newhiphopnews

Stephen A. Smith Calls Out Kawhi Leonard

by

Stephen A. Smith went all in on Kawhi Leonard during Friday’s edition of First Take. When discussing the current NBA playoffs series between the Suns and Clippers, Smith took a moment to talk about Leonard. Leonard was ruled out of the Clippers Game 3 loss with a knee sprain. While Smith admitted to believing in Leonard’s injury. However, trusting Leonard to be available for the big games is the biggest issue Smith has with the superstar. Smith even went as far as to call Leonard one of the worst superstars in league history.

Obviously, Smith isn’t denying Leonard’s greatness. The Clippers star is a multi-time Finals MVP and has proven time and time again how great he can be in the post-season. However, in his tenure with the Clippers, Leonard’s problem is that he hasn’t been available. Injuries are a tough deal and sadly, a part of the game. But that isn’t the argument Smith is making. The legendary media personality wants to know how Leonard takes the load management he is offered during the regular season. But still isn’t available during the time his team needs him most.

Stephen A. Smith Questions Leonard’s Durability

Leonard has become one of the post-season players of his generation. But the Clippers haven’t seen the Leonard they thought they were getting when he arrived. Smith questioned Leonard’s reliability when it comes to performing for his team. The Clippers are already without Paul George. So losing Leonard has put the team behind massively. Now the questions are starting to be asked is Leonard even worth being on the team if he can’t play in the big moments?

Leonard’s availability for Game 4 of the series has not been made available. However, a knee sprain is not going to heal overnight. The Suns win on Thursday night put Phoenix up 2-1 in the series. Without Leonard, the Clippers will face a near-impossible task in coming back to advance past the first round. Do you agree with Stephen A. Smith on Leonard’s legacy? Or do you believe Leonard has just suffered unfortunate timing with injuries? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. For the latest NBA news, keep it right here with HNHH.

[Via]

Lil Baby Allegedly Fathered IG Model Daliesha Keys’ Infant Son, She Exposes DNA Test

by

On his Instagram page, Lil Baby is frequently seen spending time with and spoiling his two sons – Jason and Loyal. While the Atlanta native lives a busy life as one of the most recognizable rappers out right now, he’s sure to include his young boys in his celebrity lifestyle by bringing them along to red-carpet events or icing them out with luxurious jewelry. He’s obviously established a strong co-parenting relationship with both of his baby mamas, but now, it seems a third woman is trying to enter the picture with claims that Baby fathered her infant child.

Earlier this week, an Instagram model, Daliesha Keys, unveiled a DNA test for her son, which claims that Dominique Jones – the My Turn artist’s real name – is a 99.99% match for paternity. The document is in Spanish, but regardless of the language, numbers simply don’t lie. Of course, there are still a lot of pieces missing from the puzzle, but the social media starlet celebrated her apparent win by posting photos of the little one on her Instagram feed. “For all the haters and everyone who was trying to silence me, the truth out now🧬,” she wrote in the caption.

Is Lil Baby a Father of Three?

In the comment section, internet trolls pointed out that Keys previously pulled a similar stunt with another rapper, making her allegations slightly harder to believe this time around. “First Durk, now Baby😂😂,” they wrote. “Tryna come for the voice of the [heroes] 😂.” Someone else pointed out another potential issue with the DNA test’s legitimacy, noting that, “Lmaoooo ma’am it [says] North Carolina but it’s in Spanish. BFFR!!!!!!”

Elsewhere in the comments, others speculated how Baby’s second son’s mother, Jayda Cheaves will react to the drama. The former couple has been spending plenty of time together again as of late, though it remains unclear if they’ve rekindled their romance just yet. “Jayda ’bout to post her whole Chanel collection with this one,” one user quipped. “One thing we know post-COVID is ANYBODY can create a form😂😂😂,” another funny comment reads. Do you think Daliesha Keys’ allegations about Lil Baby are legit? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more pop culture news.

Daliesha Keys Posts Alleged DNA Test

[Via]

Five NFL Players Suspended For Betting Offenses

by

The NFL has always had a somewhat awkward relationship with sports betting. As more and more states have legalized the practice, the NFL has cautiously opened itself up to the lucrative industry. In 2021, the league announced agreements with four sportsbook operators. However, the NFL has been careful not to officially endorse any one operator through an official partnership. Sports betting revenue hit $7.5 billion in 2022.

However, an area where the NFL has held firm is betting on the part of its players. Like most professional sports leagues in the US, the NFL forbids players from betting in any capacity. The most notable casualty of this is Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who was suspended for the 2022 season for betting on games during the 2021 season. That suspension led to Ridley’s release from the Falcons, as well as criticisms that the NFL was harsher on gambling than issues such as sexual assault.

