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10 May 2024

I’m Just Me: A Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion Set to Honor 16 Country Music Leaders

The inaugural I’m Just Me: A Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion will take place May 14 in Frisco, Texas. 

Presented as partnership between Amazon MGM Studios, Amazon Music and the Academy of Country Music, the invite-only event hosted by BRELAND will recognize and celebrate 16 honorees who represent Pride’s legacy in country music as leaders in hope, advocacy, and innovation. 

The groundbreaking Pride, who died in 2020 at age 86, was country music’s first Black superstar, breaking down barriers despite facing racial adversity and going on to win three Grammy Awards, and was the first Black artist to win entertainer of the year at the Country Music Awards, as well as received the ACM’s Pioneer Award and the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He scored 29 No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and was the first Black artist to reach No. 1 on the chart.

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“Charley Pride was a trailblazer in the true sense of the word. He paved the way for innumerable artists that followed in his footsteps and his success is a reminder that country music traces its roots back to diverse artists and traditions,” said Ryan Redington, GM of Amazon Music, in a statement. “Amazon Music is honored to come together with the Academy of Country Music and Amazon MGM Studios to not only celebrate Charley Pride’s legacy, but also honor the artists, creators, and executives that carry his spirit forward.”

The 2024 honorees are artists BRELAND; Reyna Roberts; The War and Treaty’s Michael and Tonya Trotter; Tiera Kennedy and Wendy Moten; Recording Academy Nashville Chapter executives Alicia Warwick and Armand Hutton; Black Music Action Coalition president/CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers; BMI Nashville executive director of creative Shannon Sanders; artist/Color Me Country Radio host Rissi Palmer; songwriter/author Alice Randall; ACM executive Kortney Toney; journalist Naima Cochrane and Pride’s widow Rozene Pride and son Dion Pride. 

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The celebration, which organizers hope to make an annual event, takes place two days before the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire. The ACM Awards will stream for live and free exclusively on Prime Video across more than 240 countries and territories from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

10 May 2024

Intruder Arrested At Drake’s Home In Toronto

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Drake just can’t catch a break these days.

In less than one week the man has gotten roasted by Kendrick Lamar every which way on multiple diss records, learned that one of his security guards was shot in front of his mansion in Toronto and had his OVO flagship store in London vandalized. Now, it’s being reported that someone tried to break into Drake’s Toronto home just a day after the shooting that landed his security guard in the hospital.

According to Toronto City News, police apprehended a would-be intruder Wednesday (May 8) around 2 p.m. when he attempted to break into Drake’s mansion in Bridle Path. While we don’t know who the man is or why he tried to get into Drake’s home, it’s disturbing to see this sudden uptick in random people showing up to Drizzy’s palace with malicious intent.

Toronto City News reports:

Toronto police confirm they were called back to the rapper’s home on Park Lane Circle near Bayview Avenue and Lawrence Avenue East at around 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Officers were called after a person attempted to gain access to the property,” a police spokesperson told CityNews.

“The person was apprehended under the Mental Health Act.”

The latest police activity comes after the now-infamous shooting of his security guard just after 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

The victim remains in hospital.

It’s sad to see a simple rap battle between two major artists turn into this. Yes, they’re accusing each other of some pretty disturbing things, but neither of them went so far as to wish harm on each other or asked fans to take matters into their own hands. We wouldn’t be surprised if these actions lead to a “ceasefire” between Drake and Kendrick; the hate for the 6 God seems to be getting out of hand.

What do y’all think of this latest Drake-related incident? Let us know in the comments section below.

10 May 2024

Fan Remixes of Metro Boomin’s Drake Diss ‘BBL Drizzy’ Are Starting to Going Viral: Listen

Metro Boomin trolled Drake with the launch of the “BBL Drizzy” beat giveaway last weekend, and several remixes and various freestyles have taken off on social media.

“Best verse over this gets a free beat just upload your song and hashtag #bbldrizzybeatgiveaway,” the 30-year-old tweeted May 5. He later added a $10,000 cash prize into the mix, in addition to the free Metro beat to the winner.

The 6 God didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea. “You just cheffed a beat about my a–?” Drake wrote in responseto Metro’s giveaway. “BBL Drizzy” is a reference to Rick Ross’ repeated claims about Drake allegedly going under the knife for cosmetic surgery to improve his look.

