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There has been a lot of turmoil between Joe Budden and his former podcast co-hosts Rory & Mal. Just a couple of months ago, it was revealed that Rory and Mal were no longer on the pod, which had fans questioning what was going on. Eventually, Rory and Mal came back for a reunion episode and at the time, it seemed like things were going to be good again. However, this all changed this past week when Joe went on a fiery rant on his podcast in which he fired Rory and Mal on the spot. 

Budden claimed that his co-hosts were trying to audit him despite not having any ownership in the podcast. On Saturday, Rory and Mal dropped a response to Joe’s accusations, and in the conversation, they revealed a key piece of information. As Rory and Mal explain, they were being paid based on a percentage of the podcast’s earnings. As a result, they wanted to look at the accounting to make sure they were being paid the proper amount. However, Joe allegedly didn’t like this, and ultimately fired them for it.

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“I feel like Joe feels like a lot of the success of this podcast is based over his music career,” Mal said explained “And my thing is, it’s not. I been in some of these cities when you were a rapper, Joe. … This many people weren’t showing up for you.”

The conversation between Rory & Mal has gone viral on social media and fans have been weighing in on the ordeal. Based on Rory & Mal’s account of things, it seems like fans are firmly on their side. Budden has been known to burn bridges in the past, and some are starting to realize just how much this situation mirrors some of Joe’s other business fallouts.

You can see what fans had to say about the response podcast, below.

When it comes to the current state of hip-hop, it’s Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole that are often thrown in the conversation of the best lyricists in the game. Those three rappers have managed to keep their pens sharp, reach critical acclaim, and succeed on the charts simultaneously. However, there hasn’t been an occasion in history when we’ve heard all three of them on the same track.

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Following the release of The Off-Season, J. Cole sat down with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez for the latest episode of Boardroom’s The ETC’s podcast. The rapper discusses the parallels between ball and rap, as well as the competitive nature that comes with it. The competition is simply a part of the game but Cole detailed how it prevented him from getting close to his peers, namely Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

“I was so competitive early on that, even though we were all friends — I would say we’re all friends and friendly. Like, I’ve never been a reach out, you know what I mean? I’ve never been that person, especially when it’s competition involved,” he explained. He compared his rivalry with Kendrick and Drake to basketball players working out with each other in the past. “Why would I work out with this n***a? I’m trying to destroy this n***a.”

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“That was kind of my mentality early on but as I got older I realized like… no one is truly my peer or can truly relate to my life more than [Drake and Kendrick Lamar],” he continued. “No one can really relate to that like like these dudes and I really genuinely fuck with these dudes. So like, I’ve been absolutely been trying to make an effort, like, as time goes on to strip the competition from it. Like, y’all n***as are cemented forever. I would hope that I’m cemented forever and if not, I will be when it’s all said and done.”

With hints of retirement scattered through recent interviews, Cole said that the possibility of him leaving the game is real. Because of that, he doesn’t want to regret not sharing any memories with Drake and Kendrick — two artists that he came up with. And stripping the competition appears to be a matter of age at this point. 

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“You’re not going to be competitive against someone you don’t respect. You’re not going to be extremely competitive with someone you don’t respect. So it’s always a respect thing. I think now, it’s just a wisdom thing,” Cole continued. “It’s like, yo, you can never have it all. A hundred percent of people aren’t going to say Kevin Durant is the best player walk on the face of the earth. A hundred percent of people are never going to say J. Cole is the best rapper breathing. You won’t get 90%. You won’t get 90% say Drake. You won’t get 90% say Kendrick. It’s never gon’ happen.”

Check out the full clip below. 

Kodak Black unleashed his project Haitian Boy Kodak on Friday (May 14) after announcing its arrival earlier in the week. The eight-track project from the Pompano native touches on themes of fame, unreleased songs, and some of his feuds. 

Album standout “Dirty K” has been creating a buzz across social media for his alleged mentioning of many of his famous peers. He is speculated to have referenced Yung Miami and Jayda Cheaves in the track, although the incomplete Genius transcription of the lyrics has yet to confirm whether this is true. He did, however, directly speak on his feud with NBA YoungBoy, as well as his relationship with Meek Mill and an unreleased track with Post Malone. 

