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J. Cole Had Three Points And Two Assists In His Basketball Africa League Debut

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It’s been a busy week for J. Cole, as he dropped his latest album, The Off-Season, to rave reviews last Thursday night and on Sunday, he made his debut in the new Basketball Africa League for Patriots Basketball Club in what turned into an 83-60 win for Cole’s squad in their season opener.

Cole has made clear his desire to make it in the basketball world for some time, and not just as a friend to NBA players and someone who name-checks his superstar friends on albums — although, to be clear, he does that too. Cole wants to prove he’s a real hooper and to show his commitment he tried out for and made the Rwandan squad in the new BAL. His debut was rather unspectacular, but he did get on the board with a putback bucket on a follow in transition for his first professional points.

He finished the game with three points, three rebounds, two assists, and three turnovers, doing the little things and not trying to impose his will too much. While he’s the superstar name on the team and in the league, J. Cole seems to understand and embrace being a role player for the Patriots. He’s happy to play defense, set screens, and try to space the floor for his teammates, while creating and taking opportunities when he can. Brandon Costner, former NC State star and a journeyman who’s played in the G League, China, and elsewhere, led the way for the Patriots with 20 points while Rwandan national Dieudonne Ndizeye added 13 points and six rebounds in the win.

Cole looks like another guy out there, which should be taken as a massive compliment. He doesn’t look wildly out of place with some really, really good basketball players, and for a 36-year-old who’s never played professionally otherwise, it’s a credit to him and the work he’s put in that he’s capable of doing that.

Tee Grizzley Urges His Fellow Rappers To Invest In Life Insurance

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Tee Grizzley is a few weeks removed from his latest project, Built For Whatever. The effort is the Detroit rapper’s seventh project since 2017 and it’s one that saw him work with the likes of King Von, Quavo, YNW Melly, Lil Tjay, Baby Grizzley, G Herbo, Big Sean, Babyface Ray, and Young Dolph. It also arrived after he joined Lil Yachty on his Michigan Boat Boy mixtape. While some might expect his focus to be on the project and its promotion, Grizzley took a second to speak about something he deems as important and a topic that fellow rappers need to look into.

In a video he shared to his Instagram story, Grizzly urged rappers to invest in life insurance. “So look right, as rappers, as successful Black men from the trenches, we the No. 1 target and the least prepared,” he said. “I feel like everybody should have life insurance. I need everybody to go get life insurance if you don’t got it. If you got kids, I need you to get a will set up for your kids so, God forbid anything happen, but if anything happen your people ain’t bold after you gone because you weren’t prepared and have your sh*t together.”

He added, “We’re the No. 1 target and we’re the least prepared bro. I need us to get on top of this sh*t, get life insurance, we need get to our wills right so the next generation don’t have to go as hard as we did and have to go through everything we did.”

You can listen to Tee Grizzley’s thoughts in the video above.

J. Cole Details How He Changed His Approach To Competing With Drake And Kendrick Lamar

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J. Cole’s The Off-Season is the talk of the music world this weekend. The project is his first solo effort in over three years and everyone is raving about it, from everyday fans to NBA players. And in what’s been a unique press run, at least on Cole’s term, the rapper has shown his face to the media more than some might’ve expected.

From a documentary and a SLAM Magazine cover that also arrived with an interview to an LA Leakers freestyle, it’s clear Cole is not sticking in his cave this time around. Just a little over a day removed from the release of The Off-Season, J. Cole sat down for another interview with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez on the duo’s podcast, The ETCs.

One highlight of the trio’s nearly 90-minute conversation came when Cole spoke about competing with fellow heavyweight rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar and how he eventually realized it would be better to dial back his competitive nature.

“I’ve never been a reach-out [person], especially because when there’s competition involved,” he said. “It’s almost like working out together. I guess in the NBA, in the past, that was unheard of. Like, ‘Why would I work out with this n****? … I’m trying to destroy this n****.’ That was kind of my mentality early on.”

He added, “But as I’ve gotten older, I realize … no one is truly my peer or can relate to what’s going on in my life better than these people right here — just in terms of whatever pressures there might be … nobody can really relate to that like these dudes, and I really genuinely f*ck with these dudes.”

At that point, Cole realized he had to “strip competition” from not only his approach to Drake and Kendrick but music altogether. “I also see a time when I’m not doing this. That seems very realistic to me,” he revealed. “And in the time when I’m not doing this, I don’t wanna be like, ‘Damn, we never kicked it, we never really did nothing.’”

You can watch a clip of the interview above and listen to the whole episode, which touches on Cole’s family, basketball, and the new album, here. The Off-Season is out now via Dreamville/Roc Nation. Get it here.