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Fans immediately got to work incorporating the King Willonius A.I.-generated parody sample into their tracks that have spanned genres well outside the hip-hop world.

Some early favorites have come from a range of musicality including a saxophone, rapped verses looking to take down Drake in a battle, merengue, house remixes and more.

It’s still unclear why Metro and Drake are feuding, but Drizzy called the producer out on “Push Ups.” “Metro, shut yo h– a– up and make some drums, n—a,” he raps. Then again on “Family Matters,” Drake addressed Metro with his government name, Leland Wayne, and insinuated he got intimate with Metro Boomin’s girl.

The We Don’t Trust You producer didn’t take kindly to Drake’s “Family Matters” jab and stopped the claims of Drizzy and his girl getting romantic dead in its tracks on X.

He proceeded to clown the 6 God with memes regarding the blackface used on Pusha T’s “The Story of Adidon” cover art, painting his nails and more. “I know a n—a with lipo scars not tryna call me lame,” he wrote on X. Metro also posted an alleged leaked email in which it appeared reps for Drake’s called for “Like That” to not be serviced to radio.

Whichever side you’re on, enjoy some of the “BBL Drizzy” remixes below.








https://youtube.com/watch?v=u8bkZcmkXes&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

10 May 2024

BTS’ RM Needed Stitches After ‘Come Back To Me’ Video Accident That Had Director Worrying About Getting ‘Deported’

Lee Sung Jin was seriously worried that he might get deported for causing an injury to a national treasure while shooting the video for BTS singer RM‘s new solo single, “Come Back to Me.” The writer-director and Beef creator spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about assembling what he called the “Korean Avengers” to shoot the mini movie for the first single from RM’s upcoming second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person (May 24).

The director said he was pleasantly surprised by how game RM was to rehearse, take notes and put in long hours to get the visual’s tone just right, especially after the potentially disastrous incident that unfolded during the shooting of the very first scene.

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“He [RM] bent down and his head hit the camera and it was a giant gash on his eye and immediately I thought, ‘Oh great, I’m going to be deported immediately because I’ve just scratched this national treasure,’” Lee said he worried. “To his credit, he went to the hospital, got stitched up, came back and he was ready to go. He was so versatile and open to direction and I think he was also pushing me. He would come and check the monitor and be like, ‘Oh, I think we can get that one a little bit better.’”

Lee said RM bounced back and was on set again that same day for the video that shot over three days in Paju, South Korea, which is near the border with North Korea. The shoot marked the first time Lee had been back in South Korea since elementary school, recalling that his Korean came back to him pretty quickly as he got “so comfortable” with the “amazing” crew he’d assembled.

Lee was so excited he pulled together an all-star team to film the clip, including art director/production designer Ryu Seong-hie (Oldboy), cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung (Assasination) and actress Kim Minha (Pachinko), Emmy-nominated Beef star Joseph Lee and Kang Gilwoo (The Glory).

“I think everyone really came together for the idea and it really felt like we were assembling the Korean Avengers,” Lee told THR about the clip that originally had some elaborate dance numbers. “I am so thankful to them for taking the time. I know music videos are always a little bit tough and a little bit of a grind, and the fact that they showed up and gave such incredible performances, I’m really thankful.”

And, not for nothing, the team were rewarded with some tasty treats “They were just working so hard on this thing and I’m not going to lie, the food in between takes — in America, we got some good crafty over here, but the Korean crafty just hits on another level because I couldn’t wait to go on break and get some of that [Korean food],” the director said. “I was just like, ‘Dang, got to bring this over to America.’ Just every aspect of it felt really comfortable. I’m really excited to shoot something again in Korea. I’m eager to go back.”

Lee took the gig after being pleasantly surprised by the “sneakily catchy” vibe of the song that floats on a bed of acoustic guitars, whistling and the singer’s hushed vocals. “I heard it once and then all day long I was humming it to myself. I’m like, ‘Man, that is an earworm. It just gets in there,’” Lee said. “I was really surprised because it [had] such a different aesthetic and tone and a different side of RM that I hadn’t seen before,” he noted of the BTS member best known for his skills as a rapper. “It was so refreshing and unexpected and I got so excited at the idea of coming up with a music video for a song like that.”

