Sports

The Crossover Between Rap And Basketball Showcases Dual Threats On Both Sides

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Basketball players and rappers occasionally crossing into one another’s worlds is by no means a new trend. For years, some hoopers have viewed music as an interest to pursue when they’re not out on the hardwood, while rappers have viewed the basketball court as a place to go have some fun in between recording sessions.

In today’s Dime Breakdown, we decided to look at both sides of the coin. We start by highlighting a pair of NBA players who are two of the best on the mic right now. Of course, Damian Lillard is at the top of the NBA’s rap game right now, but there are plenty of other dudes on the come up. One of them, Sacramento Kings youngster Marvin Bagley III, has actually gotten into it with Dame (and, if we can be honest, came up short), but can still hold his own in the booth.

On the other side of things, we highlighted a pair of rappers who have game for days. J. Cole was an easy mention here, as he’s coming off of a spell as a professional basketball player in the Basketball Africa League earlier this year, while NLE Choppa is as bright a star on the court as he is in the studio.

The Crossover Between Rap And Basketball Showcases Dual Threats On Both Sides

by

Basketball players and rappers occasionally crossing into one another’s worlds is by no means a new trend. For years, some hoopers have viewed music as an interest to pursue when they’re not out on the hardwood, while rappers have viewed the basketball court as a place to go have some fun in between recording sessions.

In today’s Dime Breakdown, we decided to look at both sides of the coin. We start by highlighting a pair of NBA players who are two of the best on the mic right now. Of course, Damian Lillard is at the top of the NBA’s rap game right now, but there are plenty of other dudes on the come up. One of them, Sacramento Kings youngster Marvin Bagley III, has actually gotten into it with Dame (and, if we can be honest, came up short), but can still hold his own in the booth.

On the other side of things, we highlighted a pair of rappers who have game for days. J. Cole was an easy mention here, as he’s coming off of a spell as a professional basketball player in the Basketball Africa League earlier this year, while NLE Choppa is as bright a star on the court as he is in the studio.

deadmau5 And ‘Core’ Are Teaming Up To Create A Music Video

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One of the best trends in video games today is the rise of creation tools. From Super Mario Maker to Dreams, gamers are gaining access to more tools that let them make their own fun, the result of which are some really creative ideas from players.

This creativity and ability to make anything we want in games is starting to get noticed outside the gaming industry. deadmau5, one of the most well-known electronic music producers out there, sees the potential in giving players the ability to create and is offering players of the game Core an opportunity to put their creativity to the test. Players using Core can try to use the tools inside the game to create a deadmau5 music video for his new single, “Lights.”

“I’ve been blown away by the creativity I’ve seen on Core,” deadmau5 said. “Some of my passions are game, experience, and world design, and Core’s capabilities as a platform and its creators who are capable of doing all kinds of cool stuff are the next level in user generated art and experiences. I’m looking forward to checking out what fans and artists will create for my new single with ‘Lights.’”

This is a big win for Manticore Games, the developer of Core. Not only is this an opportunity to advertise their game, but it gives them the chance to really show what the community around Core is capable of as the kind of game that’s all about showing what players can do when they’re handed the reins.

“We’re thrilled that deadmau5 shares our passion for putting the power of artistic expression in as many creators’ hands as possible,” said Jordan Maynard, the chief creative officer and co-founder Manticore Games. “Core is more than just a place to play and make games; it has endless potential for new forms of social interactivity and artistry. We can’t wait to see the worlds our creators bring alive for the new video, and we look forward to working together with deadmau5 on future projects.”

Report: James Harden Was ‘Briefly Detained’ While Lil Baby Was Arrested For Marijuana Possession In Paris

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James Harden was not arrested during a run-in with police officers in Paris on Thursday, according to ESPN. Harden is in Paris for fashion week, and according to videos that have emerged from the event, one person with whom he’s been traveling, Lil Baby, was among those taken in by the authorities for marijuana possession.

One video showed Harden in communication with the authorities, expressing that he did not understand something that was happening.

Additional footage showed Lil Baby inside of a police vehicle with Harden nearby.

ESPN managed to get some more details, and while Harden was “briefly detained,” he was never taken into custody. The report indicates that Harden was not with the group when 20 grams of marijuana was found in their car, but when it was evident that something was going down between Lil Baby’s group and the authorities, “Harden was apparently nearby and tried to intervene and was briefly detained, but was let go.”