Four Lions, One Commander Handed Suspensions

On April 21, the NFL officially suspended five players for betting-related offenses. Wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore, both of the Lions, and defensive end Shaka Toney of the Commanders received indefinite suspensions for betting on NFL games. Wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill, also both of the Lions, were suspended for six games each for placing bets not related to the NFL. The Lions have since reported that Cephus and Moore have been released from the team. Toney remains on the Commanders at the time of writing.

Williams is the biggest name of the five who were suspended. The twelfth overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Williams spent most of the season rehabbing from an ACL tear sustained in the 2022 College National Championship game. However, he was expected to be a major part of the Lions’ offense this season. Of the other Lions suspended, Cephus was a 2020 fifth-rounder who has played in 22 games over the last three seasons. Moore went undrafted in 2019 but has made 48 tackles in 56 games for the Lions. Berryhill went undrafted in 2022 and made four appearances for the team last year. Shaka Toney was a 2021 seventh-rounder who appeared in 26 games for the Commanders.

[via]

HER Kicks Her EGOT Campaign Into High Gear With A Production Credit On Broadway’s ‘Here Lies Love,’

by
HER Grammys 2023
Getty Image

HER (real name Gabriella Wilson) was a producer for Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous, including on the title track, earning her a few nominations at the 2023 Grammys. She didn’t win any this year, but that’s OK: She already has five Grammys.

Wilson also has an Oscar for “Fight For You,” written for Judas And The Black Messiah, and she won at the Children’s And Family Emmys last year for her contributions to We The People, a Netflix animated series.

It appears she’s zeroing in on EGOT status.

According to Billboard, Wilson “has joined the production team of Here Lies Love.” The publication additionally noted, “If Here Lies Love were to win best musical at the 77th annual Tony Awards in June 2024, HER would become an EGOT. Not only that, but she would become, at 26, the youngest EGOT by more than a decade.”

In January, Variety reported that Here Lies Love will debut with preview performances beginning on June 17 and opening night on July 20 at the Broadway Theatre in New York and “will be produced in the fully immersive, mostly standing-room format,” which is how it was staged initially at the Public Theatre a decade ago as well as in London and Seattle.

Playbill sums Here Lies Love as “the immersive disco-pop musical based on the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution of the Philippines” and will feature scoring from David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.

Wilson provided a statement, as relayed by Billboard, “Filipinos are a global people. We come in all colors and build bridges across cultures. I am beyond excited to produce my first Broadway musical and forge a unique and meaningful partnership with Here Lies Love.”

Wilson made history last December as the first Black and Filipina woman to portray Belle on-screen. She starred as the iconic Disney princess for ABC’s Beauty And The Beast: A 30th Celebration television special.

Vic Mensa, Chance The Rapper, And G-Eazy Get Loose On The Frenetic ‘Swish’

by

If you push play on Vic Mensa‘s new song “Swish” above expecting to hear a redux of his and Chance The Rapper‘s 2021 reunion “Shelter,” you’re going to be sorely disappointed. While the first two names involved, Vic and Chance, might suggest a thoughtful or contemplative vibe, “Swish” seems to be taken from the oeuvre of their third collaborator, G-Eazy.

It’s actually a frantic club song, over which Chance, Vic, and Gerald rap praise to the twerkers while boasting the trappings of their wealth, from name-checking Rick Owens, The Ramones, and Al Capone to comparing their fists to Thanos — because they have too many stones, you see.

Honestly, if Chance and Vic are entering their party-boy era as both approach 30, you kind of have to give it to them. They spent their early 20s as the avatars of poetic, introspective rap, then got shunted into two lanes that wound up disappointing some of their earliest fans; Vic went through both a punk-rock phase and became the latest flag-bearer for so-called “conscious” rap, while Chance became known as the wife guy, whether fairly or not.

We know from the social media kerfuffle earlier this week that Chance likes to let it all hang loose once in a while, and frankly, it’s nice to see them shed their buttoned-up, super-serious professional presentation for at least a little bit. Check out “Swish” above and stay tuned.

