rule change

NBA Could Be About To Crack Down On Flopping

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Flopping is a much-discussed issue in the NBA. It has especially come to a head in the playoffs. A betting platform offered a $1000 giveaway for every time Joel Embiid flopped in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Celtics. Elsewhere, Draymond Green called Jamal Murray “soft” for a flagrant foul called against De’Angelo Russell.

Furthermore, the flopping problem has reached a tipping point for many fans, who see it plus the current epidemic of hair-trigger foul calls to be a combination that could cripple the league. It appears that the league is aware of this, and is considering a new rule to address it. Previously, the league implemented a fine policy ahead of the 2012-13 season.

Flopping Could Soon Earn A Charge

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 08: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors gestures against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter in game four of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

First reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the league is exploring the possibility of implementing a punishment for flopping. According to Charania, the NBA is considering testing a rule change to implement a technical free throw for the charge of “flopping”. Furthermore, this could be tested as early as the Las Vegas Summer League in June.

The proposed change comes a few weeks after Steve Kerr publicly begged the NBA to address the issue. “I think, to me, what I’ve learned coaching in FIBA … There’s a flop rule. If a referee deems a player has flopped, they just call it a technical foul, and it’s pretty penalizing. And so the flopping has basically been eliminated from FIBA, and we have the ability to do the same thing in the NBA if we want. I think we should address it, because the players are so smart, and the entire regular season is about gamesmanship and trying to fool the refs. And this is how it’s been for a while, and it’s up to us as a league. Do we want to fix this? … These are all things that are my personal plea to the NBA. I think we can do better in terms of cleaning up the flopping. In the meantime, I give the Lakers credit for the plays that they’ve been able to sell.”

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Rich The Kid Blasts Billboard’s New “Fan Packs” Bundle Rule

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If you haven’t heard the news yet, your favorite artists might be selling a whole lot of merch to get on the charts. Moreover, Billboard recently announced they are reinstating their controversial rule that merch bundles (i.e. selling socks along with a physical or digitally purchased record) will contribute to that release’s chart placement. However, many artists are calling this out as a mistake. Furthermore, the organization eliminated that rule back in 2020 after years of pushback. The most recent artist to speak out against it is Rich The Kid, who spoke to TMZ about the reinstated “merch rule.”

“That’s fire,” the Queens-born and College Park-raised MC said. “Because them floppin’ a** artists can get- you know what I’m saying- yeah, that’s some bulls**t. But you know what? My new album’s coming out this summer, and I ain’t sellin’ no Crocs with ’em!” While that’s a valid point, a lot of the conversation around Billboard‘s “merch rule” (now referred to as “Fan Packs”) targeted some of the biggest artists in the world. However, one artist who actually wanted to see the “merch rule” reinstated was none other than 6ix9ine.

Rich The Kid Dismisses Billboard‘s Rule Change

“The rule got changed in June/July 2020,” he lamented via Instagram. He made the distinction to claim that they specifically changed the rule to prevent artists like him from succeeding. “I sold over 3,000,000 dollars of bulged merch for gooba. The nicki and travis thing was in 2018 for queen because I promoted it. The industry changed rules and laws just to blackball an artist that’s how I know I’m really him. Get mad all you want but this is facts.”

Furthermore, the incident between Travis Scott and Nicki Minaj that he referred to was the biggest public example of this rule’s divisiveness. After ASTROWORLD beat Queen for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, Nicki unleashed on La Flame and pointed blame at the “merch rule.” “What we’re not gonna do is have that Auto-Tune man selling f***ing sweaters telling you he sold half a million albums, because he f***ing didn’t,” she said on Queen Radio. “You stupid fuck. You got your f***ing homeboy talking for you and you got your girlfriend selling tour passes. Stop it. Knock it the f**k off.” Let us know your thoughts on Billboard‘s “Fan Packs” down below. Also, stick around on HNHH for more on this rule change and the latest from Rich The Kid.

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6ix9ine Lashes Out At Billboard Amid Merch Album Sales Reinstatement: “Anything Just To Not See Me Win”

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Some ops at the gym certainly got the better of him earlier this year, but 6ix9ine managed to make a triumphant comeback thanks to singles like “WAPAE” and “Y Ahora” last month. Seeing as his embattled reputation obviously precedes him in the U.S., the lyricist has been tapping into the Spanish music market, where he’s found major success working with various collaborators. While he’s been celebrating the major victories coming along with that on social media, 6ix9ine also didn’t hesitate to use his platform to call out Billboard over a recent rule change that isn’t sitting right with him.

“Billboard to count limited fan packs/merch bundles with physical albums towards Billboard 200 chart starting June 30th,” a tweet from @chartdata reported earlier this week. Upon hearing the news, 6ix9ine took a screenshot of the post to share with a message of his own on his IG Story. “LITERALLY A JOKE,” the 26-year-old’s rant began on Thursday (May 4). “I’m the reason you guys got rid of this rule,” he further asserted. “You guys did everything and ANYTHING just to not see me win. BRINGIN’ IT BACK BECAUSE Y’ALL ARTISTS CAN SELL WITHOUT IT.”

6ix9ine Blasts Billboard

DJ Akademiks shared the “GOOBA” artist’s thoughts on his own page, leading 6ix9ine to drop by the comments there and get more off of his chest. “The rule got changed in June/July of 2020. I sold over $3M of [bundled] merch for ‘GOOBA,’” he explained. “The Nicki and Travis thing was in 2018 for ‘Queen’ because I promoted it,” the east coast star added, referring to Nicki Minaj’s anger over Travis Scott beating her out for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, which she claimed only happened due to the merch bundles sold with his project.

“The industry changed rules and laws just to blackball an artist, that’s how I know I’m really him,” the controversial star concluded. “Get mad all you want, but this is facts.” Do you think 6ix9ine’s anger towards Billboard is valid, or is he letting a victim complex get the better of him? Let us know in the comments, and tap back in later for more hip-hop news updates.

Rapper Speaks His Truth

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