Chance The Rapper Teases A ‘Home Alone’ Reboot That May Be Titled, ‘Hood Alone’

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It’d be inaccurate to label this stage of Chance The Rapper’s career as anything along the lines of idle or inactivity. The Chicago native is busy on the music side of things as he recently shared “The Heart And The Tongue,” as well as “Shelter,” a collaboration with Vic Mensa. He also premiered a new movie titled, Magnificent Coloring Book, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his mixtape, Coloring Book, and he’s set to headline the Summerfest 2021 show with Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus.

While that’s an ample plate of tasks, the rapper is adding something else to the mix.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night, Chance revealed that he’s working on a reboot for a particular classic movie.

“It’s a secret thing. I’m working on…I got this pitch for a Home Alone reboot,” he said. “As a lot of people know…I’m sure everybody here is a huge fan of Home Alone and John Hughes. Chicago guy, Macaulay Culkin, it’s a Chicago film. Since I was young, I always watched it and I was like, ‘What if there was a hood Home Alone?’ Or Hood Alone, if you will.”

He added, “Just a little more realistic story about what happens when people try to kick in the doors at the wrong house. Hilarity ensues. I can’t give you too many details, but yeah.”

You can watch him talk about the reboot in the video above.

Lil Reese Was Reportedly Shot In Chicago For The Second Time In 18 Months

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Lil Reese was reportedly caught again in the midst of gunfire in his hometown of Chicago. The city’s local news station, CWB Chicago revealed the rapper was among three men who were shot in Chicago’s River North neighborhood on Saturday morning. The outlet reports that two of the men are listed in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital while the remaining individual was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. It’s unknown to which of these two hospitals Reese was admitted.

CTWB says police officers were called to 6 West Grand Avenue around 9:53 a.m. on Saturday after calls about a shooting were made. When they arrived at the scene they discovered Reese and the two other victims, one who is 20 years of age while the other was 27 years old. Officers also found a stolen Dodge Durango riddled with bullet holes that crashed near the scene. A video of the aftermath shows cops investigating the scene and detaining a man.

The incident comes 18 months after Lil Reese was left in critical condition following a previous shooting that also occurred in Chicago. Here, according to WGN, the rapper was shot in the neck by a man with an AK-47 assault rifle in the Country Club Hills suburb of the city. Witnesses at the scene claimed to have heard as many as 12 gunshots. Fortunately, the rapper was able to make a full recovery following the shooting.

Lil Baby And Lil Durk Will Delay Their ‘Voice Of The Heroes’ Album Out Of Respect To DMX

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Lil Baby and Lil Durk both had a strong grasp on the hip-hop world in 2020. The former can credit this success to his sophomore album, My Turn, which turned out the be one of the year’s most-streamed albums, while the latter put forth two impressive projects with Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 and The Voice to reach a new level of popularity. Now, together Baby and Durk will make the most of their talents on their upcoming joint album, Voice Of The Heroes. While the effort was due for a May 28 release date, the duo reportedly chose to delay it in respect to DMX.

The move will not have Voice Of The Heroes compete with DMX’s posthumous album, Exodus, which will be released on the 28th. So, in order to allow the late rapper to have a day of his own for the project, Baby and Durk opted to push their joint album back. According to HipHopDX, the news about the delay was shared by Swizz Beatz during an album listening session for Exodus, which was held in partnership with Universal Music Group. It’s unknown when Voice Of The Heroes will be released, but hopefully, listeners won’t have to wait too long to get their hands on it.

Back in March, Baby spoke about the joint project during an interview with MTV News. “God damn, that’s the new one. We coming. Me and [Lil] Durk dropping an album, fa sho,” he said. “When it comes to that street sh*t, the streets is like, we the voices and the heroes of this sh*t. You know what I’m saying? Kids look at us like heroes. I know they look at me like one and [Lil] Durk, too. That n**** been holding it down for a minute.”

Earthgang’s Remix Of Drake’s ‘Lemon Pepper Freestyle’ Explains Why Their ‘Ghetto Gods’ Album Is Delayed

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This fall will mark two years since Earthgang dropped their debut album, Mirrorland. If the Atlanta rap duo had it their way, Earthgang’s sophomore album, titled Ghetto Gods, would already be in the hands of their awaiting supporters. Unfortunately for everyone involved, a bit more patience will need to be exercised, but in the meantime, supporters of the rap duo can enjoy Earthgang’s remix of Drake and Rick Ross’ “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” which they released on Saturday.

Wowgr8 and Johnny Venus depart from their usual soulful spirits as the former dives deep into introspection while the latter reflects on the past years of his life. Venus’ verse seemingly addresses the delayed album.

