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Philadelphia 76ers fans are furious with the team’s loss against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday– and they’re taking that anger out on point guard/power forward Ben Simmons. However, teammate Dwight Howard came to Simmons’ defense during an Instagram livestream and criticized fans who were sending hate toward Simmons.

During the live, Howard plead with fans to “send that man some love” and respect the young Simmons who is only 24. Ben Simmons performance spurred negativity from commentators Shaq and Steven A. Smith who blasted him as “not playing right” and not belonging in Philadelphia anymore.

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“I don’t think it’s right that everybody just sending this man bad messages and all this negativity… we supposed to be the City of Brotherly Love and the best thing we can do is just send some positivity,” Howard said calmly to his fans. According to Howard, Ben’s career shouldn’t be marred by an off-night– “He might have messed up, didn’t take no shots, didn’t do whatever — he’s gonna come back better next year” – and added his own statements of support for his teammate: “You’re my brother and I love you.”

Simmons scored only five points in 36 minutes of playing time during Game 7 of the 76ers vs. Hawks playoff series. Though his defensive stats were par for the player (8 rebounds and 13 assists), fans have mocked the player for taking only four field goal attempts the entire game. Dwight Howard played only 7 minutes, though scored no points. The 76ers lost the game by only seven points, and their season has concluded. 

Do you think Ben Simmons deserves the hate? 

Check out the clip and some reactions to Game 7 below.

Verzuz is known to get a bit sloppy at times. What’s positioned to be a competitive evening of artists performing their biggest hits often turns into a celebration of catalogs. Swizz and Timbaland’s rematch at Club LIV was largely celebratory with a crowd in front of them turning up as they breezed through some of their biggest hits.

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Fans quickly noticed how both Timbo and Swizz may have been drinking throughout the evening to the point where they became largely inebriated. Neither party confirmed that this was true but fans began putting together the pieces. On May 30th, the two had performed their biggest hits alongside each other in Miami but earlier in the day, they had been filming an episode of Drink Champs. NORE and DJ EFN’s podcast centers around their guests divulging untold stories while having a few drinks. 

“When @THEREALSWIZZZ and @Timbaland did their @verzuzonline episode, I thought ‘damn they’re kinda shit faced,'” a fan wrote on Twitter. “Turns out they recorded an episode of @Drinkchamps with @noreaga and @djEFN at 10 am that morning of the #VERZUZ lol.”

EFN retweeted the post, adding, “100 percent facts.” HipHopDX later reached out to the Drink Champs co-host who downplayed just how faded Swizz Beatz and Timbo were after recording the episode. “I wouldn’t say [they were] trashed, but they got nice [laughs]. We all did. We had fun. It was definitely the earliest recording Drink Champs ever did,” he said.

In related news, Soulja Boy and Bow Wow are set to appear on Verzuz this Friday, June 26th. 

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Jack Harlow announced his upcoming tour earlier this week, revealing that the tour dates would be readily available in no time. On Tuesday, the Kentucky-based rapper officially come through with his Crème de la Crème tour announcement, letting fans know which cities he’ll be visiting in the coming months.

As the world opens up, more and more artists are getting back on the road. This week alone, there have been major announcements from Lil Baby, Lil Durk, J. Cole, 21 Savage, Morray, and more about upcoming performances. Jack Harlow has joined the group of rappers heading back on tour, announcing his Crème de la Crème tour dates on Tuesday.

Kicking off the tour on September 8 in Orlando, Jack Harlow will also be performing high-profile festivals including Rolling Loud (who is sponsoring the tour), Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and more. He will be touching down in Miami, Detroit, Philadelphia, Houston, Toronto, and other music hubs across North America. If you’re not seeing your city listed right away, you’ll want to check back in a few weeks because Jack Harlow has already announced that he is adding more dates to the card. He’s also got something extra special planned for his home state of Kentucky.

Tickets will go on sale here this Friday, June 25 at 10 AM local time. Will you be buying a ticket to Jack Harlow’s Crème de la Crème tour?

Earlier in the month, Lil Durk’s older brother OTF DThang was reportedly shot and killed outside a strip club near Chicago. DThang, née Dontay Banks Jr., was shot outside Club O just after midnight on Sunday (June 6), passing away at the scene after receiving a bullet to the head. 

Durk, who has yet to publically comment on his brother’s death, was spotted at his late brother’s memorial service a few days after his passing. “In our hearts forever,” read a handout from the service. The Chicago emcee has remained radio silent on social media during the situation, but that all changed today when he shared his first Instagram post since DThang’s death. 

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“Dthang lil brother,” wrote Durk in the caption of the post, adding an amplified-speaker emoji. He paired the tributary caption with a photo of he and his brother standing side by side, grinning wide at the camera. He turned off commenting on the post, likely to avoid any tasteless comments from internet trolls. 

