PHOTO OPS
Page: 23
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: 343 Industries / HALO Infinite
It’s Black History Month, which means companies are doing their best to show how inclusive and down for the Black cause they truly are. Halo Infinite studio 343 Industries’ attempt to celebrate BHM is getting clowned on social media.
Don’t get it twisted; we know there was goodwill in 343 Industries’ attempt to celebrate Black History Month by introducing armor shaders to commemorate the annual celebration of Black excellence.
But, man, we understand why the jokes are flying across the timeline.
Gamers can now add bold green, gold, and maroon colors, typically associated with African country flags, plus kente cloth, the West African traditional textile as a pattern on their Spartan armor.
To announce the new Black History Month-inspired shaders, the Halo account on X, formerly Twitter, dropped a photo of a Spartan with all the custom shaders, which did not land well.
Immediately, comparisons to A-Train, the only Black superhero on The Seven in the hit Amazon Prime series, The Boys, hit timelines.
In that particular episode, Jessie T. Usher’s character got an African-themed super suit to gain the approval of Black people, but 343 Industries’ attempt was nowhere near as egregious in terms of pandering. However, you still can’t unsee it, especially when you compare A-Train’s costume.
The Verge’s Ash Parrish confirmed that with her well-timed response to the Halo account tweet.
Xbox’s Other BLM-Inspired Initiatives
The announcement of the Black History Month-inspired Halo Infinite shaders was just a small part of a more significant initiative that Xbox announced to celebrate BHM.
The Microsoft-owned company announced a partnership with the Gameheads development program and other amazing Black History Month initiatives.
Announcing a partnership with Gameheads to showcase games created by students (ages 11-25) who have gone through Gameheads’ game development program. Gameheads is a California-based non-profit that uses game design and development to engage, prepare and train low-income youth and youth of color for careers in the video games and technology industry. Check out the games, and how you can play them here.
As part of the partnership, Xbox also donated to Gameheads to support their commitment to diversifying the pipeline in the gaming industry & empowering the next generation of game developers.
Sharing a collection of games available on Xbox, made for and by the Black community, including spotlighting Black game developers from the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program who, with Xbox’s support, are increasing Black representation and elevating underrepresented voices in the games they create.
Encouraging players to donate Microsoft Rewards points to both Gameheads and/or Cxmmunity.
Sharing Xbox Ambassador stories, including tips they have for how to stay safe when gaming, and more!
By heading here, you can learn more about how Xbox and Gamesheads are working together to amplify Black voices in the gaming industry.
Still, Xbox, you are going to get these jokes. You can see more reactions to the Blackety, Black Spartan armor in the gallery below.
2. Won’t be shocked to see this at New York Comic Con
3. Howling
5. Someone likes it
6. Intriguing
7. Wait a minute
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Nintendo / Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Wahoo, you can take Mario vs. Donkey Kong for a. quick spin.
A demo for the Gameboy Advance Classic Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake is now available in the Nintendo eShop before its release later this month.
The demo will allow players to experience four levels from the game where players will control Mario as he jumps, backflips, handstands, and solve puzzles on his mission to recover all the Mini-Mario toys stolen from the factory from his longtime nemesis not named Bowser, Donkey Kong.
The remake will feature a new Two-Player Mode, challenging new levels, and a fully reorchestrated soundtrack. “Mario vs. Donkey Kong is all about finding someone who completes you … but not without making you work for it,” the press release reads.
Along with the demo, Nintendo also shared a brief gameplay overview trailer that gives more of a look at the game.
[embedded content]
Eurogamer reports the demo will allow players to experience the game’s casual or classic modes. Casual removes the timer while placing checkpoints between levels and giving players five hit points before they die.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day The Nintendo Way
But that’s not all; to celebrate the upcoming love holiday, Valentine’s Day, Nintendo wants its fans to celebrate their lovers, the Donkey Kongs, to their Marios with Valentine’s Day eCards inspired by the upcoming game.
Source: Nintendo / Mario vs. Donkey Kong
The remaster officially launches on the Nintendo Switch on Feb.16 and joins other remasters coming this year, like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Luigi’s Mansion 2.
Nintendo is poised to have another strong year, and if the rumors of the “Super Nintendo Switch” or “Switch 2″ dropping this year are true, 2024 will be lit for fans of the Nintendo brand.
Hit the gallery below to see and download the other Valentine’s Day eCards.
1. Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentines Day eCards
Source:Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentine’s Day eCards nintendo,mario vs. donkey kong
2. Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentines Day eCards
Source:Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentine’s Day eCards nintendo,mario vs. donkey kong
3. Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentines Day eCards
Source:Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentine’s Day eCards nintendo,mario vs. donkey kong
4. Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentines Day eCards
Source:Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentine’s Day eCards nintendo,mario vs. donkey kong
5. Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentines Day eCards
Source:Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Valentine’s Day eCards nintendo,mario vs. donkey kong
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Kojima Productions / Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
PlayStation’s first State of Play broadcast arrived, and there were bangers announced that we can look forward to playing on the PS5 consoles.
The presentation was roughly 40 minutes long and had surprises, but Hideo Kojima stole the show.
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source: Kojima Productions / Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 is no longer a worker title. It has an official name, Death Stranding 2 On The Beach. In typical Kojima fashion, we got a 9-minute plus trailer. Norman Reedus’ Sam Porter Bridges returns and will face a new threat in Drawbridge, plus the BTs due to the Death Stranding.
Sam comes face to face with a character voiced by Troy Baker to cap off the trailer, who returns from the beach holding a guitar that shoots out electricity and doubles as a sword.
Source: Kojima Productions / Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
It’s the most Kojima game ever, featuring some other strange touches that could come from the mind that gave us the Metal Gear video franchise.
The game doesn’t arrive till 2025, but thankfully, that will give you enough time to play Death Stranding: Director’s Cut in the time being on either your Apple devices or PlayStation consoles.
[embedded content]
A New Tactical Action-Espionage Game From Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima blew our minds with his project OD coming to Xbox, but it doesn’t mean his relationship with PlayStation is over. To cap off the State of Play, Kojima announced that Physint is coming to PlayStation and will be a new tactical action-espionage game called Physint.
Kojima says the new game will blur the lines between video games and film.
We have no idea what this game is, but consider us very excited. Watch the announcement below, and hit the gallery for more screenshots from Death Stranding 2 On The Beach.
[embedded content]
1. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
2. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
3. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
4. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
5. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
6. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
7. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
8. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
9. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
10. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
11. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
12. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
13. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
14. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
15. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
16. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
17. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
18. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
19. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
20. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
21. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Source:Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach hideo kojima,death stranding 2 on the beach,kojima productions
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty / Vince McMahon
The Vince McMahon era at the WWE has officially come to an end.
*Trigger warning: this post will touch on alleged sexual assault*
It was only a day after some alarming allegations about Vince McMahon accusing the WWE founder of sexual assault, trafficking, and other disgusting things, and now he is out at TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the WWE and UFC.
McMahon remains defiant despite stepping down and claiming his innocence in the matter.
Per Deadline:
“I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said this evening of the scorching lawsuit against him filed earlier this week. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”
“However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately,” the WWE co-founder added.
McMahon was hit with the People’s Elbow in the form of a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, which shared details about disturbing sexual assault allegations.
We previously reported about those allegations where Grant was described as being constantly sexually abused by McMahon and other WWE employees and an unnamed WWE superstar, but according to The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, was former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
Per HHW’s Reporting:
The lawsuit also details the “extreme cruelty and degradation” Grant was allegedly subject to, accusing McMahon of defecating on her during a threesome, “commanding her to continue pleasuring his ‘friend’” while his waste was in her hair and running down her back.
McMahon is also accused of using sex toys he named after WWE superstars on Grant and making her engage in sexual acts with other WWE employees like head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, who is also named in the lawsuit.
There was also an incident detailed in the lawsuit where McMahon and Laurinaitis corned Grant in Laurinaitis’ locked office during a work day and took turns sexually assaulting her, ignoring her pleas for them to stop.
Social media continues to hit McMahon, who should have been gone long ago with a virtual smackdown. You can see those reactions below.
2. Well damn
3. The accuracy
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Mat Hayward / Getty / Colman Domingo
Colman Domingo is collecting roles like Infinity Stones, and WE LOVE TO SEE IT.
Following the news, he earned his first Oscar nomination for his inspiring performance in the Netflix film Rustin; Colman Domingo has been cast in Antoine Fuqua’s (The Equalizer) upcoming Michael Jackson biopic as the late iconic pop star’s father, Joe Jackson.
The news of Domingo joining the film’s cast comes after the announcement that Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar, will play the “Billie Jean” crafter and 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi, portraying the King of Pop in his early years.
Speaking exclusively with Variety, The Color Purple star spoke about joining the cast of the Michael Jackson film.
“It’s exciting to do it with Jaafar,” Domingo said. “Jermaine Jackson’s son is playing Michael, and he is breathtaking, and I think Graham King, the producer, has assembled an incredible cast.”
