Current Events
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Source: Arturo Holmes / Getty / Elliott Wilson
No one man should have all that power. UPROXX’s new Editorial Director and legendary Hip-Hop scribe Elliott Wilson is no longer welcome in Toronto, and it allegedly has to do with Drake being salty.
Wilson spoke on The Bigger Picture podcast about the fallout after he decided that Kendrick Lamar came out on top in the highly entertaining back-and-forth with Drake.
Wilson revealed that Drake was in his feelings after his co-host DJ Hed pointed out that Wilson was no longer wearing OVO gear and asked him how he felt about Drake unfollowing him.
The Petty 6 God
“It’s funny because Drake is the kind of dude that, even if he doesn’t f**k with you, he still follows you. So, he’s not an unfollow kind of dude. [But] I saw somebody in my comments say, ‘How do you feel about Drake unfollowing you?’ I got my emotions about it… but look, it’s hard… that’s my guy, I respect him,” Wilson said.
Continuing the conversation, Wilson revealed that he got “calls” from people telling him she should not set foot in Toronto right now.
“I got the calls from OGs — I’m not really welcomed in Toronto right now. I grew up in NYC and you know not to go into other people’s projects. You might visit shorty but you ain’t got no business being over to those projects looking for no problems,” Wilson said. “So, I would not go to TO if me and Drake weren’t good. I just think it’s a tough time to manage these relationships with artists… You develop these connections with them, and then you have to manage these relationships and its ups and downs with that.”
All of this is because Wilson agreed with everyone else that Kendrick Lamar won.
Drake is a very petty individual.
Speaking of Drake, he just hopped on a new Sexy Redd song that features the BBL Drizzy beat.
You can watch the latest episode of The Bigger Picture below.
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Source: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty
It seems like Sean Kingston has once again found himself in trouble with the law and for someone who isn’t a gangsta rapper or even an R&B thug, it’s pretty remarkable that the Jamaican singer has seen central bookings more times than your favorite hardcore artist.
According to the Huffpost, the “Beautiful Girls” singer was arrested in California this past Thursday (May 23) on fraud charges after a SWAT team raided his Florida home and made off with a van filled with all kinds of items. To make matters even worse, Kingston’s 61-year-old mother, Janice Turner who actually did a prison bid for bank fraud after pleading guilty to stealing over $160,000 back in 2006.
How she may have been involved in this latest scheme is anyone’s guess, but their attorney, Robert Rosenblatt is confident the two will be exonerated once all the facts come to light saying “We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution for Shawn and his mother.”
Still, it seems like Sean may have once again skipped out on another bill and is now paying the price for his transgression.
The Huffpost reports:
An attorney who witnessed his mother’s arrest said the detentions are partly related to a lawsuit he filed against Kingston in February accusing him of defrauding a Florida company that installed in his home a 232-inch (5.8 meter) television — or approximately 17 feet by 9.5 feet (5 meters by 3 meters).
“It is amazing what you can get away with if you are a celebrity,” attorney Dennis Card told The Associated Press. “He creates this larger than life, ‘I am rich’ persona. His mother is a necessary component in this. He presents himself as a family-oriented guy, ‘I’m taking care of my mom,’ but she knows full well what is going on.”
In the lawsuit, Ver Ver Entertainment says Kingston contacted the company in September about purchasing the television, sold under the brand name Colossal TV, and having it installed. The system costs $150,000.
In November, Kingston paid the company $30,000 and the TV was installed, the lawsuit says. No commercials or further payments were ever made despite numerous promises, it contends.
Man, just get yourself a big screen TV at BJ’s or Costco for under $1,000 and live your life as a free man. SMH.
Kingston has commented. “People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother!.. my lawyers are handling everything as we speak,” he wrote on Instagram.
What do y’all think of Sean Kingston’s latest legal situation? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: JACQUELYN MARTIN / Getty
A second home belonging to Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was found flying a flag supporting the January 6th rioters.
According to reports, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was flying another flag that was carried by rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, at a vacation home that he owned in New Jersey. The flag, captured in photographs, was an “Appeal To Heaven” flag which is also known as the Pine Tree flag. It was on view as late as last year, when the Supreme Court weighed a decision on when to prosecute January 6 rioters, according to neighbors in the area on Long Beach Island where the home is located.
