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Coming into free agency, everyone knew that the Lakers had to make some big moves if they wanted to win a championship. LeBron James is going to be 37 years old next season, and when it comes to Anthony Davis, his injury issues have made him a liability at times. When healthy, Davis is considered a top 10 player across the NBA– although the Lakers can’t exactly bank on that 100 percent of the time. Needless to say, fans and pundits wanted to see some big moves from the Lakers, and so far, they’ve been the most active team of the last week.

It all began when the Lakers shocked the world by trading for none other than Russell Westbrook. This move ended up costing the Lakers the likes of Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Immediately following the trade, there were some analysts who felt like the move was extremely shortsighted as the Lakers still need shooting. Having Westbrook, LeBron, and Davis all out on the floor together isn’t exactly conducive to proper spacing, and fans got worried that the team’s chemistry would be a complete mess. The Lakers needed to fill out the roster with solid shooters, and for the most part, that’s what they’ve gone out and done.

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Since the Westbrook deal, the Lakers have signed Malik Monk, Wayne Ellington, Kendrick Nunn, Kent Bazemore, and Carmelo Anthony, who all shoot more than 38 percent from three-point range. From there, they consolidated their depth by adding veterans such as Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza. These are all players who have ties to the Lakers and have won championships with the franchise in the past. Given all of these recent additions, one would argue that these Lakers are a super team. The only issue with this assessment is that it doesn’t take into account just how old some of these players are.

For instance, Howard is 35, Ariza is 36, Melo is 37, Ellington is 33, and Bazemore is 32. Monk and Nunn are the only young players to have been picked up by the Lakers, thus making the Lakers one of the oldest teams in the entire NBA. With every new signing this past week, the Lakers were dubbed the “retirement home.” These moves have many wondering whether or not the roster is “too old” to succeed, especially when the season can be such a grueling, 82-game slog.

If you were to ask LeBron James, he would say the team is just fine the way it is. After seeing all of the backlash from haters on Twitter, LeBron spoke out, saying, “Keep talking about my squad, our [personal] ages, the way they play, we’re past our time in this league, etc etc etc!!” wrote the sports icon. “Do me one favor PLEASE!!!! And I mean PLEASE!!!! Keep that same narrative ENERGY when it’s begins! That’s all I ask. #ThankYou.”

LeBron is expected to say something like this about his team, as he is the leader of the Lakers. In order to instil confidence in his guys, LeBron needs to act as though this team is going to win the title, no matter what. Objectively speaking, however, the question still remains as to whether or not this team is too old to compete with some of the other contenders like the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and even the Utah Jazz?

Well, the simple answer to that question is, no. If the average age of the team was somewhere in the upper 30s, then they would certainly have some issues. However, if you compare the Nets roster to the Lakers, the purple and gold are actually about a year younger on average. Not to mention, the Lakers have three bonafide superstars on the roster, which immediately makes them one of the most deadly teams in the league. Age is not the be-all, end-all when it comes to a team’s success. What matters is the team’s overall talent, and the chemistry they are able to produce, nightly.

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Not to mention, age goes a long way when it comes to experience. A great example of this was this year’s NBA Finals between the Bucks and the Suns. Despite taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Suns collapsed and allowed the Bucks to come back and win four straight games. The only true veteran Suns player getting significant minutes in the series was Chris Paul, while the rest of the team was extremely young and inexperienced. Meanwhile, the Bucks had a plethora of veterans on the roster including PJ Tucker, Jrue Holiday, and Brook Lopez. All of these players helped keep the Bucks level-headed throughout the series, and it paid dividends in the end. This relates to the Lakers as they will have a plethora of championship-winning players on the roster including Howard, Ariza, LeBron, and Davis. These guys have all been there before and when things get tough in the playoffs, they’ll know how to handle the pressure, while teams like the Jazz might not be so well-equipped.

When you look at the rest of the Lakers roster, there are certainly some young talents to be found here, including Nunn, Monk, and Talen Horton-Tucker, who is expected to make a huge leap this season. These are all players who could do some damage for the Lakers this season, especially if some of the older players suffer injuries in the regular season. As far as age is concerned, the Lakers truly aren’t as “down bad” as people say they are. The team is also expected to make a play for Buddy Hield, which could happen through a Dennis Schroder sign and trade. If this happens, the Lakers will be automatic favorites to win the Western Conference, and even without Hield, the Lakers should be just fine.