TMZ went on to report that Harden “did not break any laws and was allowed to go about his day.” There is no word on who else was arrested alongside Lil Baby, but reports say that two others were taken in alongside of him.

Diddy Shares His Support For Runner Sha’Carri Richardson, Condemning Her Olympics Disqualification

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Although reactions to the International Olympics Committee ruling runner Sha’Carri Richardson ineligible for the 2021 Summer Games have been split, the colorful athlete has at least one powerful ally in her corner: Sean “Diddy” Combs, who tweeted his support for her and condemned her 30-day suspension for the use of marijuana.

Stating that his heart was broken for her, he noted, “I’m tired of white people sitting in a room making up decisions that affect our hopes and dreams. They will keep treating our athletes like slaves and entertainment until we shut down on these people!”

He then compared the judgment against her to the racist results of the US’s so-called War on Drugs, pointing out parallels that allow for the unfair treatment of people using a non-dangerous substance which was criminalized mainly due to its association with use by Black people. “So many of our brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, and sons are rotting in jail for marijuana and it’s JUST NOT RIGHT,” he wrote. “Now, to see them using this against a young Black woman that is on the edge of her greatness, all because some white man decided to make it illegal, is shameful.”

He also noted that there’s no real reason for THC to disqualify anyone from competing because, as he wrote accurately, “Marijuana does not make you run faster.” He also noted a discrepancy between the treatment of Richardson, a Black woman, and Michael Phelps, a white male swimmer who was also previously allowed to compete after testing positive for THC. While the circumstances aren’t exactly apples to apples, his point still seems valid.

Richardson was determined to be ineligible for 30 days, beginning June 28, after qualifying for the Olympics with a 10.86-second 100-meter dash time. Unfortunately, most of that month overlaps with her events and she was not selected for the Women’s 4 x 100 relay. She said that she took marijuana to cope with the recent death of her mother. Other supporters have included Seth Rogen, who also pointed to the discrepancy in calling weed a performance-enhancing drug, joking, “If weed made you fast, I’d be FloJo.”

All-4-One Remade ‘I Swear’ For An Xbox All-Access Music Video

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Xbox has never been a stranger to getting famous musicians involved with their brand to promote their products. Around Christmas, places like Twitter are usually full of Usher wishing a Merry Christmas to Xbox, for example. Their latest attempt to involve music as a promotional tool, though, is one of the weirdest advertisements you will ever see.

R&B group All-4-One has went and made a music video for Xbox. In a bizarre remix/homage of their hit song “I Swear,” this is “It’s All There (I Swear),” which shows how essentially everything a gamer could ever want is right there on Xbox. Yes, this is real, and it’s one of the stranger music videos you will ever see. That said, “I Swear” is a heat rock no matter what year it ism so this song is way better than it has any right to be.

Also, the music video featured an ESRB rating and I can’t figure out if they were legally required to do that or if it was just a fun detail.

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It goes without saying, but more companies should consider silly ideas like this because they’re fun and allow all of us to smile and laugh together. These are video games, they don’t have to be serious and Xbox seems to understand that better than most.

Kevin Huerter Disgusts Hawks Fans By Picking Rich The Kid Over Outkast

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Fans of the Atlanta Hawks turned on one of their own players on Saturday night … well, kind of. As is oftentimes the case in NBA arenas, the Hawks tried to pass some time in between timeouts by running little segments involving players. One appeared to have some sort of bracket element with Atlanta-based rappers, and Kevin Huerter, bless his heart, earned himself a whole lot of boos.

Huerter was asked to choose between Rich the Kid and Outkast. Now, you and I know that regardless of your thoughts on Rich the Kid, you should say Outkast every single time when asked this question, especially if you are doing this in a large venue in Atlanta.

And yet Huerter decided to give his honest answer, and thanks to a video from Taylor Rooks, we learned that the crowd at State Farm Arena showered him with boos.

The video is great because you can hear the crowd react to “RICH THE KID OR OUTKAST” by making a noise as if to say, “Oh, this one is obvious.” Huerter then zags where everyone expects him to zig, which gets the crowd all riled up. We can’t totally make out what is said on the video, but whatever it is, Huerter chuckles at it. Anyway, Kevin, if you read this during halftime, know you’re gonna need to score like 40 in a win to make up for this.

