Sports

Rolling Loud And Antonio Brown Hype Up His Upcoming Performance At The Miami Festival

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Last night, Rolling Loud announced the lineup for its impending return to Miami this summer with headliners Future, Kanye West (billed as “Ye”), and Kendrick Lamar, but one name, in particular, jumped out at fans. The mysterious “AB” listed in the second line of the Friday section was intriguing, prompting some fans to wonder whether it was NFL wide receiver (and Miami native), Antonio Brown, most recently of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As it turns out, it was!

Rolling Loud confirmed that “Yes, that’s Antonio Brown on our lineup,” with a tweet earlier today coinciding with the former Buccaneer’s own announcement that he would be performing, which he shared on his Instagram Story alongside a snippet of his debut single, “Pit Not The Palace.” He also tweeted the Rolling Loud flyer with the song’s title, generating even more buzz for his stage debut.

Brown’s exit from the Tampa Bay team was controversial; during a January 2 game against the Jets in New York, he stormed off the field, peeling off his uniform as he went. Later it was revealed that he had a serious injury when he left the game and he claimed that he was cut from the team for not playing hurt after helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl just a year prior.

It looks like he’ll have a soft landing if he chooses not to return to the NFL, joining the ranks of rapper athletes such as Damian Lillard and Miles Bridges of the NBA as he prepares for his festival debut. Rolling Loud’s Miami event is July 22-24, with tickets going on sale Monday, March 7 at 12 pm ET.

Machine Gun Kelly Helped Introduce The NBA All-Star Lineups And Macy Gray And Earth, Wind & Fire Performed

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NBA All-Star Weekend is about the finest talent professional basketball has to offer, but some of the biggest names in music popped up during the festivities, too. DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, Gunna, Ludacris, Migos, and Mary J. Blige performed on Saturday, and yesterday’s actual All-Star Game featured more recognizable music figures taking the stage.

Machine Gun Kelly (who was born in Houston but spent some of his formative years in Cleveland, this year’s All-Star host city) helped introduce the game’s starting lineups by getting the crowd excited, thanking “all the hard workers of this town,” cracking a couple of jokes, and handing things over to DJ D-Nice before the team lineups were properly introduced. Kelly had his fingerprints all over the weekend, as he also played during the celebrity game.

Prior to tip-off, Juno Award nominee Ryland James sang the Canadian national anthem before Ohio native Macy Gray delivered a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some people online noticed LeBron James seemed amused by Gray’s performance, as he was seen seemingly trying to suppress a smile as she sang.

As for halftime, the mid-game break was mostly focused on a celebration of the 75th anniversary team, although it did feature Earth, Wind & Fire performing their thematically appropriate hit “Shining Star.”

Meanwhile, Adele was spotted courtside (which makes sense given her relationship with sports agent Rich Paul) and caught the attention of the TNT broadcast crew, which prompted Charles Barkley to reckon he and Adele ought to duet. Barkley’s co-hosts quickly and definitively shot that idea down.

Check out the musical highlights from the All-Star Game above.

DJ Khaled Airballs But Ultimately Triumphs On The NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Course

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NBA All-Star Game Weekend is upon us and DJ Khaled is 100 percent in Cleveland to attend the festivities. Earlier today, he took the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge course for a test drive, presumably warming it up for the three teams of the Antetokounmpo brothers, Cavaliers players, and rookies. Watching Khaled, decked out in a leather jacked and countless layers of iced out diamond necklaces, was a thrill.

He starts dribbling around the barriers, showing the ability to handle the rock with both right and left hands. He crosses over past the final obstacle before pulling up for a jump shot.

Clearly bogged down by the pounds of stones around his neck, his first shot was an airball. But never discouraged, he demands the ball back — “It don’t matter!” — he then pulls up again and swishes his second attempt triumphantly.

“Do not give up,” he says to the camera. “Don’t get discouraged. If you fall, get up. You keep going. I could’ve made it on the first shot, but there’s so much ice on me!”

The truly inspirational performance from DJ Khaled. One Twitter commenter was impressed with how quickly he sank the bucket, saying “Only two attempts to make the shot? This man can take Russ spot [crying laughing emojis]” Oh, the shade.

