Hip Hop News

The Mount Rushmore of [blank] has become a common discussion people like to use to establish who are the best or most important figures of a certain field. For instance, earlier this week, RapCaviar sent out a tweet asking fans who belongs on rap’s Mount Rushmore of the last decade, in which they included the Big 3 of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole for us. Hard to argue their case, fans had spent the last day naming the 4th rapper that belonged in the picture. In fact, Nicki Minaj even took it as a slight jab as she commented “wow” in its response to her being presumably left off the list.

Well fast forward to today, and A&R king, LeBron James, is weighing in on the debate. According to King James, Future Hendrick should be the 4th rapper in the picture and on Mount Rushmore. King quote tweeted the original picture and simply wrote “Future Hendrix,” who we know he’s had an infatuation with over the years (see clip below).

While some may roll their eyes at LeBron’s opinion, we have to respect it. Future has had himself quite the run these past ten years, and LeBron has been at the fore front of the culture & sports during it. 

What do you think? Is Future the best choice or do you have someone else on Mount Rushmore of 2010’s? Sound off in the comments.

Last night was very special for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. For starters, it was LeBron’s first playoff game at the Staples Center, which seems fairly odd considering the success he has had with the team. Of course, this is because the Lakers and the rest of the league were forced to do the playoffs in the Orlando Bubble last season as a direct result of COVID-19. It was also a special night because it was the first playoff game at Staples since the passing of Kobe Bryant.

The energy in the building was palpable and the Lakers did not disappoint as they came through with a massive victory against the Phoenix Suns to take a 2-1 series lead against the second seed. At the end of the game, with the seconds running down, the Lakers faithful got on their feet and began to chant “Kobe,” leading to an incredible scene and atmosphere.

As the seventh seed, the Lakers have a difficult path to the NBA Finals although if they can knockoff the Suns early, then their path becomes that much easier, especially with teams like the Clippers struggling. With the Lakers faithful delivering such incredible energy, the purple and gold could be in store for yet another impressive deep run.

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With fans making their way back to NBA arenas, there has been an uptick in incidents involving the fans and the players. Of course, the players have done nothing wrong here. Instead, it is the fans who are acting as though they are simply invincible. Wednesday night was a prime example of this as Russell Westbrook had food spilled on him all while Trae Young was spat on. It was a truly disgusting display by some of the league’s fans, and now, the league is looking to take action.

During a recent interview on the matter, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about what could happen if fans continue to exhibit these behaviors. Needless to say, the league is not messing around and they are ready to ban people for life.

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“Zero tolerance,” Silver said per NBC Sports. “No one is going to get away with an act like that. You’re going to be caught. You’re going to be banned from an arena. In some cases there may be criminal prosecution depending if the conduct rises to that level of an assault or something that the police are going to take note of.”

Hopefully, the fans begin to behave moving forward especially considering the possible punishments. At the end of the day, the league needs to protect the players otherwise things can get out of hand fast.

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J. Cole’s time in Rwanda as a member of the Patriots basketball club didn’t come without media fanfare. The world was excited to witness the rapper’s first foray into professional basketball, playing overseas for three games before fulfilling the terms of his contract. He ended up leaving the team due to “family obligations” but he voiced his gratitude for the opportunity to play on such a grand scale, sharing a final message to his fans in Africa.

“So many thank you’s are due,” said the North Carolina rapper, sharing a couple of photos with his teammates. “Thank you to @thebal and to @patriotsbbc for the opportunity. 

Thank you to my teamates, the coaches and staff for treating me like family. I learned so much in the few weeks we were together. Congrats on that win tonight and good luck next game.

Thank you to @puma for supporting a dream from day 1, and getting me to Rwanda and back safely via Puma jet.

Thank you to the entire country of Rwanda and to the city of Kigali for hosting us. BEAUTIFUL land with BEAUTIFUL people. To anyone considering visiting or moving to the continent, from everything I saw and heard, I would recommend you consider Kigali and Rwanda in general.

Thank you to everybody that had kind words for me despite my inexperience.

I plan to get better.”

He concluded on that note, teasing a future in professional basketball as he will likely consider his next moves on the court. Scoring only a handful of points in his three outings off the bench, Cole’s debut wasn’t without criticism. Other members of the BAL, including AS Salé guard Terrell Stoglin, complained about Cole’s presence in the league, stating that he took a serious player’s job away by joining the Patriots.

Where do you think J. Cole will end up next and do you think he has a future in basketball?

Read more about J. Cole’s stint in the BAL here: J. Cole Follows Master P’s Lead In His Professional Basketball Pursuits.

Just a couple of nights ago, there were some wild fan interactions throughout the NBA. It all started in Philadelphia as a 76ers fan poured popcorn on the head of Russell Westbrook. Later that evening, Trae Young was spat at by a rowdy New York Knicks supporter. Following an investigation, both fans were banned from their respective arenas and now, the whole league is on high alert for any bad actors who decide to ruin the game for the players and the other fans.

Prior to Game 3 between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, Tristan Thompson was asked about the spitting incidents and how he feels about it all. As he stated, he won’t be tolerating any of that and if anyone tries it, they will be put in their place quite fast.

“I dare a motherfucker to spit on me,” Thompson said. “I’ll follow you right to your house.” Considering the game tonight is in Boston, Thompson probably won’t have to worry about himself. However, there are fears that Boston fans could give Kyrie Irving a hard time, which has even led to some discourse about racism amongst Celtics supporters.

Needless to say, the league has a lot to worry about right now, especially with a huge increase in fans in the building.

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