Hip Hop News

Simone Biles’ performance at the 2021 Olympics, marred by mental health issues and personal struggles, has served a much larger purpose than her impressive athleticism. While her hands aren’t full of medals, Biles can be confident that she inspired a generation by putting her humanity on display. However, the break that Biles did take, which caused her to miss four Olympic finals, seemed to have cleared her mind enough for this morning’s balance beam event. Falling just short behind two Chinese contestants, Biles placed third and earned herself a Bronze medal– her seventh Olympic medal in her career. 

“This one is definitely sweeter,” Simone Biles said about the bronze medal, a mark of her perseverance against adversity. Other Bronze medals in her career have come with disappointment and shame, though this one means a lot more. 

Simone Biles competes in the Women’s Balance Beam Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Jamie Squire/Getty Images

“We’re not just entertainment, we’re humans,” Biles told IOC President Thomas Bach in a tearful interview Tuesday, “And there are things going on behind the scenes that we’re also trying to juggle with as well, on top of sports.” She concluded this thought with: “My mental and physical health is better than any medal.”

This was a cornerstone of Biles’ message throughout the past week. Many have blasted the gymnast for putting her own needs over the athletic reputation of America, while others see Biles’ decision as an important step in normalizing mental health issues. 

Fans flocked to Twitter to support Biles for her victory. One user wrote: “Simone Biles does a double pike dismount, which she hasn’t done in approximately 9 years! What a wonderful performance!”

Check out the interview and some clips below.

Diddy says that the throwback photo of himself and Jennifer Lopez, which he posted on Instagram in the wake of Lopez’s split with Alex Rodriguez, was uploaded with “no trolling involved.” He also explained that the two are just friends and nothing more.

In a new cover story for Vanity Fair, he explained that the photo was just a “throwback post from a great time in his life.”

“It wasn’t no trolling involved, that’s just my friend,” he added. “And I don’t have nothing to say about her relationship or her life.”

Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images

Diddy and Lopez dated from approximately 1999 to 2001 during an off period with his ex and mother of three of his kids, Kim Porter.

The rap legend explains in the interview that if he was ever going to get married, it would’ve been to Porter: “And so, you know, I had to start to deal with it when I lost Kim. ‘Cause I was like, man, you had it. I’m not saying I would do any of it differently. God willing—I would have had more time. I look at my life as, ‘I got a second chance.’ I’m on my second mountain.”

Later in the interview, Diddy also spoke about “coming back into music” in anticipation of his next project, Off the Grid Vol. 1, which is releasing in September.

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Sometimes you end up paying way more on the backend for trying to cut corners on the frontend, and two Canadian airline passengers recently found that out the hard way. When leaving the United States and entering Canada, the travelers submitted fabricated COVID-19 vaccination cards and COVID-19 test results, and they also failed to follow the Canadian government’s requirement of utilizing government-authorized accommodations. As a result, they were hit with massive fines that they may very well struggle to pay.

According to Complex, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has punished the Canadian citizens for being “non-compliant with entry requirements” by dishing out four fines for each traveler. As a result, both of them will have to individually cough up a total of $19,720 (roughly $16,000 USD).

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

As wild as it may seem, however, it looks like the two previously mentioned airline travelers actually got off with a light punishment. According to the PHAC’s press release on the matter, “a person who submits false information on vaccination status could be subject to a fine of up to $750,000 or six months imprisonment or both, under the Quarantine Act, or prosecution under the Criminal Code for forgery.”

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DaBaby’s fall from grace has been hard and swift. After telling fans who “didn’t show up with HIV/AIDS or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks” and fans who “ain’t suck a n*gga d*ck in the parking lot” to put their cell phone lights in the air, DaBaby ultimately sealed his fate for the remainder of the first music festival season since 2019. His harmful, homophobic, and misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and the LGBTQ+ community have led to him being dropped from several huge music festivals, including Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball, and Parklife Festival.

Although he originally attempted to take a stance against cancel culture with a lackluster apology, DaBaby doubled back on Monday and released a more serious response to the controversy that he brought upon himself. “Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important. Love to all. God bless,” he said at the conclusion of his most recent apology. However, it appears that his latest statement was a little too late because DaBaby has now also been dropped from his headlining slot at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

“DaBaby will no longer be performing at ACL Music Festival — lineup update coming soon,” Austin City Limits Music Festival revealed in a statement made via social media. 

At this time, it’s not clear who will be replacing the “Giving What It’s Supposed To Give” rapper as the second Sunday headliner at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, but several fans have so far been requesting for the festival to replace DaBaby with a prominent LGBTQ+ artist, offering suggestions like Tyler, the Creator and Lil Nas X. Other fans have requested Dua Lipa to replace her “Levitating” collaborator, but fans will have to stay tuned to see who ACL Festival officially decides on.

With another festival appearance canceled for DaBaby, what are your latest thoughts on the industry’s response to the KIRK rapper‘s Rolling Loud comments?

Having taken on the celestial title of “6ix God,” it’s no surprise that Drake has become a key figure in the Toronto Raptor’s organization. As the team’s global ambassador, Drizzy has long been a vocal champion of the 2019 championship winners, frequently popping up courtside and engaging with various players off the court. 

With next season on the horizon, the Raptors recently welcomed a few new players into the mix — including new draft picks Scott Barnes and Dalano Banton. Barnes, the fourth overall pick, was selected from Florida State, while the Toronto-born Banton — and 46th overall pick — made franchise history as the first Canadian-born player to be drafted by the Raptors. 

Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images

In order to give the pair a warm welcome, Drake made sure to connect with the prospects over the weekend — on Barnes’ twentieth birthday, at that. It’s a solid gesture that should go a long way in forging an exciting connection with the team, and it’s likely that this sort of engagement is exactly the sort of behavior the Raptor higher-ups love to see from their megastar global ambassador. 

One has to wonder if the newly-drafted Raptors prospects were able to receive any intel on the upcoming Certified Lover Boy album, which was recently confirmed to be finished and dropping “soon.” Look for more news on that front, as well as any of his Toronto Raptor-related endeavors, right here. Do you think Barnes and Banton will find themselves benefitting from the so-called Drake Stimulus Package?