Sports

Twitch Announces A Streaming Partnership With T-Pain With ‘I’m Cool With That’

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T-Pain was on Twitch well before it was cool. While Twitch had been in use for years among video game fans, it was not a place that celebrities typically hung out like it is now. These days it’s not uncommon for famous athletes, actors, or musicians to be seen hanging out on Twitch playing a game and interacting with their community. T-Pain, on the other hand, was doing it originally as just something to do in his free time. He’d play games, show off new music, and just hang out.

These days, Twitch is almost as much of a job as his music career for him. He’s an extremely popular streamer with thousands of people tuning into his streams live or watching the VODs after he’s wrapped up. Twitch saw his popularity and got in contact with him. Now, T-Pain and Twitch have formed a partnership where his presence on the site will be even more visible. He’s kicking off his partnership with an exclusive listening party on his Twitch channel for his new single “I’m Cool With That.”

“This partnership means that I have been seen,” T-Pain said. “With so little representation on the service previously, the fact that Twitch came to me means that they actually see our community and understand the value of our contribution to the streaming world. We’ve been hosting beat battles and collaborative sessions for years… ‘I’m Cool With That’ is a combination of some of those efforts and was the first song created and released with my community, and I hope this is just the start of a journey Twitch and I are about to go on to uplift and strengthen the music community on Twitch.”

The upcoming listening party will be where T-Pain further breaks down the new track and shares details about other aspects of his partnership, such as monthly “Post Ya Song” and “Post Ya Beat” reviews from community producers. It’s really cool to see this kind of opportunity for T-Pain considering that he was one of the first well-known names to really embrace Twitch. Now he has a partnership and his community gets to watch his streams become even bigger.

This is another big step for Twitch as well, as the platform continues to try and show it’s for more than just video games. Twitch will always be about video games first and foremost, but the platform has not shied away from growing to become something even bigger. Lucky for them, T-Pain not only represents the video game side of the platform but the music side as well. He’s the perfect choice for this partnership.

Megan Thee Stalliion Calls Joc Pederson A ‘Bad B’ In An Incredible Intro For Game 2 Of The World Series

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Game 2 of the World Series saw some Houston trying to change the mojo as the Astros looked to even the series after dropping Game 1 at home on Tuesday, as Minute Maid Park had the roof open for a playoff game for the first time since 2005.

The Fox broadcast also tapped a Houston icon for their intro video, as they got Megan Thee Stallion to set the stage for Game 2 with some Houston flair, as well as some love for the Braves too. The highlight of the video is her mentioning Joc Pederson and his pearls, calling him a “Bad B.”

It was about as well done as any celebrity hype video, as Meg doesn’t try to do anything but be herself for the video and even her getting her favorite tag lines like hotties and savages very naturally. Joc Pederson will surely love getting the Bad B*tch stamp of approval from Megan Thee Stallion, after that was the explanation he used for why he has been wearing a pearl necklace throughout the playoffs. Whoever slid that through the Fox clearance process for this video deserves a raise.

The intro also gave us the delightful opportunity to hear Joe Buck saying “Something For The Hotties.”

There’s a very good chance they have a similar video lined up with an Atlanta artist for when the series shifts to being Braves home games, and hopefully we get more Joe Buck reading off the titles of hip-hop albums as a result.

Megan Thee Stallion’s Visit To The F1 Grand Prix Resulted In A Seriously Awkward Interview

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As much as hip-hop collectively loves mentioning Nascar (mostly because it rhymes with a lot of things, especially “fast car”), there’s another form of racing sport about which most rappers seem frighteningly uninformed: Formula 1. Part of that has to do with the fact that it just hasn’t caught on here the way it has in Europe; this resulted in a hilarious case of culture clash this past weekend as Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion visited the F1 US Grand Prix this weekend in neighboring Austin and the world discovered that the unawareness can go both ways.

As she strutted the track with her entourage, Megan was approached by Sky News reporter and former driver Martin Brundle for an interview but as the rapper seemed to be in hurry, things got off to a bad start. Brundle was very nearly pushed away by Meg’s massive bodyguard (an absolute unit, that one), then, when addressing her, he noted that she is a “freestyle rapper” and wondered whether she had any “rap on F1.” Bursting into laughter, Megan politely declined to rap for the reporter as she kept it moving and he was left in the dust.

For what it’s worth, the awkwardness was probably a result of the generation gap as much as anything, as the older British reporter was clearly trying to turn a phrase and show off his own witty wordplay, which they’re quite fond of across the pond. However, nobody has used the term “rap” to mean “discuss” or “chat” in at least forty years. Sometimes you can get a little too clever, especially when it comes to so many degrees of separation (old, white, British man, meet 20-something, Black woman from Houston). Of course, some folks gave their own impressions of the hilarious incident on Twitter:

Seriously, though, people should stop asking Megan Thee Stallion about sports. It should be very clear by now that she is a big nerd and should only ever be asked about anime, video games, and hottie sauce. Check out Uproxx’s interview with Megan Thee Stallion about her iconic Mileena cosplay for Mortal Kombat 11.

