery to have the cancerous half of her left lung removed.

Kathy wrote,

“Yes I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked! The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung. Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing. I should be up and running around as usual in a month or less. It’s been a helluva 4 years, trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m gonna be just fine…Please stay up to date on your medical checkups. It’ll save your life.” 

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Many friends of the comedian have shared their support, including fellow comedian Amy Schumer commenting “Love you Kathy!!!! You got this!” and actress Andie Macdowell writing, “Wow So Brave My heart is wide open for you Thank God you found it early and a safe recovery.”

Read her full statement below.

We’re wishing Kathy a speedy recovery.

Shortly after finding himself dropped from the Lollapalooza lineup over a homophobic rant issued at Rolling Loud Miami, DaBaby has found himself removed from another major festival. Today, it was announced that the controversial rapper would no longer be performing his set at the Governor’s Ball, who explained their decision in a statement.

“Founders Entertainment does not and will not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind,” it reads. “We welcome and celebrate the diverse communities that make New York City the greatest city in the world. Thank you to the fans who continue to speak up for what is right. Along with you, we will continue to use our platform.” 

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At this moment, the open position left by DaBaby has yet to be filled, nor has the rapper addressed the domino effect of festivals distancing themselves from him. For those who missed his original rant, it began when DaBaby said the following: “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases, that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cellphone lighter up. Ladies, if your pussy smell like water, put your cellphone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking dick in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.”

In the wake of his spontaneous speech — the contents of which resembled his recent single’s video with striking similarity — many prominent artists, including the legendary Questlove, emerged to speak out against DaBaby. Yet not everybody was on the same page regarding universal cancellation. Following DaBaby’s removal from Governor’s Ball, prominent media personality Akademiks issued a few thoughts on the situation.

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“I fw Da Baby.. at this point though I don’t think its about his comments (him and others in hip hop have said worse things.. not justifying them)… however I think this is one of them last stands for cancel culture,” writes Ak. “He apologized but basically acted like he was 2 big to cancel. 

“The moment Da Baby said he was the ‘influence’ like.. that can’t be taken from you or your livelihood can’t be affected by others,” he continues. “I knew they were finna have a hard on for him… can’t be arrogant and pompous when that cancel train come for u.. even if u think its overblown. Every festival finna try to look good by taking him off their lineup.. until he comes back begging and pleading. Thats what cancel culture is these days.. its more bout bringing entertainers 2 their knees begging back for acceptance rather than letting u learn from ur mistake.”

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“We’ve seen DSPs get involved in cancelling artists.. removal of those artists from all editorial playlists,” continues Ak. “Its interesting to see festivals take the same route. The thing that always make it looks fake as f*ck when anyone does this is its always selective… No uniformity.  Its just weird how Festivals are putting out these elaborate statements about how much they care about humanity and because of that can’t have da baby on their show for what he said. Yet 90% of the artists they book.. music is about drugs and murder.. n its totally fine to them.”

“These companies gotta choose whether they are prioritizing the art or morality,” he concludes. “Because they all seem like hypocrites when they try to get on a high horse cancelling artists…Hip hop is a genre filled with imperfect individuals telling stories. Why even fw it if u want saints.” 

Check out Akademiks’ thoughts on DaBaby’s removal from the Governor’s Ball festival below. As of now, this marks the third festival DaBaby has been dropped from, with Lollapalooza and the Parkland Festival having already kicked him from the lineup.

Back in the month of March, Deshaun Watson was accused by 22 women of sexual assault. All of his accusers are massage therapists in the Houston area who claim that he would book sessions with them and would then proceed to get very inappropriate as soon as they started working. As it stands, eight women have filed police reports all while sexual assault lawsuits are in the midst of being litigated. Throughout all of this, the NFL has also launched an investigation into Watson.

Now, one of the accusers is officially stepping forward to give her side of the story. During a recent interview, massage therapist Nia Reese Lewis-Smith spoke about her sessions with Watson and how they were both extremely bizarre. In fact, during the first one, Watson allegedly asked for her to massage the inside of his butt, and while she was weirded out, she thought it might just be a weird request. However, things got worse in the second session when he allegedly requested oral sex.

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“The only thing that really bothered me in the first appointment was that he kept asking me to go inside his butt,” she said. “I originally thought it was the crack and so I would go around that area and he still wasn’t satisfied. He was very adamant and was saying don’t be afraid to go inside. […] He basically didn’t want the rest of his body massaged, he wanted his groin area massaged and his butt only…he kept saying do you want to put in your mouth? It was just very very uncomfortable.”

The alleged acts described here are pretty disgusting, to say the least, and they match up with some of the other allegations that Watson has faced. In the midst of all of this, Watson has maintained his innocence and is currently still practicing with the Texans.

Stay tuned to HNHH as we will be sure to bring you updates on this story.