The Gin Blossoms Are Savagely Trolling The Nuggets Ahead Of Their Concert During Game 2 Of The Western Conference Finals

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One fun element of the Phoenix Suns’ postseason run is the way that they’ve added in-arena entertainment when games have taken place in their building. Arizona’s very own Jimmy Eat World had a halftime concert during the conference semifinals, while Tag Team came to Phoenix Suns Arena to remind everyone of their favorite March Madness commercial during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

For Game 2 on Tuesday night, the team extended an invitation to another band from the state: Gin Blossoms. The group best known for heat rocks such as “Follow You Down” and “Hey Jealousy” announced the news earlier in the day, and even made it a point to pay tribute to legendary Suns player Charles Barkley.

Then, I don’t know if you’ve ever had plans before, but you usually have some time to kill before you go do whatever that thing is. So Gin Blossoms used the time to get into it with a fan of the Denver Nuggets, the team that the Suns took down to make it to the conference finals, by repeatedly getting off jokes about the franchise.

Because most Suns things seem to come back to this dude at this point, we even got a “SUNS IN 4” reference out of the band, although this had a slightly tweaked version of the hashtag.

I will be honest: I did not anticipate, at any point in my life, witnessing Gin Blossoms talking trash on the internet because the Phoenix Suns just swept the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs. But to the victor go the spoils, so go off, Gin Blossoms.

Master P Wants To Coach The Pelicans To Keep Zion ‘Happy’

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The New Orleans Pelicans are one of seven NBA teams with a head coaching vacancy, and have one of the most intriguing situations to offer thanks to the presence of a budding superstar in Zion Williamson.

The second-year star became an absolute force in his sophomore season, becoming the league’s most dominant and efficient inside scorer. The problem was that New Orleans struggled defensively (again) and also could not close out games for the life of them, failing to make the play-in and leading to Stan Van Gundy being fired after just one season. With Williamson and Brandon Ingram, there’s talent there, but also uncertainty with a number of players entering free agency this summer.

There are sure to be a number of interested candidates from around the league, as coaching a talent like Zion is hard to pass up, but if the Pelicans want to expand their search beyond the NBA, there is a New Orleans legend who wants a shot at running the team.

Yes, Master P has (once again) decided to just gently let the Pelicans know that he is available to be the NBA’s first “hip-hop coach,” and that he would ensure that Zion would be “happy” — a clear reference to reports that Williamson’s family wants him out of New Orleans. Master P does have NBA experience having been on the preseason rosters for the Hornets in 1998 and Raptors in 1999, although he didn’t make the full roster for either, and as he notes he has coaching experience at youth levels. I highly doubt the Pelicans would actually be interested in turning to Master P to be their coach given the stakes of the situation with Williamson already, but if Zion ever chooses to do a dunk contest he should absolutely dunk over a gold plated tank while catching a lob from Master P.

NYC Hip-Hop And Skate Culture Collide In The Trailer For The Documentary ‘All The Streets Are Silent’

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If you live for sneakers, skateboarding, Supreme drops, and all things hip-hop, you have late ‘80s and early ‘90s New York street culture to thank for that. And you’re probably going to love All The Streets Are Silent, a feature-length documentary debut from Jeremy Elkin that explores this still influential period of American youth culture. For the documentary, Elkin reached out to the kids (and Kids) who grew up in the scene — who better to document that golden age of style and music than the people who lived it?

Premiering today at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival as a documentary select, “All The Streets Are Silent” takes you on a deep dive into the streets of New York City, back to the days when skate culture and hip-hop were still rebellious expressions of street youth and not global commodities with rabid fan bases dominated by hype.

The film, which is narrated by Zoo York cofounder and Uproxx Style editor Eli Morgan Gesner uses archival footage and covers notable figures and locales of the era, including Harold Hunter, Club Mars, Supreme, and DJ Stretch Armstrong. The stars of the counterculture are in full effect but at its heart, All The Streets Are Silent is an examination of being a kid in New York City during a special time in pop culture. With guests like Rosario Dawson, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, DJ Clark Kent, the late Keith Hufnagel, and Yuki Watanabe, “All The Streets Are Silent” offers an exploration of race, society, fashion, and street culture in a culturally significant era in New York City history wrapped in a Paris is Burning meets Kids aesthetic that oozes cool.

Elkin took this project seriously, in addition to linking up with Gesner, he also tapped the legendary Large Professor, the producer that brought us Tribe Called Quest’s “Keep it Rollin” to do the soundtrack. It doesn’t get more vintage New York than that. Check out the trailer for All The Streets Are Silent above and stream it on-demand until June 23rd for $15 here.