In a statement announcing his addition to the cast, he added, “I’m excited to be a part of a film that explores both the complicated soul of the legendary Michael Jackson as well as his impact on music and culture as a global icon. Not only am I fortunate to have a rich, complex, and flawed character to portray in Joe Jackson, but I also have a front-row seat for Jaafar’s incredible transformation.”
Domingo Is The Perfect Man For The Role
Now, if you are one of the rare people wondering if Domingo is the right actor for the job, look no further than his still-growing and very impressive resume.
Domingo is no stranger to playing complex figures like Joe Jackson and has a knack for portraying them in a way where, while you will have some disdain for them, you will still walk away with a better appreciation and understanding of them.
Look no further than his portrayal of Albert “Mister” Johnson in The Color Purple, who is easily one of the most despised characters in the Alice Walker novel.
Speaking with CassiusLife’s Bernard “Beanz” Smalls, he spoke on the role, saying, “When you’re watching him, you can’t just villainize him. You have to, in a strange way, find ways to have empathy for the character, and that makes it more human.”
That wasn’t the only big announcement; Colman will also star as Nat King Cole in an upcoming biopic that he will also be directing.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, are giving Domingo his things and reacting to the news.
You can see the reactions in the gallery below.
1. Yes. He. IS
2. Indeed he is
4. Accurate
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Michelle Farsi / Getty / Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon is once again in trouble for being a very creepy individual.
*Trigger warning: this post will touch on alleged sexual assault*
A former WWE employee has slapped Vince McMahon and another former executive with a federal lawsuit accusing him of serious sexual misconduct accusations and offering her to a WWE superstar for sex.
Bruh.
Janel Grant, who worked in the WWE’s legal and talent departments, details in the 67-page lawsuit how McMahon, now 78, forced her into a sexual relationship with him to get employment within the company.
Per Vulture:
WWE employee Janel Grant is seeking to void the NDA she allegedly signed in exchange for reputational protection and a payout of $3 million. She alleges McMahon — whose net worth is $2.8 billion — stopped payments after she’d received only $1 million. The suit alleges that once news of McMahon’s NDA payments surfaced in June 2022, the WWE leaked Grant’s name to a media blogger — who is not named in the suit but has since been identified online as Brad Shepard — in what Grant and her legal team describe as “an overt intimidation tactic.”
She also says McMahon passed around pornographic images and videos of her having sex with other men to other individuals, WWE employees, and allegedly Brock Lesnar, according to The Wall Street Journal.
McMahon also offered Grant to Lesnar for a sexual relationship, and allegedly, the MMA athlete-turned-wrestler asked for a video of Grant urinating, Vulture reports.
The Lawsuit Details Alleged Cruelty & Degradation
The lawsuit also details the “extreme cruelty and degradation” Grant was allegedly subject to, accusing McMahon of defecating on her during a threesome, “commanding her to continue pleasuring his ‘friend’” while his waste was in her hair and running down her back.
McMahon is also accused of using sex toys he named after WWE superstars on Grant and making her engage in sexual acts with other WWE employees like head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, who is also named in the lawsuit.
There was also an incident detailed in the lawsuit where McMahon and Laurinaitis corned Grant in Laurinaitis’ locked office during a work day and took turns sexually assaulting her, ignoring her pleas for them to stop.
Why Did Grant Go Public?
Representatives for Grant said she wanted her filing to go public, and she came with the receipts in the form of disturbing text exchanges with McMahon.
McMahon told Grant their “relationship” was over in January 2022 after his wife, Linda McMahon, found out, and he even fired her from the company.
The lawsuit states that McMahon began pressuring Grant to sign an NDA and take a hush payment of $3 million. Allegedly, things didn’t stop after Grant agreed to sign the NDA, with McMahon attempting to offer her to a WWE superstar who was visiting New York in March 2022.
“Ms. Grant is filing this lawsuit not just to address her own suffering,” the suit reads. “But also to act for those who are afraid to speak out.”
We shall see if this opens the floodgates for more disturbing allegations.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, are laying the smackdown on Vince McMahon.
You can see more of those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Expeditiously
4. Shouldn’t have been using them in the first place
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Microsoft / Xbox /Activision Blizzard
New year, more layoffs in the video game industry, sadly.
Can we hit the reset button?
The video game industry continues to be hit with layoffs despite companies seeing massive amounts of profit and games selling like hotcakes.
Microsoft is the latest company to take an axe to its workforce, laying off 1,900 employees from Activision Blizzard and Xbox. The Verge reports that most of the layoffs will affect roles at Activision Blizzard, and these cuts will also impact some employees at Xbox and ZeniMax.
