Finding Your Roots Archives - New Hip Hop News

Ciara & Derek Jeter Are Distant Relatives, PBS Show Reveals

January 3, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Ciara and Derek Jeter are distant cousins, the singer learned on the latest episode of PBS’ Finding Your Roots. “What in the world? You are kidding me. Derek Jeter! That’s crazy,” Ciara said upon hearing the news. Meanwhile, Ciara’s husband, Russell Wilson, took to social media to share his own reaction. “Always knew it! [laughing emoji] @Yankees Captain! @DerekJeter @Ciara,” the Broncos QB wrote.

Ciara was the guest for the show’s January 2 season premiere. However, the episode dropped a little under a month after Ciara gave birth to her and Wilson’s third child. On December 11, they revealed Amora Princess to the world. The pair had largely kept the pregnancy a family secret until Ciara made an announcement post showing off her baby bump in August 2023.

Russell Wilson Benching Due To Contract Dispute, Broncos QB Confirms

However, it’s not been all good news for Ciara and Wilson. Just before the New Year, Wilson confirmed speculation that the Broncos benched him because he refused to make significant adjustments to his contract. “They definitely told me I was going to be benched and all that. That whole bye week I didn’t know what was going to be the case. I was going to be ready to play, I wanted to go to Buffalo and beat Buffalo. I wasn’t going to remove the injury guarantee, this game is such a physical game, I’ve played 12 years and all that. And I want to be able to play, I want to be able to help this team win. Every time I step on the field it’s a physical game. I never play timid; I never play scared,” Wilson confirmed to reporters Friday.

Specifically, as Wilson alluded to, the Broncos had wanted the veteran QB to defer an injury guarantee to 2025. Under the current language of Wilson’s contract, he would receive $37M in guaranteed money if he wasn’t able to pass a physical in March 2024. Meanwhile, head coach Sean Payton, who cited the desire to trigger an “offensive spark” when benching Wilson, denied any knowledge of the contract dispute. “I’m not privy to any of those [discussions], I’m handling the football. I know how this has been written, but this decision is strictly what I believe gives us a chance to win No. 8. Hard decision [but there] will be no other reasons,” Payton said.

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Ciara Was Blown Away To Find Out She’s Related To A New York Yankees Icon On ‘Finding Your Roots’

January 3, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Ciara is of course married to football star Russell Wilson, but it turns out that’s actually not her only familial connection to the sports world: In a new clip from the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Ciara finds out that she is related to a former New York Yankees all-time great.

In the clip shared by Ciara on social media, Ciara turns a page of a book being presented to her, and when she sees what’s on it, she immediately looks up and exclaims, “What the world?!” The photo was of Derek Jeter, and host Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. explained, “That is your DNA cousin.” Ciara replied, “You are kidding me. Derek Jeter,” adding, “That’s crazy.”

In a voiceover, Gates explained share a “long, identical stretch of DNA on their 14th chromosome, DNA which we know Derek inherited from his mother.”

Ciara wrote while sharing the clip, “The moment I learned @DerekJeter was my cousin! Crazy! Thank you @drhenrylouisgates for such an incredible experience! This was a dream come true to learn about my family genealogy!”

The episode aired last night (January 2), and in the same one, Alanis Morissette made a surprising discovery of her own, learning that she’s a distant cousin of actress Claire Danes (as Entertainment Weekly notes). She said, “I’ve worked with her before, I heart her so much. Now I’m about to explode into confetti!”

Watch the full episode here.

Tracy Morgan Recalls Crying With Nas When They Learned They’re Related

December 13, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Tracy Morgan says that he and Nas cried over the phone upon learning that they’re cousins. The 30 Rock alum is set to appear on an upcoming episode of Finding Your Roots and, in turn, discussed his family tree on the podcast, Connect the Dots.

“I turn the last page, and guess who’s sitting there? Nas. Me and Nas is third cousins on my mom’s side. Me and Esco was always tight before that. I did a show years ago on Comedy Central called One Mic that was for Nas’ mom that just passed away. So me and Esco always been tight,” Morgan explained. He added: “I called him up, and I say, ‘Yo Esco.’ He said, ‘What up Trey?’ And I said, ‘I just did Finding Your Roots. Me and you related. He started crying, I started crying. And I said to him, ‘If you ever need me, I’m there, Cuz.’ He said, ‘Cuz, if you ever need me, I’m there.’”

Nas & Tracy Morgan At Hammerstein Ballroom

Tracy Morgan and Nas during 2004 VH1 Hip Hop Honors – Audience and Backstage at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic)

Nas previously appeared on Finding Your Roots in 2014, at which time, he found a bill of sale for his third great-grandmother. “First, I was enraged when I looked at the bill of sale. I was like, that guy that owned property owes me some cash. My people made him really wealthy, so maybe I should find his family and talk,” he said, as caught by HipHopDX. “They paid $830 for my great-great-great-grandma? I got more than that in my pocket right now. This is painful. To see that, that hurts.”

Tracy Morgan Discusses “Finding Your Roots” Results

Morgan is set to appear on PBS’ Finding Your Roots for Season 10, Episode 8, which will air on February 20, 2024. Morgan and Nas aren’t the only ones to discover that they’re cousins in recent years. FKA Twigs and Jorja Smith have also made a similar realization. Be on the lookout for further updates on HotNewHipHop.

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Nas And Tracy Morgan Recently Discovered That Not Only Are They Friends, They’re Actually Related

December 11, 2023 by newhiphopnews

PBS has been a valuable source for learning for generations, and now, thanks to the network’s genealogy series Finding Your Roots, two entertainers learned they are much more connected than they ever knew. Comedian Tracy Morgan recently appeared on the podcast Connect The Dots, where he talked about discovering his relation to another New York-based entertainer after years of friendship on an upcoming episode of Finding Your Roots.

As he recounts flipping through a family tree, he says, “I turn the last page, and guess who’s sitting there? Nas. Me and Nas is third cousins on my mom’s side. Me and Esco was always tight before that. I did a show years ago on Comedy Central called One Mic that was for Nas’ mom that just passed away, so me and Esco always been tight.”

Upon learning that they were actually related, he says they shared some tears. “I called him up and I say, ‘Yo Esco. Guess what? I just did Finding Your Roots,’” he recalled. “‘Me and you related.’ He started crying, I started crying. And I said to him, ‘If you ever need me, I’m there, cuz.’ He said, ‘Cuz, if you ever need me I’m there.’”

They aren’t the only rap relatives. In 2021, rappers Denzel Curry and Smino also learned they were cousins.

You can watch the full episode of Connect The Dots above and Morgan’s episode of Finding Your Roots when it airs in February.