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To the disbelief of both America’s Got Talent’s crowd and their quartet of esteemed judges, 51-year old Huntington Beach native Matt Mauser came out and told his story.

“On January 26, 2020, I lost my wife, in the same helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant,” he said, as you can see the audience gasp and Simon Cowell’s eyes widen with sympathy. He detailed their emotional story, describing his late partner, Christina Mauser, as “a very humble, powerful, beautiful human being,” going on to discuss their three children. 

The details of this loss are excruciating to bear, but Mauser still managed to deliver quite a remarkable performance, all the while he and Christina’s kids stood on the side of the stage. Visibly emotional throughout, he auditioned with a powerful rendition of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds,” to the delight of his children. 

Capped off by an abiding ovation from the crowd and all four judges, Mauser was selected by each one of them. Howie Mandel responded to the cover by saying “If you’re able to move strangers, and we can feel it in our hearts… there aren’t words to describe it.” 

Renowned aggravator Simon Cowell ultimately asked the singer what he hopes to get out of being on America’s Got Talent, to which he said, “I’d like to make sure that my children see that, in spite of the grief that we’ve been through this year, that that grief is not going to define who we are as a family. And that my children see that you have to find joy in life and you have to continue.” Regardless of how far he goes in the competition, it’s safe to say he’s shown his children a whole lot.

Christina Mauser was coaching girl’s basketball alongside Bryant prior to last year’s tragedy.

After being named alongside Nipsey Hussle, the Black Eyed Peas, and DJ Khaled in the latest class of Hollywood Walk of Fame honorees and stunning everyone with her gorgeous BET Awards Red Carpet look, Ashanti has gotten fans talking once again with a sultry new post on Instagram.

National Bikini Day took place on Monday, July 5, and apparently, Ashanti forgot about the unofficial holiday. However, that didn’t stop the multi-platinum singer-songwriter from taking place in festivities, because even though she was day late, Ashanti shared a steamy new poolside video to her IG that featured her in an absolutely eye-catching bikini.

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Set against the sonic backdrop of her long-teased track “Lose Yourself,” Ashanti’s sultry new video finds the Grammy-winning songstress showing off her flawless curves while stepping out of a pool in a shimmering bikini. In another shot from the video, she stands in front of some palm trees and bottles of Cîroc while continuing to flaunt her body and sparkling swimsuit.

“Wait it was national bikini day yesterday and y’all ain’t tell me?” she jokes in the caption for the post, which has already been viewed almost one million times.

See Ashanti’s steamy National Bikini Day post on Instagram below.

There has been an increased number of rap-related arrests in Florida in recent weeks. Last week, it was reported that rappers Hotboii and 9lokknine were arrested among three dozen others for racketeering. The same week, Sukihana was arrested in Broward County for battery. Weeks earlier, Pooh Shiesty was arrested for a shooting incident at a nightclub in Florida. And before that, Polo G was arrested following his album release celebration party, with his camp believing that the rapper was targeted by police the entire night.

Jacksonville rapper Yungeen Ace has experienced the police’s rap bias in the Sunshine State and in his recent interview with HotNewHipHop’s Rise & Grind, he spoke about Polo G’s arrest, as well as how the cops have allegedly blocked him from performing in his city.

“The police won’t even let me perform [in Jacksonville], they stop me every time,” he revealed during our conversation. “I asked them if I could go and do a charity performance and the cops wouldn’t allow it. It is real violent there.”

When asked about the police situation in Florida, Yungeen Ace explained that he believes there’s some real injustice happening. “[Polo G’s arrest] made me so mad, and I really fuck with Polo G,” he said. “Him coming up trying to do right, the fact that his arrest happened is lame. They hate rappers. It sounds crazy, but when we do good, they fuck with us and when we do bad, they fuck with us. We really try to move in the right direction. Maybe they just want to see everyone in jail. It’s an abuse of power.”

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In the same interview, Yungeen Ace spoke about his debut album Life Of Betrayal 2x, his favorite memories with King Von, his viral hit record “Who I Smoke,” and more.

READ THE FULL RISE & GRIND INTERVIEW HERE WITH YUNGEEN ACE.

For some rappers, given the nature of their position in music and their former street life status, the costs of doing shows in their hometown seem to considerably outweigh the benefits. Last month, Fredo Bang explained exactly what would have to happen if he were hoping to do a show in his hometown.

“I gotta deal with the mayor and em, the police force, and all that stuff. I gotta get harassed to come down, I might end up getting searched, it’s all types of things that could happen,” explained the rapper in a VladTV interview. It looks like things have since been quelled for the “Top” rapper, who hit the stage July 4th weekend in Baton Rouge with his crew. 

In a clip shared to Fredo’s social media, hundreds of adoring fans can be seen with their cell phone flashlights lighting up the dark venue. “First performance in Baton Rouge in 7 Years LOVE MY CITY,” penned the Louisana lyricist in the caption of post sharing footage of the Raising Cane’s River Center Arena show. 

