New Hip Hop News

Following a star-studded NBA 2020 Hall of Fame Induction which featured the likes of the late Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, 14 finalists for the 2021 ceremony have been announced.

The 14 finalists include nine players and five coaches who have all been exceptional within their respective roles on the court.

Announced by The Jump on ESPN, the first-time finalist includes:

• Ninth-winningest coach in NBA history Rick Adelman
• Two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh
• Five-time NBA champion and five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Michael Cooper
• NBA Finals MVP and 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce 
• First Black NBA head coach Bill Russell 
• Two-time NCAA national champion Villanova coach Jay Wright 
• Seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith
• Seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson 
• NCAA national champion and WNBA Coach of the Year Marianne Stanley

Previous finalists up for review again include:

• All-time winningest high school coach Leta Andrews 
• Five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway
• Consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year Marques Johnson 
• Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace
• Five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber

Although the 2020 Hall of Fame enshrinement was delayed due to the pandemic, Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, expressed excitement about the revelation of the finalist for 2021. 

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“While our timeline of events over the past year has been adaptable and reimagined due to the global pandemic, we have never wavered in our commitment to renovating our beautiful museum and recognizing the greats of the game who deserve to be immortalized there. Revealing the finalists for the Class of 2021 today is an exciting step towards honoring the men and women who have contributed greatly to the game we celebrate,” said Colangelo. =

 Who are you excited to see inducted to the Hall of Fame?

After LeBron’s initial exit from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat in 2010, team owner Dan Gilbert penned a letter on the team’s website criticizing the move by the franchise’s “former hero.” Among calling James “narcissistic” and his move a “cowardly betrayal,” Gilbert also wrote, in all caps, that he guaranteed a championship in Cleveland “BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE.”

On Tuesday, former Cavs player Baron Davis took to Twitter to reveal how Gilbert’s contempt towards LeBron James even affected him, saying that he prevented Davis from joining LeBron James and playing for the Miami Heat back in 2011.

“I remember Dan Gilbert sent a message to me he wouldn’t let me out my deal if I went to play with LEBRON!!! Facts.  He knew that where I was going so they played hardball… he said if I went to play with LEBRON he would win a title.  I told him LEBRON  gonna win one anyway,” Davis tweeted.

In February of 2011, Davis and a first-round draft pick were traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. Davis would be waived from the team in December after the Cavs acquired Kyrie Irving with the first-round draft pick from the Clippers in the 2011 NBA Draft. 

Regardless of the issues between the Gilbert and LeBron, LeBron returned to Cleveland in 2014 to give a championship to his home state’s team, and in 2016, he delivered. When LeBron left again in 2018, this time for the Los Angeles Lakers, Gilbert pinned a new message with a different tone.

 Are you surprised by Baron’s revelation? Let us know.

We’ve pretty much hit the one-year mark since the pandemic hit. Across the world, people’s lives have drastically changed to adjust to the health regulations surrounding the threat of COVID-19. However, vaccines are becoming more widely available and it seems that everyone is already getting ready to return to normal, including the festival circuit.

After every festival went virtual in 2020, Life Is Beautiful announced that they will be making their triumphant return for 2021, as health officials expect the majority of people to be vaccinated by the summer. The Las Vegas festival will return this September for its usual three-day festivities with artists like A$AP Rocky, Billie Eilish, Young Thug, Ludacris, 6lack and more expected to perform. Lauren DelFrago, Festival Director of Life is Beautiful, told Complex that the health and safety of patrons, staff, and performers is their number one priority.

“As we prepare to produce the 2021 festival, we feel a heightened sense of responsibility to our staff, partners, performers, and attendees, and continue to work closely with local and state officials to ensure a safe return to live music,” Delfrago said. 

This appears to be one of the first music festivals getting ready to return to normalcy. Earlier this year, it was announced that Coachella would be canceling their festival for a second consecutive year.

What do you think about the line-up? Do you think it’ll be too soon for festivals to resume? Sound off in the comments. 

[Via]

On Sunday, rapper Bfb Da Packman joined Lizzo’s Instagram live and finally got the chance to shoot his shot in front of her. Bfb Da Packman is a rising artist out of Michigan who has recently gained recognition for continuing his postal service job while carrying on with his rap career. After their live together, Lil Uzi Vert took the time to approve a potential relationship between Lizzo and Bfb Da Packman. Posting a screenshot of the live to his Instagram story, Lil Uzi said he is “100% for it.” 

