LeBron James made a visit to Toronto, aka LeBronto due to owning the Raptors every time he visits with magical performances, and helped the Lakers squeak out a win over the home team. Courtside at the game was Drake, who had a bottle of Lobos 1707 Extra Añejo positioned at his courtside seat.
The 6ix God was pulled a page out of King James’ handbook as last year Bron did the same. LeBron, an early investor in the tequila brand, brought a bottle courtside to a game, sparking the “Bring Your Own” Tequila movement.
As for the game, Russell Westbrook hit a game-tying 3 at the end of regulation, which also got a reaction out of Drake. Full highlights are below.
Rolling Loud took over Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater with Rap TV for a special showcase. Night one of RapTV Presents Rolling Loud SXSW Edition 2022 featured Sheck Wes and OG Chase B with their thumping hits. Additional sets included Duke Deuce, Babyface Ray, Mike Dimes, Dro Kenji, Tay Money, and who kept the party going until 2am.
Rising stars at the set included JELEEL! who dazzled the crowd by backflipping of the stage, speakers, and the VIP balcony.
You can see images from the energetic run of performances below.
For its successful return, the Smokin Grooves event brought all of the vibes to Los Angeles Historic Park in Los Angeles, California on Saturday. With headlining performances by Erykah Badu, Nas, The Roots, Jhene Aiko, and Miguel, as well as fantastic sets from The Internet, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Smino, and others, the day had one of the most eclectic and well-curated lineups for a festival.
One of Erykah Badu’s rare festival appearances was her headlining act. Her fantastic band backed her up on some of her best singles, including “Hello,” “On and On,” “Window Seat,” and more. Her silhouette was defined in sparkles on the stage LED screens, which added to the show’s spectacular visual effects.
Nas delivered a hit-filled set that included “Made You Look,” “NY State of Mind,” and a slew of other songs from his critically praised albums King’s Disease and King’s Disease 2. Nas returned with hit after hit after hit during his frenetic performance as light sprinkling fell on the crowd.
The Roots wowed fans with their dramatic stage presence and performance, which included songs like “The Next Movement,” “Here I Come,” and others. Jhene Aiko returned to the stage for the first time in three years, performing “Tryna Smoke,” “The Worst,” and other songs with harmonized bass lines. Miguel wowed the adoring crowd with his distinctive motions and enigmatic voice, performing favorites like “Sky Walker,” “Sure Thing,” “Vixen,” and many more.
In case you missed it, Kanye West was booted from the GRAMMY performance lineup. Following the breaking news, The Game stood up for his “Eazy” collaborator and issued a statement on Instagram.
“Time & time again they show us that they only want to steal the culture, not allow you to ever be their equals,” Game said. “In a more than obvious move for reasons of minuscule actions…. The Grammys have at the last minute decided to pull @kanyewest from performing on the show as if we didn’t know it was coming.”
According to reports, YE was pulled for his erratic behavior online, which included disses towards Pete Davidson and Trevor Noah, the GRAMMYs host, who he called a “koon.”
The Game acknowledged Noah’s hosting and cited that may be a reason:
“Could be because @trevornoah is hosting and there was a conversation held amongst his team & the academy that led to the decision. Or because Ye’s account was suspended just days ago for reasons unknown; especially in a world where all the negativities of the world can be found on the same app with no repercussions or suspensions. We’ll just say it’s all of the above & a continuous disrespect for us & all that we have brought to the table in entertainment, media & sports over the last 100 years especially.”
You can see The Game’s full statement below.
The Game had to say this on Instagram after Kanye West was barred from performing at the Grammys. pic.twitter.com/laAByjp2My
On Friday, March 18, The Blast reported an unconfirmed story that Kanye’s performance at the 2022 Grammys had been pulled. Now, a rep from Ye’s camp has confirmed that Kanye has been pulled from the lineup.
As Variety reports, a source from Ye’s camp confirmed with them that the story is indeed true and Ye will not be performing at this year’s Grammys. The rep apparently sent the link of The Blast‘s article to Variety, saying “This is confirmed.
As the original article states, Ye’s team got the call that he had been pulled on Friday and was forced to make this decision due to West’s “concerning online behavior” as of late. The Blast says that the decision was partially made because Trevor Noah is hosting the awards ceremony and they “worry about the two men’s interactions during the show.”
Last week, Trevor Noah offered his two cents on the Kanye and Kim split. Kanye then took to Instagram where he called Noah a “koon” multiple times in a post. Ye was later banned from IG for 24 hours.
Since Ye’s performance was pulled, many have come out in support of him. The Game even took to IG to show his support for Ye.
“When will all the BLACK entertainers, athletes, actors, producers, writers, directors, media, etc… figure it out,” The Game posted.
The Game had to say this on Instagram after Kanye West was barred from performing at the Grammys. pic.twitter.com/laAByjp2My
According to several reports, the mother of Young Thug’s children, LaKevia Jackson, was shot and killed at the Metro Fun Center in the SWAT(Southwest Atlanta) section of the city.
LaKevia’s mother Sherina spoke to Atlanta CBS affiliate WDRW and said that LaKevia was at the bowling alley celebrating a friend’s birthday party. An argument started over a bowling ball, which resulted in LaKevia being shot while leaving the establishment.