The “Appeal To Heaven” flag, which was first flown in the Revolutionary War by the forces of General George Washington, shows a green pine tree on a white background with the phrase “An Appeal To Heaven” inspired by British philosopher John Locke’s “right to revolution” – which encourages violence as a means – doctrine on it. It had fallen out of usage for many years until the last decade when it had become a symbol primarily for “a theological vision of what the United States should be and how it should be governed,” according to Institute of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies scholar Matthew Taylor. The flag has recently been seen in the office of House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and has been promoted by Dutch Sheets, a man who was prominent in helping to further former President Donald Trump’s false claims of the 2020 presidential election being stolen.
The news comes days after Alito’s denial that he was responsible for flying the U.S. flag in reverse at his home in Virginia after the January 6 insurrection, which was reported by the New York Times. The conservative Supreme Court Justice has been under fire for leaking the decision that would overturn Roe V. Wade, as well as selling Bud Light stock as the company dealt with right-wing backlash over working with a trans influencer. There have been calls from Democrats in Congress for Alito to be censured for his actions, and for him to recuse himself from any January 6-related cases including the question of immunity for Donald Trump concerning his involvement in the events of January 6.
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Source: Paramount+ / Paramount+
A new documentary on the unknown story behind the rise of digital piracy produced by Eminem & LeBron James debuts in June.
Source: Paramount+ / Paramount+
One of the more obscured stories behind the rise of digital piracy and how it transformed the music industry into what it is today, is on display in a new documentary series, entitled How Music Got Free. The two-episode series is based on the best-selling 2016 book by Stephen Witt. Eminem and LeBron James are executive producers along with Maverick Carter, Paul Rosenberg, and Steve Stoute. The series is directed by Alexandria Stapleton, a veteran who recently was at the helm of the Amazon Prime documentary Reggie, about New York Yankees Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson.
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How Music Got Free focuses in part on the life of Dell Glover. Glover, a man from Shelby, North Carolina, worked at the Universal Music compact disc pressing plant and used his access and ingenuity to leak music as part of the disruption that upended the music industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The series shows how his efforts and others led to the rise of Napster and other downloading sites. As Stapleton expresses in the press release, “The real visionaries, rebels, and anti-heroes of the era were a ragtag group of young people hidden behind online aliases. They leveraged tech and proved to the world how fans really wanted to consume music in the 1990s, 2000s, and beyond. The music industry was too busy raking in profits from CDs to see the digital tsunami that was about to swamp them. When the flood came, the industry didn’t build better boats, they blamed the pirates riding the wave and tried to put them in federal prison.”
How Music Got Free is narrated by Method Man, and features interviews with Eminem, 50 Cent, Steve Stoute, Timbaland, Jimmy Iovine, Rocsi Diaz, Rhymefest, and more. Also involved in the series’ production is Warner Bros. Unscripted Television/Telepictures, in association with SpringHill, Interscope Films, and Shady Films. How Music Got Free will make its premiere on Paramount Plus on June 11.
Source: Paramount+ / Paramount+
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Source: Derek White / Getty / 50 Cent
Diddy, aka The Diddler’s long-time nemesis, 50 Cent, continues to keep his foot on the neck of the Bad Boy CEO and is showing no signs of letting up.
The man who coined the phrase “can’t stop, won’t stop” definitely wished that 50 Cent would do the exact opposite.
Fresh off the disgusting video footage of Diddy physically assaulting his then ex-girlfriend Cassie, ultimately leading to a half-ass apology from the music mogul.
Now, TMZ Hip Hop is exclusively reporting the G-Unit general’s trolling will also be profitable for him after selling his Diddy documentary to Netflix following a “bidding war.”
Per TMZ Hip Hop:
Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Fifty’s multi-part documentary about the sexual assault allegations against Diddy was purchased by Netflix.
We’re told there was a massive bidding war over the doc, which was produced through 50’s G-Unit Film and Television Studios, with multiple networks and all of the streaming platforms attempting to land the series.Ultimately, the big red N emerged the victor … with sources telling TMZ the new Diddy docuseries will hit the streamer sooner than later.
