Professional athletes and performers in New York City no longer have to comply with the private sector coronavirus vaccine mandate. Mayor Eric Adams says he’s making an exemption because hometown teams had an unfair disadvantage because visiting players who weren’t vaccinated were allowed to play.
This now means unvaccinated Nets star Kyrie Irving no longer has to sit out home games and Yankees and Mets players who have not gotten the shot can play at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field once baseball season starts.
The mayor is getting backlash from some who say this is unfair to other employees who were forced to get the shot. Hundreds of city employees were fired for not getting the vaccine and Adams says they will not be re-hired.
Councilman Joe Borelli took to Twitter saying it’s unfair to exempt basketball players from the city’s private sector vaccine mandate but not arena ushers or janitors.
This is appalling. We are firing our own employees but allowing exemptions for the fancy ones. https://t.co/rKfugRO3hM
Today, global one-on-one breaking competition, Red Bull BC One,announces its return to New York City, the birthplace of Hip-Hop. Elite competitive breakers and Olympic hopefuls (‘b-boys’ and ‘b-girls’) from all corners of the globe will descend to New York City, where the world’s most highly anticipated annual breaking competition, the Red Bull BC One World Final, will take place on Saturday, November 12th at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
With over 60 qualifier events hosted across 30 countries, the competition brings together the best in breaking for an electrifying battle on the largest international stage, with the final event featuring a line-up of 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls. Last year’s Red Bull BC One World Final was hosted in Poland with B-Boy Amir from Kazakhstan and B-Girl Logistx from the USA taking the belt. Both will defend their titles at this year’s World Final.
Born on the streets of the Bronx, breaking is one of hip-hop’s four foundational elements, as integral to the expansion of the culture as MCing, DJing, and graffiti. Over nearly five decades, the vibrant local art form has broken beyond New York boroughs and become a worldwide phenomenon, evolving into a gravity-defying hybrid of stylized dance and athletic sport now globally recognized, with a sporting debut set for 2024.
In celebration of breaking’s progression, breakers from across the world will reunite in the art form’s birthplace at this unique moment in history to battle for their chance to be crowned Red Bull BC One World Champion.
“There is something special about the Red Bull BC One World Final returning to New York City,” says Logan “Logistx” Edra, winner of the 2021 Red Bull BC One World Final, and the youngest to ever hold the coveted title. “As the next generation of breakers rise, I feel it’s important to honor breaking’s roots while breathing new life into the sport as it continues to amass international and well-due recognition.”
Drake must have some huge news on the way as he just announced upcoming live shows in New York City and Toronto during the latest episode of OVO Sound Radio on Sirus XM, shared by Elliott Wilson via social media on Saturday morning (March 12).
“This is Drake, coming to you live on Sounds42 Sirus XM,“ said Drake on the show. “I’m excited to let all my people know that we’re working on something really special for you guys. Putting together two shows, one in New York and a few in Toronto. They’re gonna be something different, something that I’ve never done before. Gonna be a highly interactive experience. My brothers will be there, it’s gonna be great to see y’all, hopefully get a chance to speak with you, [and] hopefully learn a little more about each other. I’ll have the dates for that coming soon, I can’t wait.”
The announcement marks Drake’s first full show since his December 2019 Assassination Vacation Tour. After that, Drake has only performed as a special guest with Travis Scott at last year’s Astro World Festival in Houston and Ye’s benefit concert for Larry Hoover in Los Angeles last December.
Mixed by guest DJ, GoHomeRoger, the episode included new music by superstars like King Von, Kodak Black, Rowdy Rebel, Lil Durk, and uprising artists like Yeat, Central Cee, BlueBucksClan, and Skeng. Review the complete playlist below.
Along with the news of upcoming shows, the latest episode in the show’s fourth season promoted the forthcoming release of the new season of the Drake executive-produced crime drama series, Top Boy, starting March 18 on Netflix. The popular series stars Ashley Walters, Kano, Shone Romulus, Micheal Ward, and Little Simz.
On Thursday, Chart Data revealed Drake is the most-streamed artist of the year with 1.4 billion streams. On top of the top 10 list, Drake surpasses seven other hip hop stars, including NBA Youngboy, JuiceWrld, Kanye West, Eminem, Kodak Black, and Rod Wave. In other news, Drake’s latest album, Certified Lover Boy, was the only hip-hop album to reach double platinum in 2021, RIAA reports.
Hear the full OVO Sound Radio Season 4, Episode 5 below.
New York City will drop two major coronavirus related requirements. Mayor Eric Adams says the vaccine mandate for certain indoor public places will no longer be in effect starting Monday.
Per the expiring order New Yorkers have had to show proof of the vaccine in order to take part in indoor dining, gyms and indoor entertainment venues.
Mayor Adams says the city is suspending requirements to the Key To NYC program but he’s leaving it up to businesses to put in their own mandates.
NY Mayor Adams is also dropping the school mask mandate starting Monday for K through 12th grade. He points to very low coronavirus positivity rates in the city and in the school system for both decisions.
New York City officials have some big news for its residents. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced earlier today that the city plans to reopen fully before July 1st. NYC Will Fully Re-Open In response to the exciting news, governor Andrew Cuomo also commented separately that he cautiously hopes that NYC can lift COVID-related restrictions. Cuomo […]
