New Hip Hop News

The verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse’s case elicited plenty of reactions. People on the right celebrated the fact that he was handed down a not guilty verdict while many others pointed out the double standard in the case. Rittenhouse is off free after killing two people and wounding one other in what the jury determined was self-defense.

There have been different reactions, specifically from the hip-hop community. Rittenhouse’s not guilty verdict ramped up calls for Tay-K’s freedom. The Arlington, TX rapper was sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in a 2016 murder, though fans have continuously shown their support for him on social media. Once news broke that Rittenhouse beat his case, Tay-K began trending on Twitter as fans argued that the rapper should’ve also been found not guilty. 

In a post shared to Tay-K’s Instagram Story, he shared a post from SayCheeseTV that read, “Fans think Tay K should be free since Kyle Rittenhouse isn’t guilty.” The tweet read, “If Kyle can be free then so can Tay K.” The rapper didn’t actually chime in on the topic of Rittenhouse’s verdict but in a subsequent post, he tagged Kim Kardashian in what appears to be an attempt to get her help in his case.

No word on if Kim Kardashian caught the post but we’ll definitely keep you posted if she does. 

Young Dolph’s murder on Wednesday (Nov. 17) in Memphis, TN left the hip-hop community heartbroken. But, some of the most impacted by the tragedy were the employees and owners of Makeda’s Cookies, the store Dolph was shot at.

Dolph went to Makeda’s frequently, and was seen promoting the shop a week before it became the place of his death. In the aftermath of becoming a crime scene, Makeda’s Cookies had to board up their windows and shut down temporarily. While still dealing with the gut-wrenching death of one of their favorite customer’s, they still needed to find a way to continue bringing in money to stay in business.

The owners of the shop, the Hill family, launched a GoFundMe titled “Keep The History Of Makeda’s Bakery Going” to accept donations in a time where they need to stay afloat, pay staff and pay for repairs to their restaurant. In the description, they spoke about their hardships and how they are grieving the loss of Young Dolph: “The Hill family never imagined a tragedy like this would rock Memphis, the music community, and the world or that it would happen at the business they have spent decades building and sustaining. They extend their heart felt prayers to Young Dolph’s family, especially his wife and children… They have hope that they will make it through this and that the legacy of Young Dolph will continue to inspire us to love life and give back.”

The GoFundMe account has raised around $71,600 from around 2,000 different donations. It is unknown when they will re-open their shop and how much they will need to cooperate with the murder investigation. 

Here is the link to donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-the-history-of-makedas-bakery-going?qid=f825e523e8400a54f4daf6053224b2e2

The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse has prompted outrage all across the nation, TMZ reports. On Friday night, a group of New Yorkers took to the streets to protest the not guilty verdict, with some of them even committing vandalism in hopes of communicating their frustrations.

Photos shared by @NYPDnews on Twitter show a smashed in windshield, as well as the words “f*ck you” spray painted across the back of a vehicle. “The NYPD takes its responsibility to protect the 1st amendment rights of peaceful demonstrators seriously,” the text above the photos reads.

“Just as important is the safety of NYers & the protection of property from people breaking the law in the name of protest. As seen tonight in Queens, they will be arrested.” Reports say that a total of five people were taken into custody for committing acts of vandalism. Elsewhere in the state, hundreds of protestors gathered outside of Brooklyn’s Barclays Centre, holding signs with phrases like, “no justice in capitalist courts” and “capitalism breeds racist terror.”

In Kenosha, where Rittenhouse’s shootings and subsequent trial took place, things were reportedly more quiet. Protestors still gathered, but the group was much smaller and appeared to direct its anger towards Judge Bruce Schroeder, who presided over the case. According to the Portland PD, their city saw a group of approximately 200 upset residents, some of whom were throwing things at cops on location.

TMZ notes that smaller numbers also gathered in the city of Chicago, where they took over the streets in hopes of having their voices heard.

Despite the obvious outrage, President Joe Biden made it abundantly clear that he’s not going to question the justice system. “While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken,” he tweeted yesterday afternoon.

How do you feel about Kyle Rittenhouse being found not guilty? Let us know below.

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It wasn’t long ago when Lonzo, LaMelo, and LiAngelo Ball’s father, LaVar, was seemingly going viral daily, over various emotional proclamations that all but anointed his three sons as the next biggest things in basketball. Now, present-day, Father Ball simply looks like a genius, rather than the ignorantly biased and overcompensating dad he was often made out to be just a few years ago. 

Today, two of his three children, LaMelo and Lonzo, who were both drafted as top-three NBA lottery picks, are now poised to take over the league as the primary playmakers and ball handlers for both of their respective teams’ high-powered offenses. Though their brother LiAngelo wasn’t drafted, he’s still made a name for himself in professional basketball, as he’s fought and worked through various G-League contracts over the last few years. 

Until this point, success and fame on and off the court have defined the Ball family, especially its three brothers. However, one important, glaring question still remains: who is the best Ball brother?

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24-year-old Lonzo, the oldest Ball brother, was drafted 2nd overall in the 2017 NBA draft out of UCLA by the Los Angeles Lakers. Ball’s teammate Alex Caruso recently admitted that LA wasn’t necessarily the best fit for Zo, as Ball was traded from the Lakers to the New Orleans Pelicans in a blockbuster deal surrounding superstar big-man Anthony Davis in 2019. 