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On “Dirty K,” Kodak opens up about seemingly wanting to put his beef with NBA YoungBoy to rest. “My lil brother YoungBoy told me he look up to me, I don’t know why he been feelin’ like it’s ‘fuck me now,’ spits the Florida rapper over the single that samples Aaliyah’s “I Don’t Wanna.” “Bout to call him, tryna see what all this fussing ’bout,” he finished. 

He’s notably had kinder things to say about YoungBoy recently, admitting just a few weeks ago he missed his dear friend. Elsewhere on the track, Kodak touched on some advice he received from Meek Mill. 

“Meek Mill told me I should have at least fifty M’s/But what’s the point in you telling me if you ain’t gon’ help me get it,” criticized Kodak. He later admitted to having an unreleased track with Post Malone sitting in the vault. 

“І gоt а ѕоng wіth Роѕt Маlоnе but І аіn’t hеаrd іt уеt/І bе hоріng оnе dау hе rеlеаѕе іt/І bе wіѕhіng І соuld kеер mу frееdоm,” rapped Kodak. 

Check out “Dirty K” below if you haven’t already and let us know what you make of Kodak’s bars. 

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Lil Reese and two other men were shot in Chicago yesterday and a clip of the aftermath ended up going viral on Twitter. At first, there was very little information on Reese’s condition although last night, it was revealed that he was in “fair condition” at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. It was also reported that Reese had spoken to the police about the shooting and what exactly happened moments before the shootout.

“Lil Reese told police that he met the people in the Durango outside of the garage and directed them where to drive so he could buy cannabis from them, the report said. The other people shot gave police little information,” The Chicago Tribune said.

Last night, Reese’s IG account posted a small update to his story saying “God is great” with some prayer hands. The message has since been deleted although fans are taking it as a sign that Reese is going to be okay.

In medical terms, “fair condition” means your vital signs are good and that you are conscious of everything around you. However, it also means the patient can be feeling some discomfort. It is believed that Reese’s eye was actually grazed by a bullet.

Details surrounding Reese’s condition continue to surface so stay tuned as we will be sure to keep you informed.

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Chloe Bailey has been social media’s favorite sweetheart recently. Ever since the older half of sister duo Chloe x Halle launched her own social media pages separate from her sister, users have been loving her sultry content and her musical covers. Cardi B recently praised the songstress for the cover of her hit “Be Careful,” joking that she imagined she had sounded like that when she recorded it back in 2018. 

Unfortunately for Chloe, private footage of the 22-year-old practicing the choreography from her single “Do It” surfaced online in just a t-shirt and thong underwear. After receiving backlash from people online, she took to social media to clear up any confusion about what was going on in the footage. 

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In a since-deleted tweet, Chloe penned, “guys that video was literally from may 2020 of me rehearsing the do it choreo alone in my room having fun wanted to show bts content. i stay up to 3-4 am sometimes just rehearsing in my room.”

She’s notably not one to shy away from sharing sexy videos online with her followers. After surpassing 1 million followers on Instagram, she treated fans to a seductive “special performance.” 

“a special performance for all of you. THANK YOU for all your love and support. let’s celebrate together in reaching 1Million followers,” wrote Chloe in the caption of the silhouette-esque video.  

Halle, the younger half of Chloe x Halle, is currently filming The Little Mermaid. She depicts Ariel in the upcoming film. 

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J. Cole is a man of many talents beyond just music. While most fans are still listening to his new project The Off-Season, Cole has been focusing on other ventures such as his newfound pro basketball career. Cole recently signed with the Rwanda Patriots of the Basketball Africa League and this morning, he is making his debut with the team. He is slated to play between three to six games this season and fans have been excited to see whether or not he can keep up with the opposition.

Early on in today’s game, Cole was able to check into the game and he’s played quite a few minutes to start. At first, it seemed as though Cole was mostly making his moves on the defensive end thanks to a plethora of stops and solid rotations. However, Cole was able to break through and get his first points as a pro, off of a rebound.