The ‘Kawhi Leonard Presents: Culture Jam Vol. 1’ Tracklist Is Absolutely Loaded

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While Kawhi Leonard won’t be suiting up for the Clippers anytime soon this season following offseason ACL surgery, he’s been keeping busy as a co-executive producer for the Culture Jam Vol. 1 compilation, scheduled to be released tomorrow via Virgin Music. Yesterday, Uproxx reported on the latest video drop from the album for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie And Capella Gray’s “Bestie.” The track follows the first two releases from the album: Rod Wave and YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Everything Different” and “Waves” by Gunna and Polo G.

Now, one day ahead of the release, the full tracklist has been shared and it looks like Kawhi plucked the cream of the crop from All-Star Weekend function. “Gotta Have It” with Ty Dolla Sign, Stefflon Don, and recent Uproxx cover star Wale stands out as one to get hyped on. It should be noted that Leonard indicated that part of the proceeds will benefit the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. In addition to the album, Leonard is presenting the Culture Jam Sports And Music Festival (CJ21) featuring Cordae, Bluebuckslean, and others, held at the Shrine Auditorium in LA on November 21st.

Check out the tracklist below.

1. NBA Youngboy and Rod Wave — “Everything Different”
2. Gunna and Polo G — “Waves”
3. Lil Uzi Vert — “Thankful”
4. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Capella Grey — “Bestie”
5. Ty Dolla Sign, Stefflon Don, and Wale — “Gotta Have It”
6. Yung Bleu and NLE Choppa — “Everywhere You Go”
7. Bluebucksclan — “No Thank You”

Kawhi Leonard Presents: Culture Jam Vol. 1 is out 10/22 via Virgin Music. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Montrezl Harrell Clarified That He Did Not Get A Technical Foul For Arguing With Drake

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Montrezl Harrell’s first game as a member of the Washington Wizards ended with a 98-83 win over the Toronto Raptors and one technical foul in his back pocket. That tech ended up getting a whole lot of attention, because it looked like it came because the Wizards’ big man was jawing with noted Raptors fan Drake during the game.

The video makes it look like Harrell, who has never been shy about wearing his heart on his sleeve during games, was getting wound up while having a conversation with Drake, who appeared to find whatever was going on pretty funny.

That was not exactly what happened, though. After the game, Harrell made clear that the technical foul did not come because of anything he was doing with Drake. Instead, he got T’d up for a conversation with a Raptors coach, while he and Drake went back-and-forth in a far more cordial manner.

“I need my money back first, NBA,” Harrell said. “I definitely need my money back, because that definitely shouldn’t have been no tech. If so, you’ve got to give to me and the coach. Me and Drake was laughing. There was no problems there, me and Drake cool, we even talked after the game. It was a cool conversation, but it turned left when the coach started chiming in behind the bench, thinking that barking is something that’s gonna shake me.

“I don’t need all of Toronto on my bumper now,” Harrell continued. “I don’t need Toronto on my bumper now. Don’t start DMing me on Instagram now. Me and Drake cool.”

Let it go in the record books: Montrezl Harrell did not get a technical foul for getting into an argument with Drake. This, of course, does not mean an NBA player somewhere down the line won’t get one for chirping at Drake during a Raptors game.

A Picture Of Kyle Guy Made Jack Harlow And A Bunch Of Fans Wonder If He Played For The Cavaliers

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The Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up their preseason on Friday night against the Indiana Pacers. In a game where both coaches found it paramount to get as many dudes playing time as possible in the lead-up to the regular season, the Cavs came out on top against their division rivals, 110-94. Now, Cleveland can kick its collective feet up ahead of the start of the season.

A fun happened in the aftermath of the win, though. The Cavs’ social media team thought it’d be fun to use a random picture of Kyle Guy in its postgame graphic on Twitter, which, why not, ya know? Here is that:

Again, this is Kyle Guy, a professional basketball player who won a national championship at the University of Virginia and spent the first few years of his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings. It is not Jack Harlow, although plenty of folks wondered if it was.

Among those who thought this was a picture of Jack Harlow playing for the Cavaliers was the man himself.

In fairness to, well, everyone, Guy and Harlow look extremely similar — the former also had some fun with this by retweeting the latter’s post. Guy had five points in 10 minutes of work off the bench for the Cavaliers on Friday night, while Harlow, I presume, did something else.