Bruh, at this point, 50 Cent needs a lifetime achievement award for his commitment in trolling this man. The two have been at odds for nearly two decades, and Curtis Jackson is showing no signs of letting up on Mr. Combs.
In More Diddy News
Speaking of not letting up, Diddy is facing another lawsuit from a model who claims she was sexually assaulted after the rapper drugged her.
If that isn’t enough salt in the wound, NYC Mayor Mixxy—oops, we mean Eric Adams— may take back the key to the city Diddy got following the release of his latest album.
Social media has also been enjoying 50 Cent’s longstanding commitment to being a pain in Diddy’s a**.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Yup he sure does
2. Will be seated for it
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Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty / Tom Hanks / Chet Hanks
Professional Jamaican cosplayer Chet Hanks was the perfect person to help break down the Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef with his dad and beloved actor Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks is one of the few caucasians whose Black card has not been revoked, but he isn’t afraid to admit that he needs to be brought up to speed on Black business.
Case in point: The Toy Story star was deeply curious about the now-ended beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, which led to the Compton MC forcing the Canadian superstar to seemingly wave the white flag and ask his favorite Jafaican son, Chet Hanks, to break it all down for him.
Hanks shared a delightful text conversation between himself, aka “Big Main,” and his very famous dad, whom he affectionately labeled “Pops.”
Here is a breakdown of the conversation per BuzzFeed:
Tom: Big Main, can you explain the Drake/Kendrick Lamar feud to me?
Chet: Yeah, so Drake and this other dude J Cole been saying they along with Kendrick are the “Big 3” in Rap. Then Kendrick put out a song saying, “Fuck the Big 3, it’s just big ME” initiating the beef. Then Drake was like, “you got small feet cuz you’re like 5 foot 5 or whatever.” And then Kendrick was like, you’re a dead beat dad and made fun of his Canadian accent.
So Drake came back and was like, “oh yeah! Well I heard you beat your wife” but literally like 30 seconds later Kendrick put out a diss overshadowing Drakes diss where he pretty much methodically dismantled Drakes entire psyche and called him a pedophile for flirting with young girls and revealing Drake had another kid that he was hiding from the world, which turned out to be false, and Drake came back and was like, “hahaha I gotcho ass I had people give you false info to make you look stupid” but it didn’t even matter cuz then Kendrick just dropped another West Coast banger where he really went in on labeling Drake a pedophile that was pretty much the sonic equivalent of when you took me to your high school in Oakland and we walked in on the basketball game and everybody started going nuts.
Like if you heard it you would just automatically know how to Crip walk with a stank face while clutching an Oscar in each hand with Marshawn Lynch, then dap him up and tell him “Town Bidness” which solidified the win not only for Kendrick but the entire West Coast.
Tom: Holy cow! These are fighting words. People taking sides?? Who’s winning??
Chet: Did you not just read what I said (crying laughing emojis)
Social Media Loved Seeing Tom Hanks So Interested In The Beef
Now, we are not going to gloss over Chet Hanks, who was also accused of domestic violence by his ex, Kiana Parker.
Still, we loved seeing Tom Hanks being so curious about the drama between K. Dot and Drizzy.
X, formerly Twitter, was also here for the voice of our favorite toy cowboy, Woody, asking his son to explain why King Kendrick was dissing Drake.
One person on Elon Musk’s social media platform wrote, “petition to have tom hanks and chet hanks start a podcast called big main where chet explains extremely online things to his dad and it helps out other olds not necessarily like me but almost exactly like me.”
Another user added, “Tom Hanks calling Chet Big Main tells me that Tom loves and accepts his ridiculous son for who he is.”
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Yes, with a lot of Tom Hanks, not his son. Just saying.
2. We agree
3. Signs of a great father.
4. He definitely did.
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Source: Mike Coppola / Getty
Famed artist Kehinde Wiley has been accused of sexual assault by another artist, with Wiley denying the incidents.