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In the Twitter clip below, Cole was seen trailing his teammate who couldn’t get the layup to go. That’s when Cole grabbed the rebound and made no mistake getting the basket. While it wasn’t the smoothest basket you’ll ever see, it’s definitely a shot that he will never forget.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact he’ll make throughout the rest of the game, although his performance has been promising thus far.

Drake has always been a massive basketball fan and he has no shame in showing it. While his allegiance may lie with the Toronto Raptors, he has always shown appreciation to those on other teams and he has even gotten some tattoos that reflect this fandom. Having grown up with players like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, it should come as no surprise that Drake is a huge fan of both of these men, and was eagerly awaiting their induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

That day finally came on Saturday as KG and Kobe were both given their rightful place in the Hall. Garnett made a moving speech during the festivities all while Vanessa Bryant made us tear up while accepting the honor on behalf of her husband. Following the even, Drake took to his IG story where he paid homage to the individuals who etched their name into the history books.

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“Congrats KG one of the realest ever,” Drake wrote. “Much respect to everyone else as well and long live Kobe.” Tim Duncan was also placed in the Hall of Fame last night, making this one of the great HoF classes of all time. All three of these players were pillars of their respective franchises and they are all worthy champions.

As for Drake, it’s always good to see him showing love to those who have inspired him.

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Ludacris and his wife Eudoxie Mbouguiengue announced a few days ago that they were expecting their second child. They got married back in 2014 and welcomed their first child in 2015, recently celebrating their sixth anniversary together. 

It’s been some time since Ludacris has rocked his signature 00s braids. The Atlanta-bred rapper chopped off his locks in exchange for a more traditional buzz cut, but the OG Luda braids will forever hold a special place in our hearts. It seems like the Grammy winner has had time during quarantine to grow his hair out, setting in the nostalgia yesterday by debuting his old school hairstyle on social media.

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“Oooowooo, yeah boy,” said the Atlanta rapper in the video while flexing the braids. He rocked a white tank paired with a gold chain and earrings. Numerous people pointed out how Luda looked like he hadn’t aged a single day since the age 

“We always talk about Pharrell but Ludacris done looked the same since I was in 3rd grade lol,” remarked one Twitter user. 

Another user took the nostalgic braids and the recent servicing of Nicki Minaj’s Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape to streaming services as a good luck sign for this summer. “Ludacris got his hair braided and n*ggas bumping itty bitty piggy like it just came out this summer about to be special,” wrote the user. 

Check out more reactions to Ludacris bringing his braids back. 

Kyrie Irving has always been a socially conscious individual and when something bothers him, he makes sure to voice his opinion. Throughout this season, Irving has made it abundantly clear that basketball is not the most important thing in his life, and while that may bother some fans, there is no denying that he has every right to feel that way. At the end of the day, human rights are way bigger than sports and if Kyrie wants to dedicate his life to righteous causes, he should be able to do so. 

Last night, the Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls and after the game, Irving was not interested in answering any questions related to the game. Instead, he spoke on the conflict in Israel and Palestine and how it has affected him. Irving touched on those who are oppressed and how his mind has mostly shifted over to what’s going on overseas.

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“I’m not going to lie to you guys, a lot of stuff is going on in this world and basketball is just not the most important thing to me right now,” Irving said per ESPN. “There’s a lot of things going on overseas. All our people are still in bondage across the world, and there’s a lot of dehumanization going on.

“So I apologize if I’m not going to be focused on y’all’s questions. It’s just too much going on in the world for me to just be talking about basketball. I focus on this most of the time, 24/7, but it’s just too much going on in this world not to address. It’s just sad to see this s— going on. It’s not just in Palestine, not just in Israel. It’s all over the world, and I feel it. I’m very compassionate to it — to all races, all cultures and to see it, to see a lot of people being discriminated against, based on their religion, color of their skin, what they believe in. It’s just sad.”

With the playoffs right around the corner, it remains to be seen whether or not Irving will want to continue with the season. He has never been shy to take some time off, and Nets fans should be prepared for anything. 

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