Once the song got stuck in his head, Lee ditched his more traditional original dance-heavy treatment after realizing “they want to really go for it” on the clip by telling a layered tale, which made sense since RM, 29, was a big an of the onion-like storytelling in Beef. “I think he was really interested in trying something new, [and] we just kind of putting aside the dance aspect, almost even putting aside the music and tapping into what the themes of the song actually are and what kind of story that we can tell that feels true and relatable, but also kind of mysterious and open to interpretation at the same time,” Lee said of the visual in which RM plays several characters, including himself as a baby man in order to tell the “strange story about a man that is trapped in the past, present and future and seems to not be able to leave his own home.”

Watch the “Come Back to Me” video below.

10 May 2024

Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco Hang Out With ‘Only Murders’ Costars Martin Short & Steve Martin

Selena Gomez brought Benny Blanco along for a hangout with her Only Murders in the Building costars.

In a photo posted to the singer-actress’ Instagram Story Thursday (May 9), she and the producer — who will have been dating for a year come June — pose in front of a colorful piece of wall art with Steve Martin and Martin Short, who lead the Hulu series alongside Gomez. Also in the photo are filmmaker Judd Apatow and director Steven Spielberg, as well as several other friends.

In the snap, Gomez puts an arm around Blanco’s shoulders, the “Eastside” musician wearing a colorful sweater. Earlier that day, the Rare Beauty founder had also posted a photo of her and her beau’s clasped hands.

The get-together isn’t the first time Blanco has hung out with Gomez, Short and Martin. When the Wizards of Waverly Place alum brought the hitmaker as her date to the 2024 Primetime Emmys, they sat by the two actors during the ceremony. Only Murders had been in the running for best comedy series, which ended up going to FX’s The Bear, and Short had been nominated for best actor in a comedy series, but Jeremy Allen White took the prize.

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The post comes a little over a week after the couple celebrated the release of Blanco’s cookbook, Open Wide, with an intimate party together. Gomez posted photos from the gathering — including a couple of the newly minted author’s cake replica of his book — and wrote that she was “so proud.”

“life is better when i’m w u,” Blanco responded in the comments.

The same day, Blanco had made an appearance on TODAY With Hoda & Jenna to talk about Open Wide. He also gushed about his romance with the “Single Soon” singer on the show, telling hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, “I wake up every day, and I look in the mirror, and I’m like, ‘How did this happen?’ But until anyone figures it out, whee!”

10 May 2024

In Canada: Billboard Presents Country’s First Non-Performing Songwriter Award

Billboard Canada and SOCAN will recognize the unsung heroes behind the country’s biggest songs.

The Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award will pay tribute to the talented songwriters who create powerful music and exemplify the songwriter’s indispensable role in the music ecosystem.

This is the first award of its kind in Canada, for professional songwriters who make a major impact writing for other artists. Rarely do they get the spotlight, until now. The inaugural Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award will be presented at Billboard Canada’s Power Players event in Toronto on Sunday, June 2. 

The award is presented by SOCAN, which collects and distributes royalties for musicians and rights-holders in Canada. The crucial rights organization is a champion of music industry professionals, with more than 190,000 members – songwriters, composers and music publishers – ensuring that they are properly recognized and compensated for their work.

“Fierce champions of songwriting, SOCAN is proud to present the Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award, shining a light on the architects behind the anthems,” says Jennifer Brown, SOCAN CEO. “A first in Canada, this award celebrates the impact of professional songwriters, who, from behind the scenes, create songs that resonate internationally, and we’re thrilled to partner with Billboard to give them the recognition they so richly deserve.”

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On the nomination form, submit three songs that the nominee wrote for another performer in 2023. Songs must have been released between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023. The three songs should represent and show their creative success during that period. There are also optional fields for number of sales, streams and spins.

Nominations for the award open today, May 7, and will close on May 17 at 11:59 PM EST. 

Find more information here.

deadmau5 Will Be Inducted Into Canadian Music Week Hall of Fame in 2024

After 25 years in the music industry, deadmau5 will enter the Canadian Music Week (CMW) Hall of Fame. 

He’ll be inducted on Tuesday, June 4 at the Live Music Industry Awards, which takes place at Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle in the Frontenac Room.

