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Nicki Minaj is still coasting on the high waves after dropping her latest studio album Pink Friday 2 last week and is now making the media rounds. The American-Trinidadian superstar joined with popular streamer Kai Cenat for a stream event that has the Barbz celebrating but also sparked some critics to chime in, too.
Nicki Minaj hopped on Twitch with Kai Cenat early Thursday morning (December 14) with fans of both figures tuning in at major numbers even in the wee hours. The pair, who both share Trinidadian heritage, talked about Pink Friday 2, engaged with fans, held a dance party, took some shots, and Minaj also shared a new track.
According to some of the chatter we’ve seen online, the stream got over 360,000 views and apparently shattered Cenat’s viewership record but we have yet to confirm that on our side. However, it would be safe to see that having over 300,000 viewers turned in at the hour they began is impressive all the same.
Given the age difference between Cenat, 21, and Minaj, 41, and considering that Cenat’s audience is also on the younger side, some observers didn’t understand the pairing. There was also a dig from a notable Hip-Hop journalist that stood out, which we’ll share in the reactions later.
Despite that, the two seemed to enjoy each other’s company and Minaj joined in a wild dance party with Cenat and his friends. There was also a point where Cenat introduced Minaj to his mother and twin sister.
On X, formerly Twitter, folks are adding their thoughts about Nicki Minaj and Kai Cenat connecting on Twitch. Check out the reactions below.
Pink Friday 2 is out now.
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Draymond Green is undoubtedly one of the most passionate players the NBA has ever seen, but sometimes that passion has led to being ejected from games. In the heat of battle once more, Draymond Green was ejected from his third game of the season after wildly swinging and punching Jusuf Nurkic.
Golden State Warriors were visitors to the Footprint Center, the home court of the Phoenix Suns in a Western Conference showdown. Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic were mixing it up down low in a battle for position when Green swiftly swung with his arms wide and socked Nurkic on the side of the head. Nurkic, significantly larger than Green, was crumpled to the floor.
Officials on the floor reviewed the physical exchange, ruling it a flagrant 2 foul and leading to Green’s ejection. While it wasn’t the most direct apology, at least on its surface, Green did offer in a postgame comment that he was trying to sell a foul and didn’t intend to hit Nurkic.
Coach Steve Kerr addressed Green’s ejection, stating that the team always needs him on the floor. Green is an integral part of the Warriors’ offense, especially in his point-forward role and defensive prowess.
Green caught wind of Coach Kerr’s comments and doubled down on his point that if he never meant to hit Nurkic and stated that he isn’t one to apologize for something he intended to do, hence why he apologized to Jusuf Nurkic.
With this event being the third suspension of the year for Green, he has tied his previous ejection count in this early going of the season. Green recently served a suspension for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. It isn’t known what the NBA will decide for Green after this latest ejection.
We’ve got reactions below from NBA Twitter regarding the Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic dustup. We also have the video of the incident courtesy of ESPN.
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Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign are close to releasing their collaborative album Vultures and hosted a listening party in Miami this week. What has some people talking is the moment when Kanye West came onstage donning a Black hood stylized like the white KKK hood.
Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign, collectively known under the ¥$ moniker, appeared together in Miami’s Wynwood Marketplace for an outdoor listening party according to a report from Variety.
The event got a late start and there were some technical issues with audio assistants having a time trying to connect West’s phone to the audio system at the venue. The event was also streamed on YouTube with fans at home experiencing viewing issues as well. According to the outlet, tickets for general admission for the event were listed at $200, $600 for VIP, and $10,000 for tables.
The pair played 10 tracks from Vultures with notable features from Lil Baby, Charlie Wilson, Lil Durk, Bump J, Nicki Minaj, Kodak Black, and more. Joining West and $ign on the stage were Chris Brown, Offset, the aforementioned Kodak Black, Lil Durk, Bump J, Freddie Gibbs, and more.
During the album’s controversial title track where West decries being antisemitic in a vulgar fashion, the artist came onstage wearing the Black hood and stared at the crowd for effect. Instead of shying away from the heat sure to come from the song and the image, West reportedly paused the song after the line in question from the song.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans are chiming in with their thoughts on the album, Kanye West himself, and more.
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Basketball fans may have scoffed at the NBA In-Season Tournament initially but ended up being treated to some of the best games so far early in the season. The Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers locked horns for the inaugural tournament final with the Lake Show taking the whole thing on the back of Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
The NBA In-Season Tournament had its share of critics who didn’t quite understand the necessity or purpose of it unless, of course, their teams were in contention. Early favorites like the Boston Celtics were bounced by the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton, who is now becoming one of the league’s brightest stars.
