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Few rappers have earned as prestigious a reputation as Lloyd Banks, widely accepted as the Punchline King since he first started obliterating instrumentals on the formative G-Unit tapes. Albums like Beg For Mercy, his solo debut The Hunger For More, and even Rotten Apple (which has since gained retrospective acclaim after initial apathy from critics) further widened the scope of Banks’ artistic ambition, culminating in the release of The Hunger For More 2 in 2010. Though he proceeded to keep sharp through a relatively consistent mixtape output, many concluded that another studio effort from Banks was anything but inevitable. Rumblings emerged that the Punchline King had become an absentee ruler, albeit one that still inspired loyalty.

As Dr. Dre may have once styled himself The Watcher, so too might Banks take up a similar mantle: The Observer. Though a recluse by hip-hop standards, to assume that Banks had veered his gaze from the rap game would be a foolish conclusion. He was simply biding his time, gathering his thoughts and lining the pages of his book of rhymes. Patience has seemingly become a lost art in hip-hop. Especially in this modern age where waits spanning beyond two years can feel downright generational.

In that sense, Banks is absolutely zenlike in his approach. Lo and behold, the circumstances surrounding his first album release in eleven years were as favorable as might have been expected. Consider the landscape, wherein hip-hop is so often falsely declared dead. Yet many of the most acclaimed albums tend to be those that capture the spirit of the golden era, prioritizing bars and cohesive, raw, and cinematic production. Though ostensibly an “older style,” boom-bap (for lack of a better term) has become a contemporary aesthetic, largely in part to the Griselda movement, The Alchemist, and Freddie Gibbs — among other key contributors. It might have been easy to write Banks off as being tethered to a bygone era, but his return feels timely given the current hip-hop landscape. Circumstances that mark a fitting return for one of the most calculated emcees in the game.

At eighteen tracks, a length that would have left fans aghast were it a different artist, The Course Of The Inevitable is among the year’s most dense and layered projects. Running over one hour and seven minutes long, the sheer volume of bars Banks unleashes ramps the replay value up tenfold. The modus operandi is established on album opener “Propane,” a grim highlight that reveals an adjustment to Banks’ style. Where previously punchlines might have been delivered as haymakers, his approach here finds them doled out as whirlwind combos. “Death to haters, can’t even be here in spirit, kill a n***a, get up his GoFundMe and steal it,” spits Banks, a highlight image amidst a relentless rhyme scheme. “Designer chronic, pockets reeking out the air vent.”

In keeping with the combo analogy, Banks keeps the pace moving with the back-to-back assault of “Sidewalks” and the Freddie Gibbs-assisted “Empathy,” both of which feature production from Cartune Beatz. The latter, which featured the late-game addition of Gibbs, feels like a victory lap for contemporary lyricism, with both parties engaging in a healthy bit of competitive bloodsport. Knowing the caliber of his counterpart, Gibbs ramps up the brutality with some of his darkest imagery yet, gleeful relish often seen exemplified on his Twitter page. Never one to be outmatched, Banks returns for the closing statement, proving that the now-endangered third verse should remain a hip-hop staple. “Celebrity never made me, my sentiments made me crazy,” he spits, sliding into a slick new flow scheme. “187’s the consequence, 718’s the AC / Troubled to say the least, pray the heavenly gates embrace thee.”

“Stranger Things,” one of the album’s most personal songs, is another highlight. Though never quite confirming as much, Banks appears to address his estranged collaborator 50 Cent. While anger may have been the obvious course, Banks retains relatability in his frustration, highlighting a divide that many friends have likely experienced to a degree. “Sometimes the pressure overwhelms when you’re the head of the clique,” he notes, a clear allusion to Fif. “Call me quiet, call me lazy, talent never faded,” he continues. “It’s frustrating when your grindin’ ain’t appreciated / Should have been dead in my twenties, shit, at least I made it / Guess I gotta prove myself again, increase your payment.” It’s interesting to note his willingness to “prove himself” once more, a contrast to his generally untouchable demeanor as a lyricist. It’s a genuinely refreshing moment of vulnerability from the stoic Banks, who previously explored similar ground on his classic “Till The End.”

Another song worth singling out is “Drop 5,” which springs to life with an incredible golden-era homage from Fruition Beats. Over bittersweet end-credit strings, Banks’ bars take on an added layer of contentedness, highlighting accomplishments and values seldom championed within the rap game. Stability namely, both on the familial and financial front. “Here’s to the slower life, two to three kids, a home, a wife,” he raps. “Stabled in if I roll the dice, grounded, growing this culture heist.”

Only a few songs later is the album’s closer, which also happens to the title track — thus imbuing it with additional significance. It’s here that we come to understand The Course Of The Inevitable as Banks perceives it. It’s a theme often tackled in tales of grandiosity — that of destiny. “They always watching’, pretending they want you winning of course,” he reflects. “They want the torch, the turns of the inevitable course.” Abstract enough to merit interpretation, it’s evident that Banks is grateful to have emerged from his time in the rap game with his mortality, and perhaps more crucially, his morality in check. Has he shaken his destiny (recall his previous bar in “Stranger Things” noting how he should have been dead in his twenties) by deliberately removing himself from the race entirely? It’s the nature of such questions that makes Banks’ The Course Of The Inevitable so fascinating to unpack.

