During an interview with Dan Patrick, Pippen spoke about the Kukoc play and how it made him feel. Patrick noted that Pippen made it seem like Jackson is a racist, which is an assertion Pippen said he agreed with. In fact, Pippen noted that he has no problems at all calling Jackson a racist.
“I don’t think it’s a mystery, you need to read between the fine lines. It was my first year playing without Michael Jordan, why wouldn’t I be taking that last shot?” Pippen said in a previous interview. “I been through all the ups and downs, the battles with the Pistons and now you gonna insult me and tell me to take it out? I thought it was a pretty low blow. I felt like it was an opportunity to give [Kukoc] a rise. It was a racial move to give him a rise. After all I’ve been through with this organization, now you’re gonna tell me to take the ball out and throw it to Toni Kukoc? You’re insulting me. That’s how I felt.”
Many fans have been digging up old comments in which Jackson said some questionable remarks, which are now being used as a way to confirm Pippen’s allegations. For instance, Jackson once said “The players have been dressing in prison garb the last five or six years. All the stuff that goes on, it’s like gangster, thuggery stuff.” He also referred to LeBron’s inner circle as his “posse” which certainly had some racial overtones to it.
Needless to say, Pippen is making people re-think Jackson’s legacy, which is something not many people saw coming.
The 2021 BET Awards were, as usual, full of surprises, with enough moments that lit up social media to forgive the at-times seemingly slapdash and slightly overlong production (going to commercial during performances should simply not be a thing, ever, especially in a show that ran almost four hours). Whether those moments prompted wig removals, like Jazmine Sullivan’s virtuoso vocal performance of “On It” with Ari Lennox, or roasting, like DaBaby’s bursting-at-the-seams, off-sync rendition of “Ball If I Want To,” BET put on a show worth talking about, pulling its fair share of online buzz even amid an NBA conference finals game with lots of dynamite moments of its own.
With so much chatter throughout the show, though, there will still a few moments that rose above the rest, causing more than just a stir. Instead, they felt more like culture-shifting occurrences, whose residual effects will ripple outward like waves in a pond when a stone breaks the surface. These may end up being the ones that inspire retrospectives as we look back on them as the inciting incidents for huge changes in the way things are. Here are the three biggest moments of the 2021 BET Awards.
Cardi B Announces Her Pregnancy
Joining Migos to perform their Culture III standouts “Straightenin‘” and “Type Sh*t,” Cardi B pulled another pregnancy reveal for the ages, walking out midway through the performance in a rhinestone-studded bodysuit with a sheer midriff to show off her belly. The crowd pop when she does says everything that needs to be said; Cardi is already helping to carve out a new status quo for mothers in entertainment, but adding another child to the mix makes things even more interesting. It’s one thing to be a working artist while pregnant, it’s another to keep working when you have a child, but it’s an another-other thing entirely to get pregnant again, keep working, and still outwork the dudes — including the one who helped make all these kids in the first place.
Lil Nas X Remembers The Times — And Makes Out With One Of His Dancers
When Lil Nas popped out in dazzling golden ancient Egypt-inspired regalia to perform “Montero,” it didn’t take long for Twitter to draw comparisons to Michael Jackson’s 1991 music video for “Remember The Times.” After all, that was the theme for Mike’s video, which despite being way before Nas’ time, is such a fixture of Black culture that I’m sure he’d been exposed to it about 100 times before he hit puberty. So when he broke out into the iconic choreography from that video with his dancers, a thrill of satisfaction shot through viewers’ timelines — then transformed when he called back to another legendary award show moment. In 2003, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera made history with a same-sex kiss at the MTV VMAs, solidifying their status as queer icons. I imagine we’ll look back on Nas’ kiss with his dancer the same way, as a watershed moment of representation. Happy Pride!
Megan Thee Stallion Refuses(?) To Perform Alongside DaBaby
This one’s more of a developing situation, but viewers couldn’t help but note that despite their long string of collaborative hits together — including DJ Khaled’s “I Did It,” which they performed last night — Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby’s relationship seems to have strained to the point where at least one of them won’t share a stage with the other. While there could be any number of reasons why Meg slunk off stage after finishing her verse for “I Did It” without joining the group shot at the end (which included DaBaby, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, and HER), considering their recent social media spat, which resulted in Meg unfollowing DaBaby across platforms, it’s almost assured we haven’t seen the end of this saga. One or the other may soon be called upon to address the rather obvious moment — in which case, another round of reactions wouldn’t be out of the question.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Atlanta rapper Young Nudy is taking his dueling alter egos on the road for the Dr. Ev4l vs. Rich Shooter tour beginning this August. The 10-city tour starts in Houston, TX, and ends in Boston, MA, hitting Charlotte, Memphis, Nudy’s native Atlanta, New York, and Philadelphia along the way. The tour is in support of his new album Dr. Ev4l, which features guest appearances from Nudy’s cousin 21 Savage, G Herbo, and Lil Uzi Vert, and is supported by the singles “2Face” with G Herbo and “Dr Ev4l.” 21 Savage appears on “Child’s Play.”