Watch the video of DJ Khaled’s skills on Twitter above. The actual Taco Bell NBA All Star Skills Challenge is the first event on Saturday, 02/19, beginning at 5 p.m. PST. The 2022 NBA All-Star Game itself is on Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.

Dr. Dre Reveals What Line The NFL Made Him Remove From His Super Bowl Performance

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Although it has been decades since Dr. Dre himself was at the center of any hip-hop controversies, there was some speculation and debate ahead of his recent Super Bowl halftime show performance that the NFL worried parts of the show could become culture war flashpoints. While the moments in question went off without a hitch, some folks did find plenty to complain about — even after the NFL offered notes on how to tone down potentially troublesome moments during the performance.

Dr. Dre revealed what “minor changes” the NFL made to the set during an interview with TMZ. While he did acknowledge the rumor that the NFL had barred his co-star Eminem from kneeling during his set, Dre said the real changes came during Kendrick Lamar’s portion of the performance. “Em taking the knee, that was Em doing that on his own, and there was no problem with that,” he said. However, regarding Kendrick’s song, “M.A.A.D. City,” the opening line “if Pirus and Crips could all get along” didn’t fly.

“They had a problem with that, so we had to take that out,” he said. “No big deal, we get it. But, all in all, everybody came in, we were professional, everybody was on time. Everybody felt the magnitude of what this thing was, and what we were going to be able to accomplish. It was a fantastic experience.” You can watch Dre’s interview below.

The NFL Denies Telling Eminem Not To Kneel During The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Last night’s Super Bowl halftime show drew its fair share of both praise and controversy, as West Coast hip-hop legend Dr. Dre took to the field with a cadre of superstar associates including 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. While some conservative pundits offered the probably disingenuous criticism of the show as depicting “sexual anarchy,” another lightning rod during the performance was Eminem taking a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and all the other players who protested police brutality during the 2016 season.

Ahead of the performance, it was reported that the NFL had apparently shot down the idea when he pitched it during planning and rehearsals, as well as flagging Dr. Dre’s “still not loving police” lyric from “Still D.R.E.” as possibly “divisive” moments. However, that report didn’t stop either performer from going ahead as planned, although Kendrick Lamar did censor the “we hate po-po” lyric from “Alright.”

A report shortly after the performance in the New York Times suggests new information from a league spokesman who insinuated that all those possibly controversial moments were cleared in rehearsals. Brian McCarthy said league officials “watched it during rehearsals this week” and didn’t mention receiving any notes. He also said that players and coaches were cleared to demonstrate before the game, although it didn’t seem that any of them did.

Eminem Reportedly Isn’t Allowed To Kneel During His Performance At The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Not only are we a few hours away from a Super Bowl matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, but we’re also almost moments away from what’s lining up to be an awesome halftime show. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige are all going to take the stage later tonight. Dre has promised some surprises for the halftime show, but whatever’s about to happen won’t occur without approval from the NFL.

One thing they shot down was this: Eminem reportedly wanted to take a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. According to Consequence and Puck, the NFL denied Eminem’s request. The league has also allegedly denied one of Snoop Dogg’s outfits due to possible gang ties and it flagged Dr. Dre’s lyric from “Still D.R.E.” as it includes lyrics like “still not loving police.” It’s reported that the league doesn’t want the Super Bowl to be perceived as a “divisive culture war moment.”

Nonetheless, Dre is very excited about the halftime show, which he spent upwards of $7 million worth to put together. “Hip-hop is the biggest genre of music on the planet right now, so it’s crazy that it took all of this time for us to be recognized,” he said. “I think we’re going to go on and do a fantastic show and we’re going to do it so big that they can’t deny us any more in the future.”

Dr. Dre Jokingly Warned Eminem And Snoop Dogg To Keep Their Junk In Their Pants During Their Super Bowl Performance

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During the press conference for Dr. Dre’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show featuring Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg, the West Coast rap impresario refused to offer any insights into potential surprises during the performance, but he did offer assurances regarding what fans won’t see: anyone’s junk. After Snoop brought up the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” from the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, Dre jumped on the opportunity to razz his notoriously mischievous costars.

“I had to talk Snoop and Eminem out of pulling their penises out,” he joked. “Especially Eminem.” You can check out the full press conference above.