Before that, though, deadmau5 will take part in a Fireside Chat at the CMW Music Summit Conference that will be hosted by Billboard. He’ll speak with Billboard Canada editor Richard Trapunski in a conversation that will delve deep into his colourful two-and-a-half-decade career on some of music’s biggest stages. 

“deadmau5 is a legend,” says Andrew Valle, General Manager and Festival Director of CMW. “His unparalleled creativity has not only reshaped the sonic dance landscape but has also inspired countless artists and producers worldwide.”

Born Joel Zimmerman, deadmau5 arose at a time when electronic dance music was becoming one of the most popular genres in North America. One of the defining superstars of the late 2000s and early 2010s EDM boon, he’s headlined the biggest stages and major festivals electronic music has to offer. Recognizable for his signature LED stage helmet, also known as his mau5head, he’s become known for his big-stage spectacle and earth-shattering productions. 

He remains one of electronic music’s most bankable stars. As of 2023, his catalogue has clocked more than 1.5 billion streams. In 2022, he teamed with his longtime collaborator Kaskade to form Kx5, a superduo that played a handful of festival dates. Now hitting the road with a rotating slate of famous friends, he’s embarked on his “retro5pective: 25yrs of Deadmau5” tour, which has already seen guest appearances from artists like Lights, Kiesza and Tommy Lee.

Security Guard Shot Outside Drake’s Toronto Mansion, Police Confirm

Toronto Police are investigating a shooting that took place early in the morning on May 7 outside Drake’s mansion.

According to reports from CBC and The Toronto Star, the entrance to the rapper’s house had been taped off after a reported shooting. The Star also reported police going in and out of the house as they investigate.

Toronto Police Operations posted on X that they were investigating the shooting that took place at 2:09 am at Bayview Avenue & Lawrence Avenue East, near the site of Drake’s Park Lane Circle mansion in the Bridle Path neighbourhood — one of the most expensive areas of Toronto.

According to the tweet, a man was transported to hospital with serious injuries and a suspect fled in a vehicle. The Toronto Star reports that it is unclear whether Drake was at home at the time.

Drake has been embroiled in an ongoing rap battle with Kendrick Lamar. The art for Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us features a Google Maps image of Drake’s Toronto house. The location of Drake’s estate is already well known in the city and the rapper filmed his 2020 music video for Toosie Slide inside.

The victim was identified as a “security guard” working at the residence. They were transported to the hospital and have since undergone surgery for injuries sustained during the event.

No suspects have been named, but Inspector Paul Krawczyk of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force confirmed the shooting and says the suspect’s vehicle was captured on video by surrounding security cameras. 

The following day, on May 8, there was another incident at Drake’s house when a person attempted to gain access to the property. 

“The person was apprehended under the mental health act, and they were taken to receive medical attention,” Toronto Police said in a statement. 

The person reportedly did not enter the house, but was immediately confronted at the gate by security and arrested by police. 

Last Week In Canada: Diljit Dosanjh Makes Punjabi Music History

10 May 2024

Sphere Posts $170M Revenue as CEO James Dolan Eyes Second Market ‘Soon’

Building a state-of-the-art Sphere venue is “not like building a McDonalds,” Sphere Entertainment Co. chairman and CEO James Dolan said during the company’s earnings call on Friday. “It’s complicated. It’s a very expensive project.”

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The lone Sphere venue in Las Vegas, which cost $2.3 billion to build through delays and cost overruns during the COVID-19 pandemic, generated revenue of $170.4 million in its fiscal third quarter ended March 31, the parent company, Sphere Entertainment Co, reported Friday. Revenue was slightly better than the $167.8 million in the prior quarter. Adjusted operating income was $12.9 million, slightly down from the prior quarter’s AOI of $14.1 million. 

Dolan wants to build more Spheres and insists a second venue will materialize. The company is “in discussions with several markets” and has encountered “plenty of interest all around the world,” he said, “but not until we launched the product in September did people really get to see what it was and began to see how it could perform.”

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Sphere will reach an agreement with “at least one of those markets soon,” Dolan added. “How soon I’m not going to predict.”

Sphere, which wowed music fans through residencies by U2 and Phish, attracted nearly one million guests to more than 270 events in the quarter, said Dolan. In addition to concerts, Sphere offers a motion picture, Postcards from Earth, that CFO David Byrnes said generated $100 million in revenue in the quarter. In June, Sphere will host its first corporate event, a keynote address by Hewlett Packard Enterprise president and CEO Antonio Neri, and its first televised event, the NHL draft. 