The Lakers and Pacers may not have been the marquee matchup some fans wanted but it was a pure clinic put on by AD and King James, who seized the moment with the help of great play from fellow starters D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, and Taurean Prince. Austin Reaves also provided a big lift off the bench with 28 points, leading the entire second unit.
The Pacers gave it their all with Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin, who came off the bench, both scoring 20 points. The Pacers also saw significant contributions from Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith.
The Lakers rode the wave of Davis, who led all scorers with 41 points, hauling in 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. James added 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists, eventually winning the MVP trophy for the tournament. While Davis did show out for the final game, James has been consistently dominant even at age 38 and displayed an uncanny level of strength, speed, and basketball IQ.
It may not be the top trophy of the league but the NBA In-Season Tournament proved that fans don’t have to wait until May to see amazing professional basketball. Commissioner Adam Silver can go back to the lab with his team and figure out how to improve the tournament and said that he’s open to suggestions.
On X, formerly Twitter, NBA fans are discussing the game and much more. Check out the reactions below.
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Shohei Ohtani, one of the top talents in the MLB today, announced a new deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend that has baseball fans stunned and reacting to the big news in various ways. Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers for 10 years and $700 million, a cause of concern for some considering the two-play superstar has had surgeries.
ESPN reports Ohtani, 29, will sign with the Dodgers and while an official breakdown from the team about the contract is still presumably in the works, an outlet of ESPN’s stature wouldn’t come forth with their additional report without confirming some facts. With the deal, Ohtani, who hails from Japan, was awarded the richest contract in North American sports ever.
“Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers is for 10 years and $700 million,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Passan via X, formerly Twitter. He added, “Shohei Ohtani’s contract has significant deferrals that include most of his salary — an idea, a source said, that was Ohtani’s. In deferring the money, it reduces the cost of the competitive-balance-tax hit and will allow the Dodgers to build a better team around him.”
The news was big enough that even Shams Charania, who typically breaks news on the NBA, had to share with his massive audience the size and scope of the deal.
Ohtani’s credentials as a pitcher and DH cannot be put under scrutiny as he’s proven over the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has won the AL MVP twice and did so unanimously this past season with a .304 batting average along with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs. He also started 23 games as a pitcher, winning 10 games with a 3.14 ERA. With the Angels, Ohtani’s numbers have averaged 30 home runs and 90 RBIs.
In addition to his talent, concerns have been raised around Ohtani getting a version of Tommy John surgery to repair an ulnar collateral ligament tear. It is the second surgery he’s had over the past five years according to reports. Still, Ohtani is on track to resume his dominance on the diamond, and given that he has the highest-selling jersey among MLB players, he’ll have several adoring Dodgers fans sporting the apparel here in the States and abroad.
As mentioned above, Ohtani shared the news first with his 6 million fans on Instagram but didn’t share a ton of details.
From Instagram:
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process. Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me. The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever.
Check out reactions from MLB Twitter below.
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Nicki Minaj dropped her latest studio album Pink Friday 2 on December 8, which is also her birthday, and fans online are already running it up and hopping online to share their thoughts. Some fans believe that Nicki Minaj took a shot at both Megan Thee Stallion and Latto on two different songs on the album.
Pink Friday 2 is the fifth studio album from Nicki Minaj, following 2018’s Queen. The Queens star has released tracks and done features in the span of those five years between projects and the anticipation for the new album was high.
Across 22 tracks, Minaj rocks alongside her Young Money boss Lil Wayne and Tate Kobang on the track “RNB” and she rocks with her past collaborator Drake on the track “Needle” while J. Cole graces the song “Let Me Calm Down.”
The tracks that fans are discussing online regarding the alleged disses are “FTCU” and “Fallin 4 U,” the former of which features the lyrics, “Stay in your Tory lane, b*tch, I’m not Iggy” but this could be a reach as the pair seemingly squashed their issues over a failed collaboration.
On “Fallin 4 U,” the lyrics in question are, “Picture you ending up under the seat, where the dread at?/ Picture not listening when I said you would dread that/ I mean locs, ho, you-you’s a chop ho/ I’m number one, y’all go argue over top four,” which some stating the “locs, ho” word scheme was a dig at Latto.
Of course, none of this can be confirmed but the discussion regarding the release of Pink Friday 2 is bubbling on X right now. We’ve got reactions along with birthday wishes from all sides below.
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Nick Cannon is hosting an event in Las Vegas on Thursday night (December 7) with sponsorship from Cannon’s company and The Zeus Network. Fans on X are roasting Nick Cannon after a flier for the Bad Vs. Wild Las Vegas event featured text framing the face-off as a battle of dark-skinned and light-skinned women.
