Matt Rhule Bizarrely Compared The Panthers To Jay-Z After Their Latest Loss

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The Carolina Panthers lost their fifth consecutive game on Sunday in a 32-6 loss to the Bucs that featured yet another lackluster offensive performance and, just generally, little resistance to what Tampa Bay was trying to do.

There are certainly injuries that have played a role, most notably to star running back Christian McCaffrey, but the lack of improvement as a team in Year 2 under Matt Rhule has led to plenty of chatter in Charlotte that the former Baylor coach should be on the hot seat. The Panthers don’t seem like a team ready to make another coaching change immediately, but every loss to close out this season will only increase the possible warmth he’s feeling under him.

After the loss on Sunday, Rhule tried to address those frustrations by insisting things are getting better, you just can’t see those changes tangibly in the on-field product — which, of course, is the only part that matters. Rhule did this by making a strange comparison to Jay-Z having to start his own agency (we think he means record label) to become an “overnight success” after seven years.

While I understand the general premise of trying to say that every “overnight success” is actually years of work behind the scenes that no one sees to become one of the best, this seems like a really weird analogy. The issue for Jay-Z in this story is that he was trying to get noticed and had to launch his own record label in order to get his music out, while the Panthers issue appears to be that they are simply bad at football, not that they’re actually good but no one can see them.

Unless they’re going to star their own football league in order to breakout on their own, I’m not sure Rhule has much going for him here, but it’s at least a creative effort at insisting he should be given a long leash because success is just around the corner.

NLE Choppa & Girlfriend Marissa Unveil Their Baby’s Gender With Sweet New Song

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Love is clearly in the air this cuffing season, with endless engagements and baby announcements popping up across the internet over the past few days. The most recent star to celebrate their forthcoming bundle of joy is 19-year-old NLE Choppa, who is expecting his second child, this one with his girlfriend, Marissa.

On December 26th, the “Jumpin” rapper shared an Instagram video of him and his girl, eagerly waiting to find out if she’s carrying a little girl or boy. The couple can see seen wearing matching white sweatsuits, each with a pink or blue dart in their hand to throw at a pair of black balloons that are being held on the other end of a parking lot by a friend.

“Best Christmas Gift Ever,” he captioned the sweet moment, also adding that he “made a gender reveal song” for the special occasion. “So, let’s just wait until the song plays, then after the song we just gon’ throw that hoe,” Choppa says to Marissa as they gear up for the big reveal. 

“If it’s a girl, be ready for the tea parties / Be ready for the pink Barbies,” the track begins, also later addressing what the rapper should expect if he ends up with a little boy. “If it’s a boy, make sure y’all have a talk about sex / If it’s a boy, make sure he treats a woman with respect.”

In the chorus, the Memphis native asks, “what it’s gon’ be? Blue or pink?” while he and his girl get ready to throw their darts. Choppa’s balloon comes out empty, but when Marissa hits hers, blue smoke and glitter erupt, giving them the exciting news that they’ll be welcoming a baby boy together in just a few months.

In the caption, NLE Choppa also shared the name they’ve picked out – Seven Da’Shun Potts. Check out the gender reveal for yourself below.

Mark Rylance’s “Don’t Look Up” Character Compared To Elon Musk & Other Controversial Billionaires

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Adam McKay’s latest project Don’t Look Up hit Netflix on December 24th, providing users of the streaming platform with the perfect holiday distraction. The film’s star-studded cast includes the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, and Timothee Chalamet, just to name a few.

The new movie also stars Mark Rylance, who’s best known for his work on The BFG, Bridge of Spies, and Ready Player One. In his latest release, the 61-year-old actor has taken on the role of Peter Isherwell – a billionaire who (spoiler alert) contributes to a major catastrophe on planet Earth and subsequently attempts to colonize “a new planet in a distant gallery.”

Isherwell accumulated his wealth through his company, called BASH, which has several similarities to the late Steve Jobs’ Apple, as noted by TMZ. While the comparisons are undeniable, the character’s brand seems to be far more advanced, offering up services that can “read your every thought and move, and predict how you’ll die.”

Interestingly enough, the on-screen billionaire also happens to run some sort of space unit, incredibly similar to that of Elon Musk’s Space X. Following their viewing of Don’t Look Up, countless Netflix users hopped onto social media to discuss which controversial real-life member of the world’s elite is most like Rylance’s Isherwell.

“Tfw it’s actually hard to tell the difference between real life and satirical art,” David Sirota tweeted alongside a photo of the Tesla founder’s TIME Magazine Person of the Year cover placed beside a promotional photo of Rylance in character as Isherwell. TMZ notes that the actor admitted to seeing some of the father of seven’s personality in his role, but ultimately says that he wasn’t intending to base his part on anyone in particular.