Nudy, who is coming off a successful 2020 in which he released the well-received Anything and featured as a guest on Deante’ Hitchcock’s Better single “Attitude,” enjoyed increased attention thanks to singles like “All White,” “Never,” and “Vice City.” He was also the subject of a viral video of students crashing through the floor of an Airbnb as they turned up to the sounds of his breakout single “EA.”
You can get more information on the Dr. Ev4l vs. Rich Shooter tour here and check out the tour’s dates and venues below.
8/6 — Houston, TX @ House of Blues
8/7 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
8/11 — Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
8/12 — Memphis, TN @ Growlers
8/13 — Atlanta, GA @ Believe
8/14 — Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
8/18 — Silver Springs, MD @ Filmore
8/19 — New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
8/20 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
8/21 — Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
The BET 2021 Awards took place over the weekend and marked the first in-person ceremony following the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual awards show had a lot to make up for and did just that. The ceremony was complete with impressive performances from the biggest names in music right now like Lil Nas X, Megan thee Stallion, City Girls, and more.
Cardi B stole the show with her pregnancy reveal during a surprise appearance for Migos’ “Type Sh*t,” while Lil Uzi and JT packed on the PDA while walking the red carpet. Megan thee Stallion and Pardison Fontaine also showed off their couple status. Coi Leray and Pressa made their red carpet debut as a couple as well, embracing each other as they posed for cameras.
Rich Fury/Getty Images
Coi rocked her signature style on the red carpet, pairing an itsy-bitsy crop top with low-waisted jeans. Pressa complimented her orange cropped top with orange sneakers, topping off the look with a white vest-style top and gray pants.
Reactions to the couple’s outfits were mixed across social media. Some praised Coi for her daring look and confidence, while others body-shamed the “No More Parties” artist for her petite frame.
Check out some more reactions to Coi Leray and Pressa’s couple red carpet debut.
Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West can’t blame Walmart much longer for anyone responsible with donning a pair of his fake Yeezy Foam Runner slides. New reports claim the massive retailer has pulled a stash of knockoffs from its site. Kanye West’s Fake Yeezy Kicks Are Going Away The latest reports claim the Foam RNNRs aren’t up […]
The BET 2021 Awards ceremony took place last night and was loaded with show-stopping performances and stunning red carpet looks. This year marked a departure from last year’s virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the action-packed show did not disappoint in its first year back.
Amongst the various intriguing performances, including Lil Nas X’s rendition of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and H.E.R.’s one-woman show performance of “We Made It,” Cardi B stole the show when she revealed her second pregnancy during a surprise appearance on stage for Migos’ “Type Sh*t.”
TMZ caught Cardi B and Offset hours after the bombshell reveal as they departed the BOA Steakhouse in WeHo where they attended a BET Awards after-party. Quavo and Taraji P. Henson were among the other big names in attendance, but cameras caught up with couple to discuss more information about baby No. 2.
Cardi arrived with her baby bump in tow, answering questions from fans and photogs. One person asked if Kulture was excited to be a big sister, which Cardi confirmed. Offset also confirmed a major celebration is currently being planned for the incoming little one.
Cardi had notably been keeping a low profile for the past few months, making appearances on social media only to promote Migos’ Culture III. Congrats to the couple!
According to WGNO, rapper Yung Bulldog is wanted after a shooting involving his stepfather on the night of June 26.
This past Saturday, at roughly 10:30 PM, St. Gabriel officers had gone to the apartment complex in Iberville Parish to discover the victim, Brown, with a pair of bullet wounds. Although he is expected to survive the incident, the man has accused his stepson, Jyvariel Harvey of the shooting.
On the same Saturday, the rapper shared a photo of himself on Instagram with a caption reading “TOUCHDOWN TO CAUSE HELL !! #90sBaby4L IM BACK !”
With his biggest song to date only having been released this past November, fans and followers seem eager for more throughout his comment section, with one suggesting to “Stay home gangsta make music”.
Five years ago, the rapper was also charged with second-degree murder following the death of a man named Kermit Jackson in Geismar. At that time, he’d already been arrested nine times due to several drug-related charges.
This past Sunday, the 2021 BET Awards crowned Queen Latifah with their Lifetime Achievement Award in what was a rather heartwarming moment. With contemporaries like Lil Kim and MC Lyte donning the stage, her presenters performed a medley of her most beloved songs, including “U.N.I.T.Y,” and “Just Another Day.”
Accompanied by her father, the icon went on to give her acceptance speech, saying “I’ve always celebrated women, because I was raised by a proud Black woman, and raised by a father who loves women. We can’t live without each other. I wanted to celebrate us because I know together we stand stronger than when we tear each other apart.”
Emotional, yet poised, Latifah closed out by thanking everyone in her circle through the decades. Lastly, she belted out a timely “Happy pride!” before making her way off the stage to a respectfully roaring audience, overflowing with members who the award winner likely paved the way for.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images
The artist’s imprint on the community has rarely been more evident, with rappers and singers influenced by her 90s stylings taking the stage to honor her. Presented with the award by her longtime friend MC Lyte, the rapper called Latifah “my sister in hip-hop, but even more importantly, my sister in life.” Followed by a montage of peers and fellow artists, including Megan Thee Stallion and Jada Pinkett Smith, her influence on women in the rap world is as clear as can be.
Watch the medley in her honor below and let us know who your favorite guest was. Make sure to find out who else won this past Sunday.