If LeBron has taught us anything over the years, it’s that age really doesn’t matter when you are a master at your craft, and this Lakers team is certainly full of masters.

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Post Malone, one of the highest paid artists of 2020 with an income of over $20 million, is putting that cash to good use with a new investment in what might some might call an unorthodox choice for the Texas singer/rapper.

Posty, who reportedly spent over $40,000 on Postmates delivery in 2018 from chains like Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, and KFC, has switched lanes away from traditional meat with this new financial investment in Actual Veggies, a company that makes plant-based burgers. The plant-based meat industry has boomed over the past few years, and it seems the rapper sees the financial potential of the company, alongside the health benefits. 

Actual Veggies takes the plant-based approach further than their competitors by focusing less on imitating the taste and texture of meat and instead letting the natural tastes of the vegetables speak for themselves. Clearly the strategy is a success, as Post Malone’s management team Electric Feel Ventures joined MLS star Kieran Gibbs and Rose Street Capital firm, among others, to amass a whopping $2.3 million in investments for Actual Veggies in the company’s seeding investment round.

Co-founder and CEO of Actual Veggies, Hailey Schwartz, had this to say about the high profile investment: “The growth we have seen over the past few months far exceeded our expectations… We are humbled by our new partners’ shared excitement and look forward to building off our success to further scale Actual Veggies.” Schwartz co-founded the company just over a year ago in March 2020. 

Hopefully, the investment, which is pocket change for Posty, is fruitful for both parties. 

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We’re sure Jim Jones is off somewhere still celebrating his appearance on Verzuz alongside his Dipset crew as they faced off against The LOX, but Tekashi 6ix9ine still has the Harlem icon in his crosshairs. In September 2019, audio that was alleged to be of Jones calling for 6ix9ine to be violated was leaked, and since that time, the rapper has kept relatively quiet about the situation. However, 6ix9ine has called out Jones at every opportunity, and he brought him up once again while chatting on Clubhouse.

This segment of the conversation kicked off with 6ix9ine mentioning that Jim Jones was “running with” the same people that Tekashi befriended. The rapper listed off names of their mutual associates, many Nine Trey, before alleging that Jones “did not take care of none of them n*ggas.”

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6ix9ine added that when he was introduced to those associates, they were on hard times but he looked out for their well-being. “Jim Jones wasn’t taking care of them n*ggas, I took care of them n*ggas!” he is heard yelling on Clubhouse. “On top of that, Jim Jones was caught on wiretap on my case telling the big homie Mel Matrix to go and get rid of my security. How you do it, how you shoot at ’em, they don’t got no license to carry weapons… How is that n*gga free right now?”

“Why is that n*gga not in jail?” 6ix9ine questioned. “You tell me.” Other moderators seemed hesitant to comment on the accusations, adding that Jones wasn’t in the Clubhouse room to defend himself. Still, 6ix9ine was unrelenting and told listeners to find the video online for themselves. Listen to the near-five-minute clip below.

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It was a deserved moment of celebration in the earlier morning hours after Nas and Hit-Boy delivered another album that has been in heavy rotation since its release. It has been 24 hours since the two artists gave the world King’s Disease II, and fans are already saying that this second installment is better than their Grammy-winning King’s Disease that earned the coveted trophy earlier this year.

Kanye West has stolen attention in the last few weeks with the pump-fake promises of Donda’s arrival, and while fans were disappointed that Ye and Co. lied once again about the album’s release, Hip Hop was quick to shine a light on King’s Disease II. During a private event, Hit-Boy and Nas linked up with a few friends, and when the producer hopped on the mic, he sent a subliminal jab to West.

“It’s not a hundred n*ggas producing the beat,” he said. “It’s not a hundred n*ggas writing the rhymes, n*gga. It’s two n*ggas in the studio. I hear this sh*t right now, homie. It’s going down. King’s Disease II. Stream that sh*t, buy that sh*t.”

“It’s just me and Nas in the studio,” said Hit-Boy. “There be n*ggas in the studio. It’s just me and bro, bro. Do y’all hear this sh*t? It’s just me and this n*gga in the studio. He’s barred up, I’m making beats. No hooplah. We not on f*ckin’ Twitter botherin’ y’all. We not on IG Live puttingg a weird-ass stream up, n*gga. We doin’ this sh*t for real though, n*gga! Stop playin’!”