From high profile dates to condemning basketball fans for poor behavior, Nets small forward Kevin Durant has been making heavy rounds in the news cycles the past couple of weeks. Now, while in the midst of a playoffs series against the Milwaukee Bucks, KD is back in the spotlight after calling former NBA player and ESPN anchor Jay Williams a liar. Durant claims Williams made up a story about the Nets player on this week’s episode of ESPN’s Get Up. The segment in question finds Jay Williams telling a story where KD confronted him at a party to tell him “don’t you ever compare me to Giannis” after a comparison was made on a previous episode.

The comparison in question appears on an episode of Get Up where Williams hypothesized that a child between Durant and fellow player Anthony Davis would have a similar body type to Bucks player Giannis Antetokounpo. On an Instagram post breaking the story of the alleged confrontation between Durant and Williams, KD commented: “This is a ****** lie. Jay Williams can NEVER speak to me, ever…”

Later, in a tweet this morning, Durant continued to lament Williams: “Mans will do anything to advance their careers in this media shit, wanting to be accepted by an industry that will dispose of you whenever they please. Keep me out all that corny ass talk about whos better and legacy and all that dumb ass shit. I don’t even talk like that.”

Williams has yet to respond, though it seems fans are largely siding with Durant. Durant will continue his 2-0 run with the Nets against Antetokounpo’s Bucks on Thursday.

Do you think Williams lied? Check out the ESPN clip and KD’s reactions below.

Over the past couple of years, popular fast food joints have taken their beefs to social media, ultimately serving as good promo for both sides of the fence. We’ve seen back-and-forths play out via competing fast food joints, like Wendy’s and McDonald’s. This time, it’s fast food chains Burger King and Chic-Fil-A caught up in the static. The developments in this latest feud stems from Burger King’s new chicken sandwich.

On Thursday, June 3rd, Burger King tweeted out the reveal of it’s latest menu addition. To celebrate Pride month, they added the Ch’King sandwich to their limited time menu. The tweet announcement, however, stirs the post with one line in particular: “during #pride month (even on Sundays),” the fast food joint tweeted, with the addition of side-eye-emojis– “your chicken sandwich craving can do good!”

The context clues are obvious to any Twitter user. Chic-Fil-A infamously and actively donated to a number of anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups prior to 2012, while it’s known to be closed on Sunday in coordination with the founder’s Christian faith. So with all of this in mind, it’s not hard to imagine who BK is sending these thinly veiled shots at.

Which fast food service provider do you prefer? Tell us in the comments below. 

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Artists are finally able to book shows again as the world continues to open back up, little by little. As more people get their first and second shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s becoming safer to get back outside. We haven’t been to concerts or festivals in over a year but in due time, they will return, and already, we’re seeing some artists get back into touring with announcements for later this year.

24kGoldn is one of the stars that is heading back on the road, announcing his upcoming tour to support his debut album El Dorado. Many of us haven’t gotten a chance yet to see the rising star perform live as his breakout moment happened in the midst of a global pandemic, but he’s ready to show the world what he’s made of on the El Dorado Tour, announcing the tour dates on Tuesday.

Kicking off the dates in San Diego at the beginning of November 2021, 24kGoldn will make stops in Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, and other major cities across North America. He will be accompanied by Bankrol Hayden.

This has been an amazing year for 24kGoldn, who burst onto the scene with his #1 hit single “Mood” featuring iann dior. Check out all of the tour dates below and let us know if you’ll be buying a ticket. They’ll be available for sale Friday, June 11 at 10 AM local time. 24K also launched a new app, which will allow fans to buy tickets a few days early.

Image via Publicist

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are now a few months removed from their divorce, deciding to part ways after seven years of marriage. Rumors of a potential split began to surface late last year, however, they remained only rumors until they officially called it quits this year, with sources confirming Ye had moved out of the family home in Los Angeles.

Despite their split, it seems the two are remaining amicable. On Tuesday (June 8), the mogul wrote a warm message for Kanye’s birthday on her social media. “Love you for life,” she dedicated to her former beau. This aligns with reports that the mogul signed an autograph for a fan recently with her estranged husband’s last name still attached to hers. 

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

While departing a dinner with mom Kris Jenner and sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner, the 40-year-old mother of four signed “Kim Kardashian West” over a photo of herself. While it’s certainly not an indication that the two may be heading towards a reconcile, the “West” at the end of her signature may just be a matter of brand consistency. 

Her KKW Beauty line uses her married initials, and the photo she was signing comes from a promotional shoot for the line. The signing came one day after she opened up about the divorce for the first time in an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. 

“I feel like a f*king failure, that it’s like, a third f–king marriage,” she tearfully confessed in the clip, referencing her previous divorces from Damon Thomas and Kris Humphries. “Yeah, I feel like a f*king loser. But I can’t even think about that like, I want to be happy.”

Considering their divorce hasn’t been canceled, it’s quite likely Kim K just likes the way it looks. 

Lars Niki/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards

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