Demand from artists to perform at Sphere is “stronger than we can even accommodate at this point,” Dolan claimed. The company wants to have “a varied number of kinds of acts, not just legacy rock acts,” and “acts that have the biggest draws,” he added. 

Dead & Co. begins its 24-date residency on May 16. A residency by the Eagles has not been officially announced but Dolan suggested during the earnings call the band will indeed perform at Sphere. 

“Even if you’re not a Deadhead, you’re gonna love that show,” said Dolan when discussing the need to create “compelling” visuals to complement bands’ musical performances. “And I think the same will be true for The Eagles and for the next acts that we bring up.”

Sphere Entertainment Co. had an operating loss of $40.4 million on revenue of $321.3 million. The company’s other segment, MSG Networks, had AOI of $48.6 million, down 17%, on revenue of $151 million, down 6% from the prior-year quarter. The company explained that those figures decreased from the prior-year quarter “primarily due to a 12.5% decrease in subscribers inclusive of the impact of MSG+,” the network’s streaming platform.

10 May 2024

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Post Malone & Morgan Wallen, Gunna, Megan Thee Stallion and More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Post Malone and Morgan Wallen help each other out, Gunna stays prolific as ever and Megan Thee Stallion turns even more cutthroat. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help” 



No artist logged more weeks atop the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in 2023 than Morgan Wallen; meanwhile, Post Malone has been enjoying a hot streak as a collaborator, with recent features on Beyoncé and Taylor Swift’s respective blockbuster albums, while also nodding toward a country crossover. Those fruitful paths cross on “I Had Some Help,” a country rocker with a faster pace than Wallen’s biggest hits and more twang than Posty’s typical oeuvre; popular country has been increasingly impacting the mainstream, and this team-up sounds like it’s ready to dominate the summer.

Gunna, One of Wun 



Last year, Gunna’s album a Gift & a Curse reflected on the rapper’s complicated feelings around the YSL RICO case, and included no features; One of Wun is a different story, with a more celebratory flair (particularly after the success of last year’s smash “Fukumean”) and Offset, Normani, Leon Bridges and Roddy Ricch all dropping by. In both modes, Gunna sounds masterful bending syllables over zonked-out beats, and One of Wun may approach the 60-minute mark but flies by, hitting a groove midway through with solo tracks “Back in the A,” “Still Prevail” and “Blackjack.”

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Megan Thee Stallion, “Boa” 



“All of a sudden they vegan, they don’t want beef,” Megan Thee Stallion — who’s already topped the Hot 100 once this year with a diss track, “Hiss,” to kick off a year of enormous diss tracks — sneers near the top of new single “Boa.” While her latest single gestures toward slicing down more enemies, “Boa” actually showcases Meg’s pop know-how: a smart sample of Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?” animates the hook, setting up a sleekly designed chorus in between the ferocious wordplay.

Camila Cabello feat. Lil Nas X, “He Knows” 



The reinvention of Camila Cabello continues with “He Knows,” which harnesses the edgier exterior of “I Luv It” but delivers more straightforward pop delights, complete with handclaps, a cooing hook and Cabello rhyming “provocateur” with “connoisseur.” Lil Nas X knows a thing or two about provocative pop, and spends his verse doubling down on double entendres before joining Cabello for some nicely rendered harmonies on the chorus.

Ice Spice, “Gimmie a Light” 



Throughout her ascent over the past year and a half, Ice Spice has sounded calm, cool and collected, never allowing her flow to be bothered even as beats percolate around her voice and A-list collaborators crash onto her tracks. New single “Gimmie a Light” represents a new shade for the rapper, as she uses the Sean Paul classic as the basis for a breathless shout-along; the track is designed to rattle club walls, but also opens up more possibilities for Ice Spice’s aesthetic, as she continues taking the formula for New York hip-hop and running in various directions with it.