20-year-old LaMelo, the youngest Ball brother, had an entirely different route and first few years in the NBA. After playing with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian-based National Basketball League (NBL), LaMelo was selected 3rd overall in the 2020 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. In his rookie season, after a scoreless debut versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, LaMelo took off, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to register a triple-double in only his 10th game, at just 19-years-old. He went on to win Rookie of the Year even after injuries limited him to a 51-game rookie campaign.

Lonzo was also hampered by injury in his rookie season, as he only played 52 games that year, similar to his younger brother. Zo didn’t begin to hit his stride offensively as soon as LaMelo did, but since joining the Pelicans in 2019, his offensive numbers gradually climbed and consistently improved. These improvements have followed Lonzo all the way to Chicago.

Constant improvement has been the story for Lonzo throughout his NBA career thus far, especially since his departure from the bright lights in Los Angeles. Zo averaged just 9.9 points in that final season with the Lakers and has seen his averages rise every year since then, averaging 11.8 and 14.6 in his first two years immediately afterward, with the Pelicans. This season with Chicago, Ball is shooting a scorching 45.2 percent from three, and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line, after years of being roasted for his jump shot.

Lonzo couldn’t get over 33 percent from three during his stint with the Lakers despite shooting the lights-out in college. He was also never able to shoot above 57 percent from the line in his first three years in the league. Now, however, Zo has shown significant improvement as he looks to take his game to the next level. The Chicago Bulls predicted this, however, as his recent sign-and-trade deal was worth $85 million over his 4-year-long contract. A big, secure payday for a player who continues to show his best basketball is yet to come.

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For LaMelo, however, life and success in the NBA came much more naturally and much more quickly. While he wasn’t declared a starter until February 1st of his rookie season, LaMelo dropped a career-high 34 points and eight assists in just his third career start in the NBA. Starting his NBA career on the bench didn’t hurt Melo Ball’s growth, as he averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, and also had huge numbers in his per-36 minutes on the court.

According to atthehive.com, a Charlotte Hornets Community, only six other NBA players in 2020 met the per-36 minute stat threshold of 19.7 points, 7.7 assists, and 7.4 rebounds registered by Melo his rookie season. Many of those six players are the greatest superstars and MVPs the NBA has to offer, including names like Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Luka Doncic. Melo Ball accompanied elite NBA territory during his rookie campaign, winning the first Rookie of the Year award for Charlotte since Emeka Okafor during the 2004-05 season. 

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To Lonzo’s credit though, Charlotte is a much easier place to play for a young player than the bright-light Los Angeles experience Zo endured early in his career. Not to mention Lonzo had to adjust his game to LeBron James, who joined the Lakers in time for Lonzo’s sophomore season.

It’s no wonder Zo is experiencing more success with Chicago as a primary ball-handler who’s able to truly help facilitate the offense and push the tempo on fast-break opportunities. The Bulls are currently tied for second in the Eastern Conference with a 10-5 record so far this season, with Lonzo on pace for a career year statistically. Charlotte is not far behind, however, as LaMelo has led the Hornets to a 9-7 record while averaging 18.8 points, 7.5 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and over two steals through Charlotte’s first 16 games.  

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Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

So who is the better Ball brother? The answer may not be of glaring importance right now, as Lonzo and LaMelo’s accomplishments as siblings have already put the two in uncharted NBA territory. When LaMelo was drafted 3rd overall in 2020, the two became the first set of brothers in basketball history to be selected within the first three picks of the NBA Draft. Today, Lonzo is an established NBA veteran point guard who has enjoyed a significant pay and usage increase with the Bulls, while LaMelo has provided the Hornets with an über-talented centerpiece that the organization can now build around, much to the satisfaction of Charlotte’s owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

The Ball brothers’ comparison topic can safely join ‘LeBron or Kobe versus Jordan’ in barbershop-talk across the basketball community, but for now, one thing is known for certain. When it comes to the Ball brothers’ success, LaVar Ball deserves his credit:hewas always right.

After missing the last eight games with an abdominal injury, LeBron James made his return to the Lakers’ roster last night (Nov. 19). In total, LeBron has missed 10 of the team’s 17 games so far, and Los Angeles only won four of the games he missed. LA headed to Boston to take on their bitter rival Celtics, who were missing star forward Jaylen Brown and starting center Robert Williams.

Boston has been struggling early this season as well, as they entered last night’s game with a 7-8 record. But, they put together their best performance of the young season yesterday, vanquishing the skidding Lakers 130-108. Jayson Tatum’s impressive 37 points and 11 rebounds, along with Dennis Shroder posting 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, in his first game against the Lakers since leaving LA, pushed Boston over Los Angeles. 

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Although LeBron put up an efficient 23 points on 10-16 FG in 32 minutes, it was not enough. Post-game, James spoke to the media expressing his concern about their early struggles: “It’s never, ‘We got 65 games left. We damn sure need to play better, no matter who is in the lineup. We have our system and we need to obviously fast-track it and get better with it so we can play, no matter who is out on the floor, we can play at a high level. … There’s no level of panic, but there should be some sense of urgency any time we take the floor.”

The Lakers are still trying to get all the pieces of their new 2021-22 roster to fit with each other, as they added notable names like Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony in the offseason.

Los Angeles hopes to bounce back in Detroit against the Pistons tomorrow (Nov. 21).