He wrote in another clip, “Every time They Say Can’t I Prove That I Can, Been The Underdog My Whole Life So Ill Be Dam I’ll Let Anybody Stop This.” The moment was truly one for the books for Fredo, who vocalized back in May for the first time on Instagram to explain why he would need $100,000 from a Baton Rouge promoter to hit the stage in the city. 

“This is a public service announcement because I think some people missed my post,” he said in the clip. “I’m not doing a show in BR unless you give me a hunnid. I need at least a hunnid. Not $40K, not $60K. I need a hunnid! So if your bag ain’t big enough, I’m not picking up. I don’t give a fuck who you call, you can call my muthafucking mama, she can’t change my mind.”

He further doubled down on this feeling in the aforementioned VladTv interview, which you can check out in full below. 

Though their Conference Finals matchup came to a close this past week, the two still share enough mutual respect for one another in order to go and sit on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

In the video, Khris Middleton, Bucks swingman and soon-to-be Olympic athlete, was clowned for the size of his molars, reading a tweet that claimed “Khris Middleton can chop down trees with his teeth.” Pretty self-explanatory, if we’re being honest here.

Trae Young’s tweet was just as harsh, with someone writing that he resembles a piece of candy, but not just any piece of candy: “I like Trae Young but his hair looks like a lollipop that got dropped on the carpet.” Again, a pretty hard one to deny, and Young knew so too as you can see him laugh it off, asking “What flavor lollipop? I may be delicious.” Clearly, he is self-aware.

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And, in every sense of the word, Shaquille O’Neal was the video’s biggest star, with someone obviously making it easy on themselves as they decided to make a joke about the guy’s massivity, writing: “Shaquille O’Neal? More like Shaquille-Hasn’t-Missed-A-Meal,” to which even the Inside the NBA analyst got a genuine laugh out of.

Aside from the countless shitty things that random people across the globe have to say about NBA superstars, basketball can still be pretty exciting. Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns are coming off their Game 1 victory of the NBA Finals against Middleton and the Bucks, with Game 2 set to tip-off tomorrow, July 8, at 6 PM.

Sha’Carri Richardson captured the hearts of many Americans last month after she won at the Olympic Trials in Oregon. After testing positive for traces of marijuana in her system during a drug test, Richardson was handed a 30-day suspension scheduled to conclude on August 5th, which left open the possibility she could win a medal as part of the USA Track and Field team. 

Unfortunately for the Dallas native, she was ultimately not selected to compete with the team at the Tokyo Olympics this year. Her suspension has sparked conversations across social media about marijuana policies and restrictions. Rihanna, who is known to be a frequent cannabis user, recently touched on Sha’Carri’s unfortunate suspension. 

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“What are your thoughts about Sha’Carri Richardson? I’m just trying to keep her name alive.” asked someone to the Fenty CEO as she signed autographs. “Oh man, it sucks, you know,” answered the Basian beauty. She continued, “It sucks, it really does suck. But all is not lost, everything happens for a reason.”

While her answer was vague, Richardson’s suspension has ignited a conversation around marijuana law reform within the Olympics and throughout the country in general. 

In a statement, the USATF team said it was “incredibly sympathetic toward Sha’Carri Richardson’s extenuating circumstances” and “fully agrees” that international rules surrounding marijuana use should be reconsidered.

Richardson notably tested positive for the substance after finding out about her biological mother’s recent death. “I know I can’t hide myself, so in some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain,” she said on NBC’s “Today” show.  

To this day, “Back That Azz Up” remains one of the biggest hits of Juvenile’s career. Coupled with Mannie Fresh production and an unforgettable outro from a young Lil Wayne, “Back That Azz Up” is simply one of the most popular and easily recognizable Southern rap songs of all time, and now, the original team behind the classic record is giving it a socially aware remix.

Juvenile and Mannie Fresh have teamed up with the dating app BLK and enlisted Mia X for an official rework of the 1998 hit song that implores single Black people to get vaccinated before online dating.

Cheekily coined “Vax That Thang Up,” Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, and Mia X’s new collaboration finds the Hip-Hop legends hammering in the message that “dating is better once you’re vaccinated.” Of course, the iconic chorus from “Back That Azz Up” has been remixed, as Juvenile raps, “Girl, you looks good, won’t you vax that thang up?/You’s a handsome young brother, won’t you vax that thang up?/Date in real life, you need to vax that thang up/Feelin’ freaky all night, you need to vax that thang up.“

Mia X notably remix’s Lil Wayne’s iconic “drop it like it’s hot” outro by rapping, “If you want to get sticky and hot, go-go-go-go get the shot/If you wanna smash some dude named Scott, go-go-go-go get the shot.“

Check out the full music video for the comical “Vax That Thang Up” below, and get more information from BLK about COVID-19 vaccination options here.