Fans of Bfb Da Packman know of his longterm pursuit and admiration of the “Truth Hurts” singer. Look at his journey of crushing on Lizzo to finally getting to talk to her. 

Lizzo had revealed earlier this month that Bfb Da Packman sent her a $339 flower arrangement for Valentine’s Day and he even learned how to play the flute so he could serenade her. 

Do y’all think they’ll make a good couple? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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In case you thought the hype was dead for Certified Lover Boy, you might want to think again. After the release of Scary Hours 2, Drake is reportedly set to become the first artist to ever debut two songs at #1 and #2 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 during the same week. According to some sources, he may also have the #3 spot locked down.

With seemingly the entire world hungry for some new music from Drake, the world-class artist picked the best possible week to release his new three-pack, which features his new single “What’s Next”, the bars-heavy “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” with Rick Ross, and “Wants and Needs” with Lil Baby. According to industry sources, including Hits Daily Double, Drake will make history next week by debuting at #1 and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “What’s Next” and “Wants and Needs” respectively. Some sources are noting that “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” has a chance at outselling Olivia Rodrigo’s “driver’s license” to snag the #3 spot, as well.

This will be the first time in the chart’s history that an artist scores the two highest-possible positions in their first week out. “What’s Next” will end the long reign of “driver’s license” at the pole position, moving Rodrigo down a few slots to likely end up right behind Drake. 

This information is not confirmed yet, but with the way the songs have been performing, it’s looking all the more likely by the day. Check back on Monday for the final Billboard Hot 100 update.

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It’s been nearly three months since Playboi Carti’s third studio album, Whole Lotta Red. Fans were less than thrilled about the final product, largely because they’ve been waiting years for the 24-song tracklist project. Apparently, a deluxe is on the way with little to no updates on exactly when fans can expect it.

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The album arrived just a week before the tragic news of MF DOOM’s passing. Fans, including many artists that DOOM influenced, shared an outpouring amount of tributes to the late rapper. Carti was among those, which led a few people to debate whether the Atlanta rapper was actually a fan of the masked villain. In a recent interview with Inked Magazine, the rapper explained that his shout-out to DOOM on “Stop Breathing” needed to be broken down to his engineer.

“I had to tell my boy, my best friend, my engineer. He’s the person recording the song, and he didn’t know who MF DOOM was,” Carti said. “I’m like, you don’t know MF DOOM? You don’t know who this dude is? I had to play songs for him, because he didn’t know who he inspired. The mask! I’m anonymous myself, but he’s king of that.”

Quando Rondo has officially responded to Big U, denying that he reached out to the street legend for extra protection after he was called out on Wednesday morning.

During his appearance on The Breakfast Club, Big U was speaking about why younger rappers should always be in contact with OGs whenever they’re moving around. He used Quando Rondo as an example, revealing that the Georgia-based rapper called him a few days ago but he rejected him, effectively saying that he missed his chance with him. “You can’t call me when the fire hot,” he said. “You didn’t f*ck with me before that. You had my number, you could have called me, you could have did all that.”

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Quando must have heard the news because he has responded with a two-minute video on Instagram, addressing the situation. “Man, cuz, I’ma go ahead and clear this sh*t up before y’all n***as even get to saying some sh*t like this,” said Quando. “First of all, when I hit Unc up, when I hit the big homie up, I was calling that man on some sh*t like this. Cuz, I got a lot going on. I got a lot of f*ck sh*t going on out here. I know that cuz is in a lane where cuz got a lot of charity sh*t going on, cuz just got a lot of positive sh*t going on. My team was hitting up a lot of more people, calling around everywhere like, it’s time for me to start giving back, it’s time for me to start straightening up politics-wise. It’s time for me to leave the streets sh*t in the streets and just play my role with this internet sh*t. No, a n***a was not trying to give back just to have a good face card. I’m trying to give back from the heart. I never once called nobody, no n***a on planet f*cking Earth for no protection. I don’t fear no man.”

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People have been suggesting that Quando Rondo called Big U in search of some extra security given his recent situation with King Von, which led to the rapper’s death. According to Quando, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Watch the video above.