“Release date is what I’m waiting on / Interscope gotta crunch the numbers,” he raps. “This industry is flooded with mindless muddles cause lies sell / The ugly truth might not bring in the money / Don’t they know it’s real sh*t the people want? / A pause from the pill-pop subscription joint.”

Back in February, the rappers revealed the project would arrive the same day as J. Cole’s next full-length effort. That turned out to be Cole’s The Off-Season which dropped on Friday. That day came and went, however, without Earthgang’s new album. As a result, they opted to share their “truth” through the new freestyle “for those asking why Ghetto Gods didn’t drop.”

You can press play on the remix in the video above.

Nicki Minaj Addressed Recent Drug Rumors On Instagram And Denied Ever Using Cocaine

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Nicki Minaj went more than a year without dropping new music before she made her grand return on Friday. The Pink Friday rapper should absolutely be given grace for her time off, as it included the birth of her first child and the tragic death of her father. Nonetheless, Minaj stepped back into the music world by adding her beloved mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, to streaming services with three new songs which included “Fractions” and “Seeing Green” with Lil Wayne and Drake.

Shortly after the release, however, Minaj was forced to hop on Instagram Live and address rumors that were floating around her. The rumors insinuated that Minaj was using drugs, specifically cocaine. During the livestream, she made it very clear that she has never used cocaine in her life.

“I don’t know if it’s just me, but I wouldn’t be embarrassed about any f*ckin drugs I did, that’s why I talk about the motherf*ckin drugs I do in my motherf*ckin music,” she said. “Always have, always f*ckin will. If I’m off em, I’m off em [child], but I want to make this clear so open everybody’s ears, clear your ears out. I have never, ever in my life with my hands on Jesus Christ, and y’all know how I feel about my Lord and savior. Never in my life, ever, not even once sniffed coke. ever.”

Minaj then explained why she felt it was necessary to address the rumors.

“I have a lot of friends, or acquaintances in the industry who do coke,” she added. “I don’t judge them for it but I’ve never tried it, never wanted to, never asked them to. Especially in the fashion world, that’s so common and normal, but yes.

“That’s the thing, when people used to lie about me I never used to clear my name and there was someone who took a major step and told that lie to people,” she continued. “And I never addressed it because I thought it was too ridiculous at the time to address but something just told me to now.”

You can watch a clip from the livestream above.

Beam Me Up Scotty is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.

Conway The Machine, JID, And Ludacris Share An Eerie Performance Of ‘Scatter Brain’ On ‘The Tonight Show’

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After years of releasing mixtapes, Conway The Machine shared his official debut last fall with From King To A God. Just like the rest of the Griselda members, Conway wasted no time getting back to work as he returned with another project, La Maquina, in April. The eleven-track effort was highlight by features from Ludacris, JID, 2 Chainz, El Camino along with fellow Griselda acts Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn. Just a little over a month removed from sharing La Maquina, Conway took his talents to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform one of the album’s tracks.

Sliding through with Ludacris and JID by his side, Conway took the late-night TV stage to perform “Scatter Brain.” The track is a favorite from La Maquina and the performance itself made for the rapper’s national television debut. The trio delivered their slick-lipped rhymes while pacing around an eerie stage that contained disconnected televisions, barbed wire, and floor-grazing smoke.

During a recent interview on Apple Music, Conway shared when fans could expect his next project.

“That should be coming out this summer. Like, June or July, and I’m excited,” he said. “We had to go through the channels I had to go through a lot of the stuff that had sample issues, and we couldn’t get some stuff cleared. So, songs didn’t make it, that got put out early on other projects. We had to make other songs and stuff to make up for it. It was a process but it’s finally complete.”

You can watch the performance in the video above.

HER Reveals She Was Almost In A Band With Kehlani And Zendaya

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Despite still working on her official debut album, HER is one of today’s most-awarded young acts. The Vallejo, California-born singer already has four Grammys to her name along with a Golden Globe which brings her halfway to the coveted EGOT title. This undeniable success is a result of years worth of hard work and perfecting her craft, which dates back to her early teenage days. In a recent interview on The Carlos Watson Show, HER spoke about a band she was almost a part of earlier in her career, one that included well-known names like Kehlani and Zendaya.

“Dylan Wiggins, who is D’wayne Wiggins’s son from Tony! Toni! Toné!, we used to be in a band together,” she said. “We used to perform together when we were really young.” She added, “Kehlani was actually in our band. We all used to sing together. Zendaya was going to be in it at one point. But yeah, they all grew up together. I came into the picture in Oakland and we used to perform together.”

Poplyfe, a teen pop group from Oakland, California that appeared on season six of America’s Got Talent, is the band HER is referring to. At the time of their involvement in the talent show competition, the band’s members ranged in age from 13 to 18. The group would make it far into the show as they finish in fourth place.

You can hear HER share the news in the video above.

Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.