Sherina Jackson stated, “I didn’t know that was going to be the last time I talked to my baby. I could hear her over the phone crying and screaming then her best friend said she’s not breathing! I lost my baby all over a bowling ball.”
Atlanta PD has not released the identity of the suspect, but they believe they are close to an arrest based on surveillance and testimonies from eyewitnesses.
Back In Black, Cypress Hill’s tenth studio album, is out now on MNRK, and it was produced entirely by Black Milk. To celebrate the album’s release, the group has released a new video for “Certified,” which was directed by Tillavision, who in 2021 created content in the 3D, AR (augmented reality), and VR (virtual reality) spaces for Swae Lee, Pop Smoke, JuiceWRLD, Young Dolph, Lyrical Lemonade, Bape, Chinatown Market, Chicago Bears, Patrick Mahomes, and Kyler Murray.
“We’re grateful to our fans for riding with us for three decades,” said B-Real. “Working with one of the greatest producers out there, Black Milk, took us back to our roots and still brought something fresh to the table, which isn’t easy to do. We’re excited to play the new songs on tour this year.”
Cypress Hill will kick off a major tour schedule for the year, which will include a leg of Slipknot’s Knotfest Roadshow 2022. Below are all of the tour dates that have been announced. In addition, the group has announced a new documentary titled Insane In The Brain: Cypress Hill, which will premiere on Showtime’s HIP HOP 50 on April 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Prayers go out to Chief Keef as he mourns the death of grandmother Margaret Louise Carter. Sosa hit Instagram and wrote a tribute to honor her life.
“I’m so happy i got to make you proud granny,” Keef shared. “Never thought this would happen to me. Can’t believe my grammy just dipped on me, ima miss you too much and I’m sorry grandma I really am. I would give all this shit up just to start over because I know what to do now especially with you granny.”
Kelis’ husband Mike Mora has passed away. According to Entertainment Tonight, Mora had stage four stomach cancer.
“Sadly, it’s true that Mike Mora has passed away. We would ask all to respect Kelis and her family’s privacy as of right now. Thank you,” Steve Satterhwaite, of Red Light Management, said in a statement.
Kelis and Mora have a one-year-old daughter together, born in Sept. 2020, and a 6-year-old son named Shepard. Kelis also has 12-year-old Knight from her relationship with Nas.
On Instagram, Mora chronicled his health battle, stating he first started to see symptoms on Sept. 2020. “Loss of appetite. Pain in my back also started to creep in…finally decided to do something about it,” Mora shared. “It was a bit late. But just in time.” Mora would find out his diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma, stage 4 stomach cancer, after visiting three specialists and having an endoscopic biopsy.
Mora wrote in a post, “I never thought this could happen to me. At just 36, with 3 kiddos, and a wife that loves me. I want to be able to help those that might experience something, maybe, hopefully. By showing that it’s possible to make it through.”
Very sad news. Actor Evan Ross announced on social media that Kelis’ husband Mike Mora has passed We send our condolences to their family & friends pic.twitter.com/HYWbtQTDM0
The West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center in Memphis has released the autopsy report of Young Dolph. According to Fox 13 Memphis, Dolph suffered 22 gunshot wounds.
According to the report, wounds both entered and exited the body. Dolph was shot in multiple places, including the forehead, face, back, arms, chest, chin, neck, shoulder, and more.
Dolph, born Adolph Thorton Jr., was killed on Nov. 17, 2021 outside of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies. Justin Johnson, aka Straight Drop, and Cornelius Smith have been charged in the case. A warrant is currently active for Shundale Barnett for his place in the connection. Devin Burns and Joshua Taylor have been named as persons of interest.
Young Dolph’s memorial at Makeda’s Cookies is scheduled to be taken down. In response, people have gathered asking for the memorial to remain untouched. Dolph was killed at the location in November 2021.
The owner of Makeda’s, Pamela Hill, reversed course on reopening the business, stating that she did not feel safe in doing so. According to ABC24-Memphis, the building’s owner then decided it was time to take down the memorial.
“I understand you have to lease it out and run a business,” community activist Frank Gotti said. “I understand it. It’s his building and nobody can argue with him on that. I appreciate him for keeping it up this long.”
Members of Paper Route Empire are planning to honor Dolph with a new memorial in Castalia Heights.
Previously, one of the men in charge of caring for the dead Memphis rapper Young Dolph’s memorial site was killed in Memphis.
Friends of Jeremiah Taylor are shocked by the needless death of the young guy who took on the task of keeping Young Dolph’s memorial in front of Makeda’s Cookies, the location of Dolph’s murder on November 17, clean and presentable.
“Jeremiah was a great person,” said Gotti. “He was so creative. He was so on point. He was helpful, he would help anybody.”
Taylor’s body was found on Getwell Road in Memphis and police are looking for answers.
Taylor spoke to ABC News affiliate in Memphis ABC 24 about caretaking for the memorial, saying, “I want people around the world to know we care about Dolph. The love he had with people. A lot of people are realizing and now seeing the person that he always was. Taking care of his community, being a philanthropist, and really promoting financial independence. [It’s] a moral that he taught.”
(@BADASSPMF) 
We send our condolences to their family & friends 
