Ja Morant already been putting the league on notice, but after two straight career scoring games, it might be time to put him in the MVP race.
Morant put up a career-high 52 points in the Grizzlies 118-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs. That also set a franchise record for points scored in a single game, and marked his second straight game in which he put up a career-high.
The 52 point showcase wasn’t even the best part of game. With 0.4 seconds left in the second quarter, Steven Adams delivered a perfectly placed pass down the full length of the court to Morant, who caught it and shot it in one motion while fading back along the baseline.
Morant, along with everyone else in the arena, was left speechless.
Morant finished with seven rebounds and two assists to go with his 52 points, and shot 22-of-30 from the field. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the three point line. The Memphis Grizzlies in one short year, have come from NBA play in tournament darlings, to currently third in the Western Conference.
As the season is winding down, nobody will want the smoke with Morant and the Grizzlies.
As Black History Month comes to a close, the 2022 NAACP Image Awards cap off a month celebrating black contributions to society. After the ceremony on Saturday, February 26, the celebrating will continue in a big way with DJ Cassidy’s special Reggae edition of Pass The Mic following the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. The special, DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic: BET Afterparty 2022, brings together Reggae and dancehall icons, celebrating Reggae’s influence on hip-hop and global culture.
DJ Cassidy sat down with The Source to talk about the show, whose lineup includes artists such as Shaggy, Maxi Priest, Super Cat, Barrington Levy, Ini Kamoze, Sister Nancy, Junior Reid, Patra, and more.
The inspiration for the show came from his past experience DJing, the overwhelming success of Pass the Mic, and his passion for a wide variety of musical genres.
He describes how the overwhelming emotional response to the first Pass the Mic in July 2020 inspired him to continue and he immediately began envisioning future installments of the concept.
“Looking back, I see now that each vision was a derivative of my former record crates that I carried to each deejay gig around the world,” he explains. “Before technology changed the game, I loaded six to eight one hundred pound steel cases that each held about 100 pieces of vinyl into every New York City taxi and onto every airplane. I categorized each crate by some form genre or era of music. From the very beginning of my Pass The Mic journey, I dreamed about a Reggae edition, a manifestation of that coveted Reggae record crate. As a hip-hop kid growing up in New York City, incorporating Reggae into my deejay sets was second nature. Dancehall stars were also hip-hop stars.”
He explains how when he first began conceptualizing this edition, he “wanted to represent those iconic dancehall records that played a special role in that crate, in my repertoire, and in my life in general.”
He also emphasizes how he really wanted to represent the various diverse facets of Reggae music, unbound by era, year, or decade, stating that “each of the sixteen songs featured on this show not only holds a special place in my heart, but holds a special place in the history of Reggae music and its massive influence on hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. Some dominated the hip-hop airwaves of radio stations like Hot 97 in the 1990s, while others topped the Billboard Pop Charts in the 1980s. Some fused with R&B and achieved massive commercial success, while others remain the most sampled songs of all times. Simply put, each of these records changed the game.”
While the show will definitely have many of the Pass the Mic trademark staples, Cassidy is also quick to note that viewers are in for a special treat with some of the differences that this show promises.
“Sixteen iconic records are featured in this show, more records on one show than ever before,” he explains. “There were simply so many definitive songs I wanted to celebrate. This edition brings the rapid-fire pace of Pass the Mic to new heights.
Cassidy has also partnered with some major industry names to make the upcoming show a success. In addition to superstar television producer, Jesse Collins (who recently produced the iconic hip-hop Superbowl Halftime show) and legendary music impresario, Steve Rifkind (founder of Loud and SRC Records), Cassidy partnered with renowned Reggae renaissance woman Sharon Burke and her team of Judth Bodley and Debrina Smith. “As a producer, promoter, and manager, Sharon has been at the helm of countless iconic Reggae moments over a span of decades. I knew that with her by my side, we would create something truly special that would go down in music history”, says Cassidy.
As for the future, Cassidy has no plans to limit his Pass the Mic experience to the western hemisphere, especially since over the course of the first eight editions of Pass the Mic, one of his signature catchphrases has become, “passing the mic all over the world.”
“Through Pass The Mic, I’ve always sought to create global connections between artists and fans and build bridges between both genres and viewers. Never has that mission been more fulfilled than in this installment,” he says of the upcoming performance.
“Witnessing the massive global response that Pass The Mic: Volume One and Pass The Mic: Volume Two received, I was overwhelmed by the international influence of classic hip-hop and R&B,” he says. “I always sought for the series to connect people musically on an international level, and no edition represents that mission more effectively than this upcoming special. In the future, as Pass the Mic continues to grow both on television, the stage, and beyond, I hope to constantly expand on that mission. As Afrobeat and Reggaeton’s cultural influence continues to explode, I would love to pass the mic to the icons, past, present, and future, that shaped their global impact. During President Biden’s televised Inauguration, I passed the mic to Ozuna and Luis Fonsi in front of 40 million viewers with two records that dominated global music charts, “Taki Taki” and “Despacito.” The sky’s the limit. I’d also love to celebrate Brazilian music and pass the mic to one of my greatest musical heroes, Sergio Mendes.”
He concludes by saying that “at the end of the day, no matter the category, genre, or era of music, each installment of Pass The Mic celebrates the greatest artists and greatest songs of all time by connecting those artists to their fans in a more intimate way than ever before.”
After striking out to become a head coach in the NFL, Eric Bieniemy will officially return to be the offensive coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. The team’s offensive coordinator of the last four seasons is returning to the team on a one-year deal, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Eric Bieniemy will return to Kansas City on another one-year deal, source said. https://t.co/AGNT8vUlLN
The return comes as Bieniemy went through another NFL head coaching carousel without finding a new job, this time interviewing with the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and New Orleans Saints. However, this time, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Bieniemy was also considering college jobs and taking a year off.