“Isherwell’s actions are premised on the idea that any of our world’s problems can be solved with technology – a testament to our times and where we’re headed,” the article explains.

Have you seen Don’t Look Up Yet? Who do you think Mark Rylance’s character is most like?

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Drake Handed Out Stacks Of Money To Unsuspecting Toronto Residents For Christmas

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Musicians spent their Christmas Day in different ways. JoJo got engaged to her boyfriend Dexter Darden, actor from Saved By The Bell. Frank Ocean brought back his “Blonded” radio show and premiered a brand new nine-minute song. Drake shared an adorable video with his 4-year-old son Adonis. But that wasn’t all the Certified Lover Boy rapper did. He also rode around the city and handed out money to unsuspecting people on the street.

A video shows Drake riding in the backseat of a Maybach while passing out the money. It’s unknown how much he gave out, but the video showed the person taking a healthy stack of Canadian 20 dollar bills from the rapper. “@Champagnepapi giving away racks for Christmas,” they wrote on their Instagram Story. “Life’s f*cking unreal man. Legend of the city.”

Drake’s act of kindness comes after he got a “microrealistic” tattoo of the late Virgil Abloh following the designer and DJ’s death late last month. He also appeared beside Ye for their Larry Hoover benefit concert in Los Angeles, which amounted to an epic performance of the best songs from past and present of their respective careers.

You can check out a video a fan took after receiving money from Drake above.

LaKeith Stanfield Slides In Omarion’s DMs, Tells Him He’s “Ruining Christmas For Everybody”

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For many people around the world, this Christmas was a quiet, lonely one due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The past few holiday seasons have been far different from “normal,” but this year around, it feels as though we’ve learned to make the best out of a bad situation, and even crack a few jokes along the way.

The Harder They Fall actor LaKeith Stanfield is leading the charge, sharing a screenshot of a funny and clever DM that he crafted for “Ice Box” singer Omarion, who found himself trending after the name of the new variant was released. 

At the time, people were tweeting out things like “In line for my booster rn. Omarion will not dance his way into my life,” and “Omicron or Omarion, either way, please get vaxxed or boosted like you ‘Post to Be’,” earning them plenty of laughs from other social media users.

In his message to the recording artist, Stanfield wrote, “you ruining Christmas for everybody smh.” In the caption, he added, “I’m weak I wonder if he’s gonna respond.”

It’s unclear whether the 30-year-old received a reply to his antics, but Omarion did share a few funny Omicron memes to his Instagram page on Christmas Eve while wishing his fans well. “I can’t stand y’all,” he told them, followed by a handful of laughing emojis. “Happy holidays. Sea moss up. Plant-based up. Sunlight up. Sending love & healing energy to all. #Omicron, not #Omarion.”

What do you think of the jokes about the Omicron variant and the R&B star’s name? Drop a comment below and let us know.

Frank Ocean Debuts Raw, 9-Minute Track During New “blonded RADIO”

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Since his brother’s death in the summer of 2020, Frank Ocean has been even more elusive than usual, and justifiably so. Still, fans were able to see and hear glimpses of the former Odd Future artist throughout the majority of 2021. This year, the revolutionary artist briefly appeared on Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost, showed up to the 2021 Met Gala with a green baby robot, and launched his Homer luxury brand worldwide. And to cap off a successful year, Frank Ocean even brought back blonded RADIO on Apple Music.

For the first installment of blonded RADIO since Christmas 2019, Frank tapped Dutch motivational speaker and extreme athlete Wim “Iceman” Hof for a heartfelt monologue. At the end of the 33-minute episode, the Blonde artist also sneaked in a raw, unreleased song that continues for nearly nine minutes straight.

According to Uproxx, the untitled track is Frank Ocean’s first release since “Dear April” and “Cayendo” hit DSPs back in April 2020, and there is currently no confirmation as to whether it will ever receive an official release.

You can listen to the latest episode of Frank Ocean’s blonded RADIO for free here, and to hear Frank’s new untitled track, skip ahead to the 24:00-mark.

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Jaden Opens Up About His Struggles With Gaining Weight After A Family Intervention Regarding His Health

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Jaden is one of the more eccentric artists of his generation, and sure enough, his career has seen both highs and lows. During a recent episode of his mother Jada Pinkett Smith’s show Red Table Talk, which streams on Facebook Watch, Jaden opened up about his struggles with gaining weight. “I was able to work with the doctors and really get my vitamins and get my supplements and protein shakes,” Jaden said. That’s half of my diet. It’s like a password that I have to find for my body. I’m like, 10 pounds heavier now at this point.”

