Hip Hop News

Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards ever although there is one thing that has been missing from his resume for many years. Of course, we are talking about an NBA championship. Surprisingly, Paul has never even made it to the NBA Finals, although this year he is just one game away from doing so. The Phoenix Suns are up 3-1 on the Los Angeles Clippers and if they win tonight, they will be the first team set for a Finals appearance.

As for superstar Devin Booker, he recently told reporters that Paul has been a phenomenal leader for the team and that he wants this title more than anyone. Paul knows he doesn’t have too many years left, and at this point, the Larry O’Brien trophy is all he wants. In fact, Paul told the Suns that very sentiment prior to the Western Conference Finals.

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“I have a lot of respect for him as a man, not even as a basketball player. Just understanding how bad he wants this, and how much time he’s put into it. Sixteen years, that’s a long time,” Booker said. “When we made the Western Conference Finals, he’s like ‘I’ve only been here one time.’ So we know how bad he wants it. Same with coach Monty, I get that same feeling from him. Me and Deandre are sitting here, and Mikal, this is our first time in (the playoffs). It’s a little spoiled but it came with a lot of work. But we definitely have his back.”

The Suns look like the strongest team left in the playoffs and if they were to face a team like the Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals, it would prove to be a phenomenal series. While they still have to go get the job done, it seems like this might be a year of destiny for CP3.

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The 2021 BET Awards Ceremony took place on Sunday (June 27). The most memorable moments of the night include Megan thee Stallion’s extravagant performance of her latest single “Thot Sh*t,” Cardi B’s surprise pregnancy reveal during her performance with Migos for their hit “Type Sh*t,” and the star-studded DMX tribute featuring Method Man, Griselda, Swizz Beatz, and more. 

However, the most captivating moment of the night came from the pre-show’s red carpet when Lil’ Kim revealed she was down to do a Verzuz battle. A sure surprise to many, Kim added that she would be willing to go up against her–perhaps former, archnemesis Nicki Minaj. 

“Not going to say who against, but would you do a Verzuz?” asked red carpet host DJ Envy to Kim while interviewing her. “Yes,” answered The Queen Bee with enthusiasm.  “Is there anybody that you’d do it against? Or are you just ready for anybody?,” he later inquired. 

In response, Kim confidently said, “Nicki,” to which Envy responded he would love to see. “Yeah, me too,” she added. 

The two notably have a complicated history with each other. Back in 2010, Kim took direct shots at Nicki by dropping her Black Friday mixtape, named after her song with the same name where she dubbed Nicki Minaj a “wannabe” and “Lil’ Kim clone.” In response, fans suspect Nicki’s hits “Stupid Hoe,” “Roman’s Revenge,” and “Tragedy” were aimed at the Bedstuy rapper. 

So far, Nicki has yet to respond to Kim’s request. Check out what others are saying about the possible Verzuz battle between the two ladies of rap.

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Damian Lillard has been extremely loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers over the years, even if the franchise hasn’t given him the proper players to be successful. Lillard has always been about the grind, although over the last few days, it appears he has been contemplating whether or not the grind is really worth it. In fact, this contemplation comes after the hiring of Chauncey Billups, who is being scrutinized due to a past rape allegation.

Since Billups’ hiring, fans have been going after Lillard and his alleged involvement in the hire. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, Lillard isn’t happy with the way the fans are treating him right now and it is making him reconsider whether or not he actually wants to stay with a team like the Blazers.

Ever since the news broke, Twitter has been in a state of calamity as various NBA fans have been waiting for the day that Lillard would leave Portland. Of course, there is no guarantee that he forces a trade, although fans are already fantasizing about where he could land over the coming months. Lakers fans are convinced Lillard will join the team, while various other fans believe Philadelphia or the Knicks have the best chance at landing the superstar point guard.

Either way, the coming months will be very interesting, and if Lillard does get dealt, it will shake up the league for years to come. You can check out some of the reactions to the news, below.

Just last week, Kanye West and his Yeezy brand filed a complaint against Walmart as they found bootleg Adidas Yeezy Foam Runners being sold on Walmart’s platform. Kanye’s Yeezys have been faked in the past and he has always made sure to protect his intellectual property, especially since it is his designs that have turned him into a billionaire. The Foam Runner is a shoe that is easy to fake and while the Walmart listing wasn’t surprising, it was still troubling.

In the end, Walmart apologized for the error, noting that the shoes were sold by third-party listers. According to TMZ, since that time, Walmart has taken the shoe down and they have even cracked down on those who are selling bootlegs. Unfortunately for Kanye, it isn’t just Walmart sellers who are the culprit.

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TMZ has found that there are dozens of fakes being sold on websites like Etsy, where the shoes go for much cheaper than the usual $75 USD price point. The bootlegs seems pretty convincing and if you didn’t know anything about sneakers, there is a good chance that you could wind up getting duped into copping some inauthentic shoes.

Kanye has yet to take action against the Etsy sellers although if history is any indication, then we’re sure he’s thinking up his legal strategy, as we speak.

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Method Man, Griselda, and more came together at the BET Awards, Sunday, to perform a tribute for the late legendary rapper DMX. The star-studded performance included Method Man performing an a cappella rendition of DMX’s 1998 single “Get at Me Dog,” actor Michael K. Williams performing “Slippin” and “What’s My Name,” Swizz Beatz and the LOX remixing “Ruff Ryders Anthem,” and much more.

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Method Man told EW that it was a privilege to be invited to perform during the ceremony.

“There were so many people that DMX impacted through his journey, so many people that knew him as he went from Earl to DMX that they could have chose to be there,” he told the publication. “The fact that they chose me, again, I am honored, it’s a privilege. And I didn’t get to say goodbye at his wake or at his funeral, even though I was invited. This would be a nice way for me to say farewell.”

DMX died back in April after suffering a heart attack at the age of 50. In the wake of his death, tributes poured out from around the hip-hop community, and a massive funeral was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. On May 28th, his posthumous album Exodus was released.

Check out the tribute below.

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