DThang’s passing comes right as Durk is on the heels of releasing his collaborative project with Lil Baby The Voice Of The Heroes. Murda Beatz and fellow Chicago rapper Calboy were among those who mourned the loss on social media, sending out their respects on Twitter. 

“R.I.P Dthang it’s was always love when ya saw me,” penned Calboy, while Murda Beatz tweeted a simple “R.I.P.”

Other details regarding the shooting have yet to be released. Of course, we’ll keep you updated if it does become available. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Lil Durk & DThang’s family. 

NLE Choppa wants his fellow rappers to lead healthier lifestyles and he’s starting a challenge to hopefully influence some of his peers to change their lives. For the last few years, the Memphis rapper has been preaching new values, explaining the importance of eating a plant-based diet and growing the majority of your own foods. He has also launched a website where he sells products with different health benefits, spreading his ideals with his fanbase. However, he wants to expand his reach, looking to MoneyBagg Yo as his potential first rapper client.

Challenging the “Wockesha” rapper to quit drinking lean, NLE Choppa asked MoneyBagg Yo to drink a bottle of chlorophyll for every pint of lean that he consumes.

“I Have A New Challenge For Rappers. For Every Pint of Lean, Or Even Alcohol, Drink A Pint Of Chlorophyll,” wrote Choppa on Twitter. “I Wanna Start By Challenging @MoneyBaggYo I’ll Bring This To You Personally Fam.”

Attaching a video to his message, Choppa explained that chlorophyll “can help detox the body, help improve your skin, help aid off addiction, can be used as a permanent deodorant,” and more. The rapper has been doing his research and he’s sharing his knowledge with the world. 

So far, MoneyBagg Yo has not responded to NLE Choppa’s challenge. We’ll keep you posted with his answer.

2020 was a wild ride for Kanye West who announced his partnership with GAP and his presidential candidacy one after the other. Of course, his presidential run was unsuccessful and reportedly played a role in his divorce from Kim Kardashian. However, his plans to open his own church are officially underway since the rapper has officially registered Sunday Service as a non-profit, tax-exempt church.

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‘Ye hired lawyer Karl F. Mill who focuses on non-profits to help obtain Sunday Service’s 501c3 tax-exempt status. The March 23rd filing lists ‘Ye’s $2.2M headquarters in Calabasas along with other details of the corporation. 

The most interesting part of the filing is that it bars Sunday Service from trying to “participate in, or intervene in [including the publication or distribution of statements], any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.” 

The lawsuit arrives after Sunday Service and Kanye were hit with multi-million dollar lawsuits pertaining to unpaid wages and mistreatment. Last year, Kanye was sued over the production of his opera Nebuchadnezzar. Hundreds of performers, the choice, and a large production team who, according to California labor laws, should’ve been classified as employees rather than independent contractors. Because of poor ticket sales, members of the crew were hired to sit in the audience, even with 5K tickets being released for free. Two lawsuits related to this issue could amount to $30M in payouts.

Another lawsuit filed against Kanye and Sunday Service last summer claimed that they stole technology used for the show. This lawsuit filed by MyChannel Inc. is suing Kanye for damages.

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A drastic increase in gun violence has been an ongoing issue in the United States since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, namely in big cities like New York, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. Minnesota Vikings rookie Jaylen Twyman experienced this firsthand on Monday (June 21) in D.C. after being shot four times while riding in a car.

As confirmed by team officials and his agent, the 21-year-old defensive tackle, who was drafted in May, was one of four victims during Monday’s shootings in his hometown while he was back visiting his aunt. 

His agent Drew Rosenhaus explained to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, “Wrong place, wrong time. In talking to him today, he’s going to be OK — that’s all that matters. We’re thankful he’s OK. He will make a full recovery.”

Twyman was struck by shots in the arm, leg, buttocks and shoulder, but is expected to be released from a hospital later this week, explains his agent. “There doesn’t appear to be long-term injuries that would prohibit him from playing this season,” continued Rosenhaus, adding that Twyman’s wounds would not require surgery and it was not a targeted attack. 

D.C. metropolitan police said in a statement that officers responded to the scene after gunshots were heard in the area, discovering two men had been wounded. They were then taken to the hospital, but are expected to survive as well. Two other victims sought treatment at other facilities. Officers are searching for a silver SUV in connection to the shooting, which occurred in the District’s Lincoln Heights section, where Twyman grew up. He’s previously lost his uncle and older brother to gun violence less than a mile from where he was struck. 

The Vikings have issued a statement on the matter, explaining, “We have been in direct contact with Jaylen and his family, and we are extremely thankful Jaylen is expected to make a full recovery.” We’ll keep you updated on any subsequent developments. Our prayers go out to Twyman and his family. 

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