He added, “I feel like I’m keeping on my weight. I’m able to put on my muscle.” Jaden later said that he feels much better about his health, adding that he’s “came a long way” since his 2019 Coachella set, where he said he was at his skinniest. “Looking back on where I was in 2019, that was a long way from where I was when I Was at Coachella [that year] where I was just like, bones. I thought I was so tight. I was like, ‘I’m swagging on this. Like, I need to take off my shirt right now.’”

In 2019, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith spoke about holding a family intervention due to concerns with Jaden’s weight loss. They explained that it was “because he’s a vegan now, but we realized he wasn’t getting enough protein.” They added, “So he was wasting away. He just looked drained, he was just depleted, he wasn’t getting the nutrients.”

You can watch the Red Table Talk episode with Jaden in the video above.

Rihanna Mourns Late Cousin, Tavon, On 4-Year Anniversary Of His Death

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Rihanna shared a tribute for her late cousin, Tavon Alleyne, on Instagram, Sunday. Alleyne was shot and killed in Barbados in 2018 at the young age of 21-years-old.

“Miss you and dat smile cuz,” Rihanna captioned a series of photos of herself with Alleyne. “#Tavon.”

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Alleyne was murdered while walking through the neighborhood of Saint Martin’s after having spent the holidays with his family. Alleyne was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. His killer was never found.

At the time, Rihanna wrote on social media: “RIP cousin… can’t believe it was just last night that I held you in my arms! never thought that would be the last time I felt the warmth in your body!!! Love you always man! #endgunviolence.”

Earlier this year, the legendary singer was honored as National Hero of Barbados by her home country.

“This is still the only place I’ve ever called home – I love Barbados, I love you guys and I pray that the youth continue to push Barbados forward,” she said after being presented with the award. “I have traveled the world and received several awards and recognitions but nothing, nothing compares to being recognized in the soil that you grew in.”

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Doja Cat Teases Double Album, Reveals She Wants To Work With 9th Wonder & Jay Versace

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Doja Cat is an artist whose music doesn’t always fall within cookie-cutter genre categories, and as a result, the 26-year-old rapper and singer has managed to secure Grammy nominations in disparate categories such as Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Planet Her, Doja’s third studio album that HNHH recently ranked as the fifth hottest Hip-Hop album of 2021, found the “Need to Know” artist expanding her sound even more, but in a recent Instagram Live session, Doja Cat revealed that she wants to make an album that proves that she can deliver quality music within the context of certain genres.

Doja Cat performs at the 99.7 NOW Presents POPTOPIA radio show at SAP Center on December 04, 2021 in San Jose, California.
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“That’s my feeling and that’s my plan,” Doja Cat said, prefacing an idea for an upcoming double album. “I would do seven songs, pop, rap.”

After revealing that she would want to stylistically separate her next project, Doja Cat also dropped another bomb on fans, sharing that there are two producers who she has a strong desire to work with. While discussing a potential “new project” with “12 songs,” she said, “All of them. Every fucking one. Jay Versace and 9th Wonder—”

Unfortunately, the video cuts off before Doja Cat fully explains the type of album that she’d love to have 9th Wonder and Jay Versace executive produce. However, you can still check out her original video, as well as the aforementioned producer’s reactions, below.

Would you be down for a half-rap, half-pop double album from Doja Cat? Or are you more intrigued by a project full produced by Jay Versace and 9th Wonder?

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Boxer Danny Kelly Jr. Killed In Alleged Road Rage Incident

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Boxer Danny Kelly Jr. was shot and killed on Christmas Eve in Maryland during what authorities suspect to have been a possible road rage confrontation. The 30-year-old was traveling to spend the holidays with his girlfriend and three children.

The assailant’s vehicle pulled up next to Kelly’s and began shooting around 4:30 PM on Friday.

“At this time, detectives are looking into whether this was possible road rage,” police said in a statement. “Detectives are working on identifying the suspect and the suspect vehicle.”

David Blazer, Acting Major of Prince George’s County Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, asked anyone who may have information regarding the incident to come forward.

“This is an absolutely heartbreaking loss for Mr. Kelly’s family and friends,” Blazer said in a statement. “He is not home with his loved ones today on Christmas who are now mourning his loss instead of celebrating the holiday.”

He continued: “St. Barnabas Road is a heavily-traveled roadway. If any other drivers saw anything there on Christmas Eve or may have information that could help, please call us. You can stay anonymous. We are committed to providing answers to his family.”

Kelly Jr.’s last fight came in in 2019.

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