Hip Hop News

Five years and some odd months ago, the late Kobe Bryant put up 60 points against the Utah Jazz in his final game as a Laker. Nowadays, people are simply just looking for a piece of that action, considering the game was genuinely once in a lifetime.

According to TMZ, a signed ticket stub from this April night is being valued at roughly over $31,700 and can be found on the Otis investment app. With a PSA VG 3 grade, less than a handful of other similar pieces have been worth anywhere near as much.

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Dating back to his tragic loss last January, anything with Bryant’s association has boomed in resale value and worth as a whole. So much in fact that widow and mother of their children Vanessa Bryant pulled the plug on Nike’s deal, claiming that it was not in the family’s best intention and that the brand was rather exploitative, be that deliberately or not. Be that sneakers, t-shirts, sweatpants, the man’s stomping grounds, and now, signed memorabilia, the sky is the limit as to where these people decide to carry the legend’s worth past his days on Earth. For a man who resonated with many, it can only get higher.

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It’s a big week for Conan O’Brien as he closes out his stint on TBS. TV’s longest-running late-night host will finally be stepping away from the talk show domain that he once dominated. Though an HBO Max project is underway, it seems that he’s ready to pick up on some new hobbies to occupy his time.

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Last night, he hosted Seth Rogen as one of the final guests on his show where they discussed sharing a stage together, among other topics. At one point, Conan asked Rogen for some advice on his post-late night ventures which inevitably led to the solution of smoking more weed. 

“I’m going to have a lot of free time now for a while. We’re going to start something else up, but I’m going to have some downtime, and honestly, I’m not even kidding, I don’t really know what to do with downtime,” Conan said.

“Yes, I get that sense from you,” Rogen replied. “I would suggest—this is going to be hilariously on-brand—try smoking a lot of weed for a long time.”

Rogen, who owns the cannabis company Houseplant, quickly pulled out a joint that he encouraged Conan to light up. Though he nearly lit it backward, he took a pull off of the spliff before it made its rounds among the guests.

Check the clip out below. 

A couple of weeks after getting in the ring with Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jake Paul still has a lot to fight for. He’s aware that he needs to put on some extra weight before even being considered for a potential matchup with Alvarez, and his training regimen has grown intense because of it. The YouTuber claims to be taking the sport seriously, and wants to be “the most disruptive boxer in the history of the sport.”

According to TMZ, Paul’s camp has also been in contact with Julio Ceaser Chavez Jr. and Roy Jones Jr, with hopes of getting the two to fight on his undercard, and ultimately, potentially fighting the winner in a future matchup. After defeating Nate Robinson and Ben Askren in a set of viral brawls, Paul has gone 3-0 in his tenure as a combat athlete.

As far as the other end is concerned, Canelo Alvarez forced Billy Joe Saunders into surgery following a brutal brawl that took place in the middle of May. So, to reiterate, Paul will surely need to get his weight up.

Paul’s scheduled to fight Tyron Woodley, former UFC champion, on August 28. Let us know if you’ll be tuning in to see what more he’s capable of.

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On March 5, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars shocked the music industry by revealing that they had formed an R&B super duo and dropping their debut single as Silk Sonic. Arriving alongside a Bootsy-Collins assisted intro track, “Leave The Door Open” quickly won over fans of both artists, and in the weeks following its release, Silk Sonic’s first offering has managed to reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Now, according to Hip Hop By The Numbers, Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars’ “Leave the Door Open” has reportedly sold over 2 million units in the United States, making the infectious single eligible for a shiny new platinum placque from the RIAA. 

Sadly, an official full-length Silk Sonic album has not yet arrived, despite Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s chart-topping hit single arriving nearly four full months ago. On a more positive note, however, Silk Sonic’s latest sales milestone does mean that Anderson .Paak will soon have his first domestic platinum record, as his only platinum placque reportedly came in the form of an Australian platinum certification for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Dance Off.”

While we all endure the neverending wait for Silk Sonic’s forthcoming album, watch them perform “Leave the Door Open” in honor of its recent eligibility for double platinum status. Congratulations to Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak!

R. Kelly has been trying everything possible to get out of prison but none of his attempts have worked. The singer’s facing multiple charges of sex trafficking and sexual abuse in different states. This year, he’s set to face a federal judge in his Brooklyn sex trafficking and racketeering case.

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According to PageSix, the singer has already been brought to a notorious jail in Brooklyn that also holds another accused sex trafficker — Ghislaine Maxwell, the accused accomplice of Jeff Epstein. Kelly was taken from federal prison in Chicago to the Metropolitan Detention Center in the NYC borough. This particular lockup has been at the center of criticism due to the terrible conditions that detainees have been living in. The MDC was recently sued by the family of a former inmate who died in custody after being pepper-sprayed.

Maxwell has also detailed the conditions of the prison in letters to the federal judge. Maxwell, who is accused of luring underage women for Epstein, said in a recent filing that the raw sewage “permeated” her cell unit. She added that “vermin droppings fell from the air vents.”

Kelly’s trial will begin on Aug. 9th in Brooklyn. The embattled singer is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering for allegedly picking up underage girls for the purpose of having sex.

We will keep you updated on Kelly’s trial. 

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Snoop Dogg is probably the most globally recognized stoner in hip-hop and for many weed enthusiasts, it’s a dream to one day light up a blunt with the legendary West Coast rapper. We’ve heard countless stories about smoke sessions with Uncle Snoop, but recently, there was a celebrity who just couldn’t hang with him during their hangout. During his appearance on E! Nightly Pop, Snoop revealed which comedian couldn’t handle his weed when they met up.

“I can’t even front… the last person I just blew with, I knocked his wig off and I’m supposed to see him again this week. My good friend Pete Davidson,” said Snoop when asked which celebrity couldn’t stand on his level. “I mean, he fights. He fights it and fights it and fights it and then he says, ‘Hey man, I’m cool, dawg.'”

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Pete Davidson previously detailed his weed use, revealing that he self-medicates to regulate his Crohn’s Disease. While he may be a daily smoker, Pete clearly doesn’t smoke as much as Snoop does, leaving the rapper unimpressed with his lungs.

When asked about the last time he personally got too high, Snoop spoke about his 4/20 over a decade ago with Willie Nelson, revealing that the singer knocked him off his feet with the amount of weed he smoked.

Watch the video below.