Chance The Rapper Vows To Get A Chicago Sky Tattoo If They Win The Next WNBA Finals Game

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The 2021 WNBA Finals series between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury got underway this past Sunday, and so far, it’s proven to be an exciting matchup. The Mercury won Game One with a satisfying 14-point win while the Sky game back strong to win by five in an overtime thriller. The Finals series has fans, like fellow Phoenix athletes Chris Paul, Jae Crowder, and Devin Booker, excited for the next matchup. This also includes Chance The Rapper who hopped on Twitter to make a bold claim ahead of Game 3.

A little over 24 hours before tipoff for game three, Chance took to Twitter to make a strong promise for the game. “When the Sky clenches the victory in game 3 tmw I will be getting tatted to commemorate the victory,” the rapper wrote. Even if the Sky win on Friday, Chance’s tattoo will be a bit of a premature celebration as the team will still need an additional win to get their hands on the WNBA Finals trophy.

Chance’s comments come shortly after he released his Magnificent Coloring Book film concert, a movie that he recently admitted made him “super thirsty” to perform again. He added during the interview with Billboard, “I’m saying to myself ’I can’t wait to perform this particular song now. I’m looking at it as a performer, but also as a filmmaker.”

You can read Chance’s tweet above and tune in to game three of the WNBA Finals on 10/15 at 9 PM EST.

Drake Joined The Raptors Broadcast During A Preseason Game Against The Rockets

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The Toronto Raptors are back in the 6 after spending last season plying their trade in Florida. In response to restrictions put in place by Canada’s government during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Raptors were unable to play their home games in Scotiabank Arena last season, meaning it’s been a minute since the team’s most famous fan got to watch them in-person.

While we’re still on the long march towards the regular season, Drake made his triumphant return to watching the Raptors on Monday night during a preseason tilt against the Houston Rockets. At one point, because this is the preseason we are talking about here, Drake joined the team’s broadcasters while sitting courtside and having something to drink to talk about getting back into the arena.

The whole thing is a delight — it very much seems like Drake just showed up and they had a conversation like a bunch of old friends catching up with one another, Fred VanVleet throws his arms up when he realizes Drake is on the broadcast, just excellent television from top to bottom. This should absolutely happen more often, whether it’s Drake and the Raptors or any other superfan just showing up and radiating good vibes during a broadcast.

As for the game, Toronto beast Houston, 107-92.

Lil Nas X Is Hyped Up About 100 Thieves Competing In The ‘League Of Legends’ World Championship

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The 2021 League Of Legends World Championship has been taking place and the matches have been really exciting so far. One person, that’s been really enjoying them? Lil Nas X. His enjoyment of video games isn’t a secret. He’s a huge fan of Sonic The Hedgehog and did a livestream concert inside Roblox.

Lil Nas X is also a big fan of the League Of Legends team 100 Thieves. He’s so much of a fan that he decided to do create a hype video to celebrate the 2021 League Of Legends World Championship featuring a completely unique compilation of Lil Nas X’s hits “Thats What I Want” and “Industry Baby.” The result is a great hype video featuring 100 Thieves member JhbTeam dancing around with visions of Lil Nas X performing inside the LCS Championship trophy. The behind the scenes footage from the shoot is also quite enjoyable.

Anyone that wants to check out 100 Thieves in the League Of Legends World Championship can find them competing online at Lolesports.com They’re currently in the group stage, coming off a loss to Edward Gaming, but they’ll get a second shot at getting a win on Tuesday when they take on FocusMe.

If they manage to make a title run maybe we’ll get an opportunity to see Lil Nas X celebrating it. We’re also going to eagerly anticipate more crossovers with him and the world of gaming.

NBC Used Adele’s ‘Hello’ Ahead Of Tom Brady’s Return To Foxboro For The First Time With The Bucs

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A moment that seemed unfathomable as recently as two years ago has come to fruition. For the first time in his 22-year NFL career, Tom Brady headed to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro as a member of a team that wasn’t the New England Patriots. Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squared off against his old squad on Sunday Night Football this week, and even if it wasn’t the only game on television in that window, the eyes of every football fan would be locked onto the matchup between Brady and Bill Belichick.

It’s seemingly been the only football game that anyone has talked about for the last week or so, and unsurprisingly, NBC decided to go all-out for the occasion. In addition to its aforementioned time slot and the amount of discourse there’s been around the game, the network enlisted the help of Adele in its pregame promo, as it used the song “Hello” to welcome Brady back to his old stomping ground.

Brady’s laundry list of accomplishments from his time with the Patriots has been listed out a million times, but most famously, he and Belichick combined to win six Super Bowl in New England. He’s gotten one sixth of the way to matching that in Tampa, as the Bucs lifted the Lombardi Trophy last season.