The clip quickly went viral and fans added their two cents about why they believe Hit-Boy was salty. The history between the producer and Kanye runs deep, so check out the video below.

After she revealed her first Blueface tattoo, Chrisean Rock faced accusations that she was a little too attached to the rapper. After the second, she was accused of being obsessed. Chrisean is Blueface’s artist that he has been helping guide through the industry, but some believe that their relationship is more than just business. Whatever may be going behind closed doors is between them, but after Chrisean shared she got Blueface’s government named inked on the side of her neck, he came forward to clarify a few things.

In a video, Blueface wanted Chrisean to admit that he wasn’t selling her false dreams or promises of a relationship. She laughed her way through it, but Chrisean has returned with a message to naysayers. “Ok i wanna address it . first just cuz i got a tat ppl took it the wrong way,” she wrote on Instagram. 

“Yeah blue could have worded tht interview better but listen i don’t go out my way to lie and cover sh*t up.stop saying i live with him when i live in my own sh*t,” Chrisean added. “The crib i’m in rn it’s mine [one hundred emoji] nobody got the power to kick me out of my sh*t 2nd i’m dat b*tch so i decide to do what i want that’s all.”

“Just cuz I don’t post everything y’all thinking one way [crying laughing emojis].” Meanwhile, it seems that there aren’t any plans to get her missing tooth fixed anytime soon as it has become her signature. Check out Chrisean Rock’s message below.

Months ago, AR-Ab, real name Abdul West, was sentenced to 45 years behind bars on charges connected to drug trafficking. The Philadelphia rapper’s court case was heavily covered in the media, and Rap artists paid close attention, considering that West’s songs and videos were used against him. The trial would also highlight West’s associates including Dark Lo, really name Charles Salley, after he was hit with charges of his own for allegedly intimidating a witness who was set to testify against West.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Salley allegedly told government witness Dontez “Taz” Stewart that he would get “stabbed up” in prison, with added threats against the mother of his children would be raped. Back in March, Dark Lo reportedly pleaded guilty to the witness intimidation charges after striking a deal with prosecutors, and this week, he learned his fate at sentencing.

Dark Lo was sentenced to seven and a half years behind bars for his alleged crimes, but he told investigators that he didn’t intend on intimidating anyone. This was the latest sentencing in the cases against the Original Block Hustlaz, a record label launched by AR-Ab that authorities claim was a cover-up for a large drug operation.

Stewart, the government witness, faced charges of his own and was reportedly known to be a hanger-on of sorts as he would often spend time with AR-Ab. After it was revealed that he would be testifying against his former friend, Dark Lo allegedly sent him a few messages.

“It’s not as though Mr. Salley just got up one day and decided to write this letter because he had bad judgment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ashenfelter said. “This was a long time coming, and it started with that track ‘Allegations.'” Dark Lo was also facing a gun charge after authorities found a firearm at his home and that was a maximum of 15 years in prison alone. His plea deal dropped the gun charge and sent him away for seven and a half years along with a $10K fine.

“I just want to apologize,” Dark Lo reportedly said in court. “I take full responsibility for everything.”

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She’s one of the most beloved entertainers in music history and comes from a family legacy dripping with talent, but according to Bill Bellamy, Janet Jackson would sometimes hit him up for a “booty call.” The famed comedian was revisiting some highlights of yesteryear while on PEOPLE’s PEOPLE in the 90’s podcast this week, and during the chat, the “How to Be a Player” actor clarified rumors about an alleged romance between himself and Ms. Jackson.

“You have no idea how huge Janet Jackson was in this span of ten years. And so I am in awe of this stuff, right,” the 56-year-old comedian said. Because he worked as an MTV VJ at the time, Bellamy crossed paths with several chart-topping artists.

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“And I couldn’t believe that she was a fan of me, but it came out awkwardly. Everybody used to be like, ‘What’s going on with Janet and Bill?’ People was doing this when they was watching TV.” He added that there “was an attraction” between them, but it didn’t progress.

“There was something. There was something going on. It was weird because it was like she was shy about it but [showed in] her flirty ways that she dug me more than just a little. It was crazy,” he said. Then he joked, “She booty called me. We never dated. We just skirted around it. We were like cats that just purred around each other.”

Listen to PEOPLE in the 90’s below and check out a throwback interview between Bellamy and Jackson.

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