According to reports, the award-winning painter Kehinde Wiley has been accused of sexual assault. The claims come from Joseph Awuah-Darko, a British-born Ghanaian artist and the founder of the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana. Awuah-Darko made the claims in a post on Instagram that he made on Sunday (May 19). “I hope my words and openness about my painful experience empower others to come forward,” Awuah-Darko wrote in the caption. “I hope all that unravels creates a path towards not only accountability, but recompense and collective healing for other victims.”
Awuah-Darko said that Wiley sexually assaulted him twice while the two were at a dinner held by the Ghana Creative Arts Council at the Noldor Artists Residency in 2021. “The act was categorically unwelcome and unprovoked,” he wrote, stating that the first incident occurred within two hours of them being at the dinner. “The second [italics by the artist) assault was much more severe and violent.” Awuah-Darko didn’t describe the second assault, but went on to say that it took him time to “confront the reality of my abuse as such.” He also stated that he would be seeking legal action against Wiley, but acknowledged in an email to the New York Times that given the passage of a new law imposing jail on LGBTQ individuals in Ghana, it may not be received well.
Wiley has firmly denied the accusations from Awuah-Darko. “Someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with is now making false, disturbing, and defamatory accusations about our time together,” he wrote in part in his own Instagram post. “I kindly ask for privacy as I work to clear my name.” The 48-year-old artist forwarded a copy of a cease and desist letter he sent to Awuah-Darko to the Times in addition to an email where he said that Awuah-Darko had “been trying to be part of my life ever since we met.”
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Source: C. Morgan Engel / Getty / Minnesota Timberwolves
The Denver Nuggets blew a golden opportunity and are now thinking about Cancun after the Minnesota Timberwolves ended their title defense run.
It took a historic 20-point comeback from the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Denver Nuggets to punch their ticket into the Western Conference Finals to play the Dallas Mavericks.
The Timberwolves’ Game 7 victory at Ball Arena in Denver was the punctuation mark on a story that began last year in a local bar that ESPN highlighted in a story.
Per ESPN:
The Timberwolves had just lost to the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs in April 2023, with Anthony Edwards’ potential game-tying 3 coming up empty as time expired in Game 5. Afterward, Edwards and a couple of teammates went to a cocktail lounge, Forget Me Not, in the Cherry Creek neighborhood, with their chartered flight back home not scheduled to leave until the next morning.
Of all of the gin joints in all of the towns in all of the world, Denver point guard Jamal Murray — fresh off a 35-point showing in the closeout game — just so happened to walk into the same bar as the Timberwolves.
And Edwards, a budding star yet to have the breakout postseason that has turned him into a bona fide superstar this spring, had a message to deliver to Murray.
“He was talking s—,” Edwards told ESPN as he walked down the ramp toward the team bus after his club’s 98-90 victory on Sunday. “He was telling Mike [Conley], ‘I’m sick of you, you can’t guard me,’ and all that.
“I told him, ‘We’ll be back. You’ll see us again when we’re fully loaded.’”
A Historic Night For The Timberwolves & Nuggets
Anthony Edwards’ words turned out to be prophetic.
He and his Timberwolves erased a 20-point third-quarter deficit, completing one of the largest comebacks in Game 7 history in the past 25 NBA postseasons.
The Nuggets also made history, becoming the first team in NBA history to lead by 15 points or more at halftime and lose a Game 7 playoff game. They also became the fifth consecutive defending NBA champions not even to sniff the conference finals.
Speaking on his squad’s herculean effort, Ant-Man told reporters, “It shows who we are. Once we really lock in on the defensive end, man, we’re a hell of a team to beat.”
Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who is usually the butt of the jokes when they can’t clown Rudy Gobert, came up big for his team.
The team’s No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft kept his team in the game by scoring 23 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and a blocked shot.
Kat was also effective when defending three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.
His head coach, Chris Finch, had glowing words about Towns. “I think you see how at peace and happy he is right now,” Finch said. “He had to trust that he was never going to be marginalized. All young players always think they can do it all by themselves, but in this league, nobody can.”
“I couldn’t be more happy and proud for him. Just because I think he’s faced a lot of unfair criticism when it comes to the postseason at times.”
Of course, the reactions to the Nuggets choking were on point. You can see those in the gallery below.