The Chiefs had already lost their likely top choice to replace Bieniemy had he left the team, quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka, who left to become offensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
Bieniemy is the only offensive coordinator Patrick Mahomes has ever known. During their time together, the Chiefs have reached the AFC Championship game four times, reached the Super Bowl twice, and won a championship one time.
Former boxing champions Wladimir Klitschko and Vitali Klitschko are ready for some action. The Klitschko brothers are ready to fight for their beloved country of Ukraine.
Wladimir enlisted in the Ukrainian reserve army three weeks before Russia’s invasion early Thursday, and Vitali – the mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine – said he’d also take up arms this week.
Wladimir Klitschko and Vitali Klitschko launch a joint video appeal after Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine by Russia…
“I’m calling to all international partners to observe this tragedy that is happening nowadays in Ukraine,” Wladimir said. ” … I just want to tell you we must stay united against this aggression, against Russian aggression. Don’t let it continue happening in Ukraine. Don’t let it happen in Europe and eventually the world. United, we’re strong. Support Ukraine.”
The Klitschko brothers clearly love their country and feel that the invasion is cruel and unnecessary. In the ring, they were a combined 109-7. Their presence alone could go a long way with their fellow countrymen.
Capcom has announced Street Fighter 6, the next major entry in the iconic fighting game franchise, celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. This is the first Street Fighter game released since Street Fighter 5 in 2016.
The short teaser revealed a beefed-up Ryu as he faces Luke, the 45th and final character for Street Fighter 5, who was teased about being in the sequel. The announcement for Street Fighter 6 also coincided with the 35th anniversary of the franchise.
While no actual gameplay was shown, fans can’t wait to see which of their beloved characters from back in the days resurface in the latest installment of this beloved franchise.
2022 NBA All-Star Weekend got underway on Friday night with the Rising Stars Challenge. With a new format and a series of games, were four seven -man rosters coached by Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas, Rick Barry, James Worthy and Gary Payton.
When it was all said and done, Team Barry outlasted Team Thomas to win the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars Challenge with Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham being named MVP.
“It was a lot of fun,” Cunningham said after claiming the event’s MVP award. “Great teammates, great coaches, great atmosphere … I had a good time, for sure.”
With Cunningham leading the way, Team Barry came out and played a much more organized form of basketball then the other three teams. They actually was calling real plays and didn’t have the look of a pick up team.
“I tried to get some diversification, get some size, get some guys who can shoot the ball and just play good basketball,” Barry said. “I’m proud of these guys, cause every one of them did a good job. It was so great to see them playing basketball. They really went out and played the way the game should be played.”
Riveting Entertainment announced its partnership with Rebel Blockchain Inc aka Nifter to introduce a unique spin to the NFT space allowing the opportunity for buyers to see a return on their investment and become part royalty share owners of the music NFT they purchase.
In a new era of music, recording artists are taking more ownership, pioneering creative ideas, and marketing their personal material. Riveting Music, an independent record label under Riveting Entertainment, has been known for its work with artists like Redman and Chris Brown.
They also announced their season one NFT launch, “Ethos” which is a community of independent recording artists brought on through Riveting Music’s deep rooted relationships.
The announcement described Ethos as “the story of the underdog winning and artists coming together to form a creative space and community of like minded individuals with a common goal.”
Andrew Listermann, CEO of Riveting Entertainment shared with The Source.
“For a music NFT platform to be truly successful, it must prioritize supporting artists to help create the best opportunity for success. Nifter has shown they are ready to do that and so we are looking forward to releasing a lot of incredible music NFT projects with their platform.”
The first artists from the roster to release NFT content under the new partnership include Lyrica Anderson, Lexi Drew, Nessly + Killy, Joss Austin, Dawin, Nieman + Eric Bellinger, and Dice Soho.
If you’re a fan of Netflix’s Stranger Things and you felt like you’ve been waiting too long for a new season, good news, the wait is almost over.
Starting with Season 4, Netflix said it will be split into two volumes, the first of which will be released on May 27. The second part will follow five weeks later, debuting on July 1. This is not a unique release strategy for Netflix, as the company also broke Ozark Season 4 into two parts.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer said they wanted to split Stranger Things Season 4 into two parts due to its “unprecedented length.” The season had nine scripts and more than 800 pages, and it required two years of filming and “thousands” of VFX shots, the Duffer brothers said in a note to fans. The total runtime for Season 4 is almost twice the length of any of the previous seasons, and the brothers said Season 4 was the “most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one.”
The brothers also confirmed that the fifth season of Stranger Things is coming, and it will be the last. “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four…” they said.
No word yet as to when season 5 of Stranger Things will arrive. In the meantime, we will have an extended season 4 after a long two-year absence.
James Harden admitted on Tuesday that when he was essentially forcing his way out of Houston at the start of last season, his first choice was to be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers to join up with Joel Embiid and his former general manager with Daryl Morey. All of this might have been something Kevin Durant might have assumed all along.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, Durant had grown frustrated with Harden this season over his conditioning and an apparent lack of commitment to the Brooklyn Nets.
One source told Fischer that Durant and Harden had a “cold war” this season that made everyone “miserable.”
Durant reportedly held out hope that Harden would become re-engaged. However, according to Fischer, after reports grew louder that Harden wanted a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, Harden reportedly eventually told the Nets he wanted out, and Durant gave the green light to pull the trade.
Fischer quoted a source saying: “Kevin’s the one that pulled the trigger with this. Kevin’s the one that said, ‘Do this deal.’”
It was an unfortunate end of what could have been. Durant, Harden, and Kyrie Irving only played a grand total of 16 games together.
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