Beyoncé Asked Megan Thee Stallion To Rework Her ‘Savage Remix’ Verse, As Meg Hilariously Explained

by

Megan Thee Stallion is having a hard-earned moment, but for the rest of her life, it will be hard to top the full-circle moment of collaborating with her fellow Houstonian Beyoncé on 2020’s “Savage Remix,” a Grammy-winning track that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Meg reflected on that milestone and her other “Hottest Career Moments,” an extension of her reign as the cover star of Elle‘s May issue:

“Beyoncé probably so tired of me saying her name,” Megan Thee Stallion said, giggling, about 70 seconds into the video. “We were in quarantine at this time. Beyoncé did the [‘Savage Remix’]. I didn’t believe she was actually gonna do it, but she did it, and my mind was blown. I called my granny. Me and my manager was in my living room, going crazy.”

She continued, “Beyoncé was like, ‘Could you please make your verse a little bit cleaner?’ I went in my living room, and I recorded it right then. Like, Beyoncé didn’t have to tell me twice! I sent that verse right back. But it was amazing. Everybody knows that I am obsessed with Beyoncé, so when I got the collab — like, being from Houston with her — I was just appreciative. When I saw people dancing to the song, vibing to it, loving it, how many famous people was dancing to the song, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, y’all know me.’”

Watch the full “Hottest Career Moments” video above, and check out outtakes from Meg’s Elle cover story below.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Questlove Seeks To Inspire “Black Nerds” In New Book

by

Questlove is finding more and more ways to inspire Black youth. Whether it’s through his timeless classics with his band The Roots or winning Oscars for beautiful depictions of the Black existence, Quest always has the youth in mind. This time around the six-time Grammy winner has found yet another way to inspire young Black kids with the release of his new novel The Rhythm of Time. Despite it being out since Tuesday (April 18), the young adult novel has already found its way into Amazon’s Top 5 best seller list under the “Children’s Action and Adventure” section.

The book aims to inspire Black nerds like Questlove who never saw themselves represented in the books he read. In a recent interview with The View, he told the hosts he dedicated the book to his 9-year-old self who enjoyed reading but never saw himself in the books that were available to him. Although the book isn’t autobiographical, Quest uses his Philadelphia upbringing as inspiration. He told the hosts “I want Black nerds to see themselves as well.”

Questlove Opens Up About New Novel

The Rhythm of Time follows seventh-grader Rahim Reynolds and his friend Kasia Collins, who spend their time building all sorts of crazy gadgets. Rahim is then transported back to 1997 after getting his hands on one of Kasia experimental cell phones. He must find a way back to the present while dodging nefarious obstacles and roadblocks. Questlove collaborated with New York Times bestselling author S.A. Cosby to create the novel, recommended for ages 10 and up (we’re all kids at heart). This is Quest’s sixth publishing venture, the 260-page bestseller is available on hardcover for $16 on Amazon.

In addition to his new book, Quest is also taking his talents to big screen yet again. He’ll be directing a live-action hybrid adaptation of Disney’s classic Aristocats. This will be his feature film directorial debut, and the movie is expected to be a live-action hybrid rendition of the classic film. Questlove will serve as the executive producer alongside co-producers bandmate BlackThought, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman. Have you read Quest’s book yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Air Jordan 1 Mid “Black Toe” Unveiled

by

One of the best variations of the Air Jordan 1 is the Air Jordan 1 Mid. Overall, this is a shoe that is classy and refined. It keeps all of the best elements of the High OG, but with that shorter cut on the ankle. This allows for the Jordan 1 Mid to be a lot less expensive. Moreover, Jumpman tends to be more experimental with this shoe. It is a silhouette that gets some unique colorways, and fans are always very excited by them.

Throughout 2023, this shoe has gotten a whole bunch of teasers. Many of these colorways have just been variations of looks and colors that we have seen before. However, Jumpman knows that these elements work, so there is no point in going away from them. For instance, the “Chicago” aesthetic is always a fan favorite. On the Air Jordan 1 Mid “Black Toe” below, we get that scheme Michael Jordan made famous. Overall, it makes for a shoe that is hard not to like.

“Black Toe” Air Jordan 1 Mid

Air Jordan 1 Mid
Image via Nike

Firstly, the base of the sneaker is made with white leather. This includes the toe box and the side panels. Secondly, the sneaker has black overlays, even on the Nike swoosh and the tongue. Lastly, we get a nice dose of red on the outsole, laces, and even the cuff. Once you put all of these elements together, you get a shoe that works exceptionally well. Overall, we know that Chicago Bulls fans will agree with us.

At the time of writing this, the Air Jordan 1 Mid “Black Toe” does not yet have a release date. However, it will be available soon for a price of $125 USD. If you are looking for a new offering that will impress during the summer months, then this is the way to go. Let us know what you think of these, down in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news from around the sneaker world. We will always keep you informed of the best releases from the biggest brands.

More Photos

Image via Nike
Air Jordan 1 Mid
Image via Nike