Editor’s Pick: Chief Keef, Almighty So 2 



Fans of Chief Keef have been waiting for the follow-up to 2013’s Almighty So for such a long time, with years of targeted release dates giving way to countless delays, that the arrival of Almighty So 2 feels like a minor miracle. The even better news is that the sequel is Keef’s best project in years: building off of the momentum of his recent collaborative project with Mike WiLL Made-It, Dirty Nachos, the drill legend pulverizes an hour’s worth of beats here, locating a strand of his early-career energy and delivering a mix of hunger and confidence on every track.

10 May 2024

Shaquille O’Neal & Shannon Sharpe Are Beefing Over Sports Takes

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Shaquille O’Neal and Shannon Sharpe are legends of their respective sports and men of strong opinions as evidenced by their ongoing broadcast careers. After the legendary NBA big man seemingly stepped on Nikola Jokic‘s MVP nod, the former tight end shared some thoughts that sparked a spicy response from The Big Aristotle.

During a segment on Inside The NBA this past Wednesday (May 8), Shaquille O’Neal said to Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokick that he didn’t deserve to win his third Most Valuable Player, which Jokic graciously sidestepped without pushback. Shaq’s favorite for the award, along with several other analysts, was Oklahoma City Thunder superstar guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Shannon Sharpe and Chad OchoCinco joined together for their Nightcap broadcast where Sharpe, who is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens and a Football Hall of Fame inductee, pushed back at Shaq speaking ill of another player’s greatness. During the segment on Jokic, Sharpe suggested that Shaq didn’t want to praise the Serbian big man as he’s won the MVP title three times out of the past four years, with the Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid winning in that timespan.

Shaq caught wind of Sharpe’s words and went a fiery Instagram rant that some felt went overboard.

From IG:

you took me sticking up @shai ask jealousy of joker. shows how smart you are and how you say anything to get clicks. so here’s some click bait for you. if you ain’t ranked in the top ten in your profession , then you can’t speak on Me. don’t forget i know what you did to get were you at. me jealous, sounds like you jealous. i kno you tryna stay relevant by gossiping on your podcast. we don’t believe you. you need more people and in case you forgot. 4 rings three finals Mvp top 50 and top 75. google me. and to b quite frank all this new success you got, you still under me. u don’t kno my work ethic. but according i work less than you but im worth more than you. make it make sense. love you to. if you need help making money it’s better ways than gossiping. i’m to old for this shit love always the most dominant big man ever who never took it serious. remember i don’t know you. and in the words of @skipbayless im better than you. #g14classification i have it, you don’t, not in my profession. and your goat debate , never wanted to be the goat i wanted to be who you should greet me as THE MOST DOMINANT EVER. #theapexpredator

Sharpe, never one to back away from anyone, fired back at Shaq but didn’t return the vitriol. Instead, Unc Shannon spoke in a measured tone, expressed humility, and explained that he’s never declared himself the best in his position despite the accolades and honors he’s earned. He even deferred to other tight ends in the league.

Keep scrolling to see Shannon Sharpe replying to Shaquille O’Neal and reactions from X, formerly Twitter, below.

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Photo: Getty

10 May 2024

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Kicks Off Its European Leg in Paris: Photos From the Opening Show

All eyes were on Taylor Swift on May 9 as she kicked off the European leg of her Eras Tour with the first of four concerts in Paris, marking her first show back after the release of the Billboard 200-topping, record-breaking The Tortured Poets Department.

Not only did the pop star debut seven fresh numbers from the new album (see a full setlist), but she also made multiple changes to her original Eras set. A few fan-favorite songs were cut (sorry, “The Archer,” “Long Live” and “Tolerate It”), while parts of the show were restructured in order to make room for the new material. The sacrifices proved to be worth it, however, when Swift stunned the audience at La Defense Arena with brand new costumes, choreography, visuals and special effects, including an alien abduction and a clever trick that made the star appear to levitate across the stage.

The trek’s nightly high points, however, remained in place. Fans still got to scream along to the full 10-minute version of “All Too Well” during the Red era, hold their phone flashlights up for “Marjorie” in the Evermore set and scream the traditional “1, 2, 3, let’s go b—h” chant during Reputation’s “Delicate.” The surprise song section also remained fully intact as Swift gave Midnights’ “Paris” and TTPD’s “LOML” their live debuts. 

“This has been an unforgettable night in Paris!” Swift gushed to the crowd before closing out as usual with “Karma.” “Thank you so much!”

Check out photos from Swift’s Eras Tour European kickoff show in Paris below.