1. Brilliant tweet
2. Gotta love the Joker’s even in defeat
3. What is wrong with y’all? LOL
4. The accuracy
5. Ant-Man is a legend
6. Howling
8. Draymond was LOUD and WRONG
10. Man on a mission
11. LOL @ A-Rod
13.
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Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty / LeBron James / Bronny James
Bronny James’ name has yet to be called during the 2024 NBA Draft, but the chatter around LeBron James’ son, where he will land, and if the Lakers superstar will join the team that takes a chance on his seed is deafening.
Word around the NBA streets was that LeBron James was very gung-ho about playing alongside his son in the league, giving many teams the impression that if they draft Bronny, they could land LBJ in free agency.
According to reports, teams shouldn’t bet on that because Bron Bron has no desire to ditch the Los Angeles Lakers to hoop with his son.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that James is telling teams not named the Lakers who believe their chances to sign him in free agency will increase if they draft Bronny “No, as of right now,” regarding leaving Los Angeles.
Yahoo! Sports reports the “as of right now” in his statement leaves enough wiggle room for teams to continue to continue working on a situation that would pique his interest.
Interest in Bronny James increased following his strong showing at the NBA Draft, and some people believe he could be drafted in the second round.
LeBron James Did Express In The Past He Wanted To Play With Bronny In His Final Season
Regardless of the chatter around Bronny James, the Los Angeles Lakers are still the front runners to resign James, who has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, if they land a head coach LeBron James approves of and a third piece to compliment him and Anthony Davis.
LBJ’s new alleged stance on playing alongside his son starkly differs from his past comments.
He made his desire to play his final season as a teammate with Bronny, even saying he would sign with the team that drafts his son.
That changed after the Lakers were bounced out of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, with James telling people hooping with Bronny was no longer a priority for him.
As for Bronny James, a conversation is happening now that he doesn’t deserve the attention he is receiving. Some people believe the spotlight is on him because he is the son of arguably the greatest professional hooper not named Michael Jordan.
ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins has been very loud on the matter.
Now, Bronny knows that carrying the James torch is the main topic of discussion, but the young hooper has made it clear he doesn’t want anything handed to him because he is the son of LeBron James and wants people to judge him on his skills and what he does on the court.
“Everything that follows my dad, people just try to link me with that and all the greatness he’s achieved and I haven’t done anything yet,” Bronny told reporters. “So there needs to be that divide between Bronny and LeBron. I just want to let people know that my name is Bronny James and not being identified as LeBron James’ son.”
We hear you Bronny.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Draymond Green is a believer in Bronny James
2. Interesting
3. Fair question
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Source: CHRIS DELMAS / Getty
Cassie’s lawyers have been masterful in their reactions to the release of footage of Diddy beating the singer, and his ex-girlfriend, back in 2016. After Diddy dropped an apology on Sunday (May 19), the now happily married singer’s legal team issued a statement slamming the mogul’s already derided mea culpa.
Taking to Instagram, Diddy posted a video apology that was widely criticized as insincere and never mentioned Cassie by name. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you gotta do that,” said Diddy. “I was f*cked up. I mean I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable.”
He also added, “I went and I sought out professional help, going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to be a better man each and every day.”
Cassie’s attorney wasn’t feeling Diddy’s words.
“Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt,” said Meredith Firetog, of Wigdor LLP, which represented Cassie Ventura in her settlement, in a statement shortly after Combs released his apology.
“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday,” continued Firetog.
The post that the attorney references is from late 2023, and is still up on Diddy’s Instagram account. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he wrote on the post, dated December 6, 2023. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
Well, that clearly is not the case.
Firetog added, “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”
Cassie’s husband, Alex Fine, also brought the smoke. “Men who hit women aren’t men. Men who enable it and protect those people aren’t men. As men, violence against women shouldn’t be inevitable. Check your brothers, your friends, and your family. Our daughters, sisters, mothers, and wives should feel protected and loved. Hold the women in your life with the upmost regard,” said Fine in an Instagram post.
Also, Diddy’s old stomping grounds at Revolt—he resigned from his chairman position last year—washed its hands of him.