The 1,900 layoffs will account for 8% of Microsoft’s gaming division’s 22,000 employees.
The website obtained an internal memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirming the horrible news.
Per The Verge:
It’s been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft. As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business. Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth.
As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1900 roles out of the 22,000 people on our team. The Gaming Leadership Team and I are committed to navigating this process as thoughtfully as possible.
The people who are directly impacted by these reductions have all played an important part in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox teams, and they should be proud of everything they’ve accomplished here. We are grateful for all of the creativity, passion and dedication they have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted during the transition, including severance benefits informed by local employment laws. Those whose roles will be impacted will be notified, and we ask that you please treat your departing colleagues with the respect and compassion that is consistent with our values.
Looking ahead, we’ll continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and support our strategy of bringing more games to more players around the world. Although this is a difficult moment for our team, I’m as confident as ever in your ability to create and nurture the games, stories and worlds that bring players together.
Phil
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra Is Also Bouncing
Among the 1,900 will also be Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, who did his best impression of the Spongebob “might imma head out” meme.
“As many of you know, Mike previously spent more than 20 years at Microsoft. Now that he has seen the acquisition through as Blizzard’s president, he has decided to leave the company,” Microsoft’s game content and studios president, Matt Booty, said in an internal memo.
Also leaving is Allen Adham, Blizzard’s chief design officer.
Booty adds, “As one of Blizzard’s cofounders, Allen has had a broad impact on all of Blizzard’s games. His influence will be felt for years to come, both directly and indirectly, as Allen plans to continue mentoring young designers across the industry.”
The Verge has also reported that a game Blizzard has been working on for over six years has also been canceled. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier says the name of the game was Odyssey.
Schreier notes that Activision Blizzard employees are reaching out to him to learn their fate and waiting to see if they are among the 1,900.
Social Media Reactions To The Layoffs
As expected, the news of the layoffs is not landing well on X, formerly Twitter, with reactions pouring in from those involved in the gaming industry.
Kinda Funny’s Andy Cortez perfectly summed up in one post on X how these layoffs can affect the future of the video game industry.
“You’re a student in game dev school. You’re reading about Microsoft laying off 1,900 people after buying Activision Blizzard. You just read about more Embracer layoffs from yesterday. Nearly 6,000 games industry workers are jobless so far this year. It is still January,” Cortez said.
The frightening trend, which saw an estimated 10,500 game industry workers in 2023, is currently on pace to match or smash that number. Video Games Chronicle reports over 5,000 workers will lose their jobs in 2024.
Damn.
You can see more reactions to Microsoft layoffs in the gallery below.
1. Unbelievable
2. Great point
7. Well damn
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: CHRIS DELMAS / Getty / Palworld
The Pokémon Company has seen enough and is looking into the viral game Palworld.
2023 ended with a huge gaming scam with The Day Before. Could we be on the verge of seeing a popular video game being exposed for stealing early in 2024?
Since the arrival of Palworld and its meteoric rise, many have been keeping their eyes peeled and ears opened, wondering if The Pokémon Company would have anything to say about the obvious Pokémon-“inspired” survival game.
Thursday night, The Pokémon Company broke their silence on the matter. In a statement, the game studio says it will investigate Palworld and “take appropriate measures” if it finds anything that looks like the game infringes on its intellectual property.
Since launching in early access on Friday, Jan. 19, numerous claims of plagiarism have been lobbied at the game, specifically regarding the design of the Pals, the creatures players can capture, collect, and battle.
While the game is clearly a riff or parody on Pokémon, other gameplay designs like crafting, arming your characters, and Pals with guns, as well as base-building, put the game in the same breath as other survival titles like Valheim and Ark.
Still, that didn’t stop loyal fans of Pokémon from contacting The Pokémon Company. Like loss prevention at your favorite clothing store that allows thieves to steal so they can build a case, they are watching and seemingly letting Palworld do the same.
The statement reads in full:
We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.
Nintendo has already shut down a Pokémon mod introduced into the PC version of the game, and the creator of the mod announced that the company notorious for coming after people for “abusing” its intellectual property did hit him up.
Speaking with Stephen Totilo of Game File, former head of The Pokémon Company’s legal team from 2008 to 2020, Don McGowan, shared his thoughts on Palworld, saying, “This looks like the usual ripoff nonsense that I would see a thousand times a year when I was Chief Legal Officer of Pokémon,” he said. “I’m just surprised it got this far.”
Palworld Is DOING NUMBERS
Despite all that, Palworld is doing insane numbers that titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have done, but just in a matter of days.