Of course, the wild days when you could expect Snoop or Eminem to troll America this way are far behind both. In one of Snoop’s recent interviews regarding the upcoming performance, he waffled about performing one of his most iconic songs while admitting to being “nervous about watching it to see what the reaction is.” Eminem likewise admitted that the preparations were “f*cking nerve-wracking,” telling Sway Calloway that “there’s nothing more final than live TV… if you f*ck up, your f*ck up is there forever.”

Both men also have outside endeavors to think about: While Em’s serving up Mom’s Spaghetti (here’s Uproxx’s review for any Angelenos looking to try it out), Snoop will be hosting the Puppy Bowl with his buddy Martha Stewart.

Myles Turner And Detroit Rapper BabyTron Shook Hands On A $100,000 Bet

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Indiana Pacers forward/center Myles Turner hasn’t played in an NBA game since the middle of last month due to a stress reaction in his left foot. He was set to be re-evaluated two weeks after the injury, but it remains to be seen if his next game will be in a Pacers jersey. That’s because his name has come up multiple times in trade rumors. As we wait to see what happens with him, Turner used some of his recovery time to make a giant, $100,000 bet.

Turner was joking with people on Twitter when rising Detroit rapper BabyTron stepped in to throw a jab at him. “ARE YOU EVER GONNA MAKE THE ALL STAR TEAM @Original_Turner,” BabyTron wrote. Turner issued his response, but not without checking out some of BabyTron’s music. “@_babytron No [cap] i have no idea who you are but I just listened and you ain’t bad… wager sumn,” Turner wrote. “I make an all star team or you get a billboard top 10 single.” He then placed his wager for the bet, writing, “Put 100 k onnit [handshake emoji].”

BabyTron seemed quite excited to make the bet as he eagerly replied, “ITS ON [handshake emoji].” As for BabyTron’s rap career, he’s quite the active artist, having released four projects in 2021: Lewis & Clark, Dookie Brothers 2, Luka Tronic, and Bin Reaper 2.

One Of Snoop Dogg And Dr. Dre’s Most Iconic Songs Might Not Make The Super Bowl Setlist

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Halftime at this Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI promises to be a total smash when Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar take the stage for the Pepsi Halftime Show at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on February 13. But even though they’ve had months to plan their performances, Snoop Dogg’s setlist might not be finalized yet.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the West Coast rap legend spoke about the nerves he’s feeling right now. “I’m not going to understand it until it happens,” he told the AP. “While it’s happening, I’m in the zone. I’m stuck to the script, laser focused, being on point, sounding good, looking good and feeling good. I want to give off a great presentation. After the fact, it’s when I’ll be nervous about watching it to see what the reaction is. But while I’m going through it, it’s nothing.”

More notably, though, Snoop indicated that he wasn’t sure yet if he would perform his iconic 1994 track “Gin & Juice.” The song was produced by Dr. Dre and it would really cement the feel of being in Los Angeles (Inglewood, to be exact) for the Super Bowl. He said the most important thing is being there with the rest of the performers and purveying a message of unity: “We’re all one. We’re all united together. If you really look at it, that’s what the world needs to understand that we need to come together as opposed to division or separation.”

Eminem Will Be Serving Mom’s Spaghetti In LA For Super Bowl LVI

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Not only is Eminem performing part of the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show but he’s also bringing his popular pop-up restaurant to hungry football fans. The pop-up, Mom’s Spaghetti — so named for a line from Em’s 2002 hit “Lose Yourself” — was so successful at previous events that he eventually opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in his hometown Detroit last year to the delight of fans.

This week, Mom’s Spaghetti will return to its roots with a pop-up shop in Downtown LA opening today through Super Bowl Sunday, when the big game will be played at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium between the hometown LA Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. For those unwilling to risk Super Bowl week traffic themselves (seriously, don’t do it, people) the restaurant will also be available for delivery via Postmates.

Fans actually at the game will get to watch Eminem perform at the halftime show along with Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. The group will also have a pair of deaf rappers signing during the show, translating the classic songs for a wider audience. In other food-related Super Bowl news, Domino’s is offering customers $3 for picking up their pizzas instead of having them delivered.