newhiphopnews

Some surprising news came out of the NBA today as it was revealed that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would not be allowed to participate in the All-Star Game due to a close contact testing positive for COVID-19. This close contact just so happens to be both players’ personal barber, who they both met with before their flights to Atlanta. Now, there are two open spots in the game, although the NBA has made it clear that these places will not be filled as it is simply too last minute.

Of course, that didn’t stop NBA Twitter from getting some jokes off as they took some shots at the likes of Trae Young, who was infamously snubbed from the festivities. Despite having a solid season thus far, the league continuously ignored Young through the selection process, and now, some fans think he deserves a spot.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The jokes that were flying around on Twitter were pretty hilarious as they completely centered around Young receiving a call from Adam Silver who reluctantly asked Young to be in the game. In all of these memes, Young gives a disrespectful “no,” and it makes for a pretty humorous situation.

You can check out some of the funniest memes related to the situation, below.

Yo Gotti and the artists under his Collective Music Group banner have had a massive year and a half in terms of critical and commercial success. The label’s six-man roster is small but mighty, boasting a line-up that includes Moneybagg Yo, Blac Youngsta, 42 Dugg, and Lil Baby “Real As It Gets” feature artist EST Gee. The label’s impressive lineup has helped earn them a plethora of accolades and a steady flow of cash, and the crew celebrated their success in Atlanta this weekend with a lavish All-Star Brunch. 

“THE CMG BRUNCH … Private Event RSVP ONLY HOSTED BY DA WHOLE TEAM,” captioned the label in an Instagram post announcing the celebration. They also shared clips from inside the lavish setup of the party set to a Moneybagg Yo song. 

The party was decked out with massive portraits of each of the party’s respective hosts with their flashiest diamonds on. Outside the venue, a CMG mural was topped with balloons lined the walls of the building. “Bunch of Millionaires All Came From Da Trenches..  #AnythingsPossible #SuperCMG #CMGAllStarBrunch,” they penned in another caption as they posed in front of the venue. 

Swipe through pictures from inside the lavish brunch. 

Who’s your favorite artist from the CMG label right now? Sound off in the comments. 

It seems that every time Eminem drops an album, there’s a headache that comes with it. Before the year came to an end, Em slid through with “side b” of Music To Be Murdered By. Of course, fans were pleasantly surprised by its release, especially since rumors were circulating for months before it actually dropped. As he does on most albums, Em aired out his grievances but it was one particular shot at Snoop Dogg that turned an innocuous comment into a tense back-and-forth.

“Zeus” was Eminem’s response to Snoop Dogg’s claim that the Detroit rapper didn’t sit in his top rappers list. This eventually turned into a back-and-forth on social media but recently, Snoop Dogg confirmed that all is well between himself and Slim Shady. Snoop said that the two are still friends, despite the rift.

Some don’t seem to believe that, apparently. On Friday, Eminem emerged to, once again, call out his naysayers after Gen Z’s attempt to cancel him. A music video for the appropriately titled, “Tone Deaf” was unleashed in response to the viral TikTok video but it seems that Eminem fans discovered what seems to be a shot at Snoop. Well, that’s what the Internet folks are saying. At one point in the video, there’s a house with an image of a dog that’s crossed out. Some have interpreted it as a shot at Snoop Dogg while others are left shaking their head in disappointment that this is still a topic of discussion. 

All the way back in 2005, Nike teamed up with the now-defunct sneaker boutique Dave’s Quality Meat, where they came through with an Air Max 90 that fit the aesthetics of the store. The resulting model was the Nike Air Max 90 “Bacon” which eventually became a resale darling with pairs going for over $1000 USD online. Ever since the boutique shut down, sneakerheads have been wondering whether or not this shoe would ever get a retro, and it just so happens that the answer was, indeed, yes.

Recently, Nike came through with the official product photos of the shoe and as you can see, the original sneaker is well-respected. While the base of the shoe is white, the overlays consist of brown, pink, and red, which are all colors that would represent a cut of bacon or any other sort of pork-related product. Longtime sneakerheads will be salivating to get their hands on these, although expect some big-time Ls on the SNKRS App.

The release date has been set for March 26th which just so happens to be Air Max Day. Let us know what you think of this new retro, in the comments section below.

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Breaking news came out of the NBA today as Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were officially ruled out of the All-Star Game due to COVID-19 protocols. Both players share a personal barber and after meeting with the man before their flight to Atlanta, the barber tested positive for the Coronavirus. After a second test, it was confirmed that the barber still had the virus, which ultimately forced Embiid and Simmons to not participate in the match, with no roster replacements. 

Embiid was one of the starting players for Team Durant, and now, his spot on the starting lineup is being filled by one of the younger talents in the NBA. Of course, we are talking about Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans who has been a blockbuster player for NOLA so far this season.

Having Williamson on the court to start his very first All-Star Game will be huge for the league and it will probably help out the ratings quite a bit. Zion is one of those guys that everyone wants to see play and having him front and center tonight will be a whole lot of fun.

Hopefully, the rest of the players in the league are able to stay healthy from now until tonight, and we get ourselves a fun and entertaining All-Star experience.

Ronald Cortes/Getty Images

Just about an hour ago, it was revealed that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would be placed into a prolonged quarantine in Atlanta ahead of the All-Star Game. This was because Embiid and Simmons’ barber had tested positive for COVID-19 and they had contact with him prior to leaving for the game. As a result, the league wanted to take every precaution necessary, and now, it seems like a final decision has been made.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Embiid and Simmons will not be allowed to participate in the All-Star Game tonight, as the barber received a second positive COVID-19 test. This is a devastating blow to these two players, as well as the league who were already catching heat for having the game in the first place. 

Neither of these two players will be replaced, as it is too short notice. This will ultimately put a huge damper on the game as two of the league’s best players will now be on the outside looking in due to circumstances largely out of their control.

With the All-Star Game just hours away, the NBA will have to make sure the rest of the players are safe, which is no easy task.

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images