On its official account, the game celebrated the milestone of selling over 8 million copies in less than six days, and that could be even more thanks to all the hoopla surrounding the game.
The game is also available on Xbox Game Pass, and we have no clue how many subscribers are playing it there, and that could also be in the millions.
We want to see how this plays out and if The Pokémon Company’s investigation exposes some bad faith acting on Palworld’s developer Pocketpair’s part.
Until then, the video game streets are talking. You can see those reactions below.
3. Howling
5. So unserious, lol
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Jamie Squire / Getty
Did we lose another recipe? X users believe the Swag Surf has been gentrified after Taylor Swift and co’s flavorless attempt at the dance.
The world’s most famous Chiefs fan, Taylor Swift (insert sarcasm), has become a fixture of NFL Sunday conversations. Usually, most of the conversation is about cameras constantly cutting to Swift and her friends to see the ridiculously popular singer’s reactions to whatever her beau, Travis Kelce, does something on the field.
That continued to be the case during the Chiefs NFL Wild Card matchup with the Miami Dolphins this past weekend. Swift once again went viral for her custom Nike puffer jacket to battle the extreme cold and her flavorless attempt at doing the Swag surf.
A clip shared on the Sunday Night Football official account on X, formerly Twitter, showed the “Bad Blood” singer butchering the dance made famous by Fast Life Yungstaz for their song “Swag Surfin.”
The jokes were immediate, and so were the fears that melanin-deficient publications and websites would somehow credit Taylor Swift for the song’s popularity, and as expected, that happened.
Black Twitter, yes, we are still calling it that was up in arms after Sporting News dropped an article with the headline:
“What is Swag Surfin? Everything to know about Chiefs’ viral dance celebration as Taylor Swift, Donna Kelce participate.”
The article literally broke down the dance and eventually had to be updated with the dance originating in Atlanta.
Even Plies chimed in on the matter.
“I Luv Seeing Taylor Swift & The Kansas City Chiefs Rock Out To “Swag Surfing” On Sundays. But Media Let’s Stop Acting Like They Created It! Let’s Give Props To F.L.Y, Atlanta & The HBCU Community For Birthing The Phenomenon!!” the rapper said in a post on X.
Not one lie detected in Plies post.
We are sure Taylor Swift meant no harm, but boy, did they try it.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. He definitely tried it
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / Getty / Donald Trump
Disgraced former president Donald Trump, who is currently trying to weasel his insurrection leading behind back into the White House and always falsely claims to be a picture of good health. A recent flick has many wondering if the wannabe “healthy” dictator is burning with a venereal disease.A photo of Orange Mussolini, aka Donald Trump, leaving Trump Tower in New York City and waving to “supporters” went viral yesterday, not because folks love to see him but for the noticeably large red scabs or splotches on his fingers on his right hand.
After The Daily Mail noticed the marks and The Drudge Report picked up the story, Bill Clinton’s former advisor, legendary Democratic strategist, and slayer of Republicans, James Carville, had his own opinion.
In a YouTube video, Carville said he believed the “hand cuts” were signs the twice-impeached president could be suffering from syphilis.
“They don’t look like cuts to me,” Carville explained. “They look like sores. And I’ve asked a number of M.D.s what medical condition manifests itself through hand sores, and the answer is immediate and unanimous.”
“Secondary syphilis,” he continued. “I think there’s a good chance this man has the clap.”
Carville, who never misses an opportunity to drag Trump or any of his supporters, did admit he didn’t know anything about the photo, saying it’s “probably a Fleet Street rag” and noting it could have been doctored.
Trump has yet to comment on people thinking he is burning on his X, formerly Twitter knockoff for far-right clowns, Truth Social, but he did repost a video of himself claiming, “I actually feel better now than I did 30 years ago!”
Yeah, sure.
Other Opinions On Trump’s “Red Rashes”
Again, we are not definitively saying Trump has syphilis; one doctor gave his opinion on what could be behind the known germaphobe’s red rashes on his hand.
Per The Palm Beach Post:
“Rashes on the hands can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from infections to inflammatory conditions to external exposures,” Zeichner said.
The professor suggested the marks could have come from dryness and overwashing. Trump, an avowed germaphobe, has just spent several days in Arctic conditions traveling around Iowa and speaking in public for the presidential caucuses.
Zeichner also says the rashes could have come from Trump’s penchant for golfing.
Anyway, that didn’t stop the jokes from coming in and #SyphilisDon from trending on Elon Musk’s crappy platform.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
3. We are sure Trump wasn’t happy about this.