Back in October, a trailer for the Bad Vs. Wild Las Vegas event was unveiled, which appears to be styled like a baddies version of Cannon’s popular Wild ‘n Out series. Based on the description in the trailer, which we’ll share below, this is a new series that will film its first season live in Las Vegas and tonight’s taping will also feature Sukihana as a musical guest.
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X user @KMZWRLD shared a tweet featuring the flier in question, which has since been quoted and retweeted several times so far. It isn’t clear where the flier originally came from and we’re still trying to locate the source.
Based on our research, it doesn’t appear that Cannon nor The Zeus Network has billed this show as a “dark-skin vs. light-skin” but a flier featuring that text on the front is making its rounds on social media and fans are ticked off. The link on the flier to join the studio audience also appears to work but is different from the link that Zeus is promoting on its pages, which isn’t operational.
As we saw on Zeus’ Instagram page, the Bad Vs. Wild taping has been happening all week with French Montana and GloRilla performing in earlier events. Again, we’re still not seeing anything featuring the colorism battle working from any of the main players involved so we are not claiming that the flier in question is an official release.
Check out the reactions from X below.
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Norman Lear, a screenwriter and producer behind several hit sitcoms that were huge in the 1970s, has died. Lear, who produced The Jeffersons and other beloved Black sitcoms, was involved with over 100 shows and worked as a producer well into the next century after his initial encounter with fame.
Norman Lear was born July 22, 1922, in New Haven, Conn. After a stint in the military in the 1940s, Lear got involved in entertainment by first working in public relations. Along with his cousin’s husband, comedian and writer Ed Simmons, Lear and Simmons wrote comedy sketches for the likes of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis for their comedy variety show.
In 1959, Lear created his first television show, The Deputy, with Henry Fonda. Lear then became known as a comedy writer through the 1960s. In 1971, Lear saw the debut of his show All In The Family, which went on to become a hit with critics and viewers alike. Sanford & Son was another hit that came the following year in 1972.
All In The Family spawned spinoff series too such as Maude in 1972, and The Jeffersons in 1975. The Jeffersons, which ran for 11 seasons and starred Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, and Marla Gibbs, is one of the longest-running sitcoms of all time. Good Times, starring Esther Rolle and Jon Amos, was developed by Lear in 1974 although he just served one year as its lead producer.
Lear served as the executive producer of the One Day At A Time revival in 2017 for Netflix and has a credit as an executive producer for the I Got A Monster documentary in 2023.
Lear is survived by his wife, producer Lyn Davis, six children from his three marriages, and four grandchildren.
Norman Lear was 101.
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Atlanta is known for its bevy of beauties and Jasmyn Mai adds to that longstanding legacy. The Black and South Korean stunner is our latest Baes & Baddies entry.
We don’t know much at all about Jasmyn Mai but she caught our eye as we were strolling through those Instagram streets. From what we can figure out, Jasmyn represents ATL and is of South Korean heritage due to the flag in her bio.
Much of her page shows Jasmyn sharing with her fans various looks in a ton of flattering outfits and appears to be a young woman enjoying life on her terms. This is just the start of her career, and hopefully, we’ll get to know more about Jasmyn Mai in the future.
Check out our latest Baes & Baddies entry in the gallery below.
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Photo: Jasmyn Mai/@soyoujasmyn
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Birdman, who comes across as someone who isn’t about the funnies, issued a warning to retired rapper turned top podcaster, Joe Budden. The Cash Money Records honcho told Budden to halt his critiques of NBA YoungBoy and leave the Louisiana rapper alone, this after YoungBoy shared some thoughts too.
On episode 680 of The Joe Budden Podcast, the cast spoke briefly about the latest single from NBA YoungBoy, which turned into a moment for Budden to express his disdain for the rapper, who is currently on house arrest in Utah. Among the rappers of his generation, YoungBoy has a lengthy discography despite his relative youth and a highly supportive fanbase.
Although Birdman hails from New Orleans, YoungBoy has expressed sincere admiration for the mogul and explained that the pair are friends despite hailing from two different cities in their home state. That connection was on full display after the New Orleans boss took to Instagram Stories and sternly told Budden to back off from commenting on his young colleague.
“@JOEBUDDEN YOU F*KIN WITH SOMETHIN YOU SHOULD LEAVE ALONE,” read a portion of the message, which features an image of YoungBoy’s fiery response to Budden in which he also took a dig at the “Pump It Up” star’s sexual prowess along with telling Budden to not “rat” on him and inviting him to Gravedigger Mountain, which is presumably where the rapper lives in the Beehive State.
As one can imagine, NBA YoungBoy’s fanbase is giving Joe Budden the business due to the fact that he’s no longer an official Hip-Hop artist. Some on the other side are saying that because Budden was indeed nice in his day, he has a right to his opinion. Further, some are wondering why the opinion of a, in their words, failed rapper, has artists reacting in this fashion.
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