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Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has come to his superstar DeMar DeRozan’s defense and he’s channeling Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” anthem, possibly to needle Drake.
Seated near former Raptor and No Limit boss Master P, Ranadive was courtside at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday night (Nov. 6) wearing a black T-shirt inscribed with “They Not Like Us” as his Kings took on Drizzy’s Toronto Raptors.
Fans liked seeing the Kings owner stand up to Drake and defend DeRozan, who previously played for Toronto. Sacramento ended up throttling the Raptors 122-107 to improve to 5-3 on the young season.
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“This level of petty > > >,” one fan tweeted, while another called Vivek the “goat.”
For context, the Kings took on the Raptors over the weekend of Nov. 2 in Toronto, where Drake joined the TV broadcast and called DeRozan a “goof.”
On the same night, Vince Carter’s No. 15 went into the rafters, the 6 God — who is an official ambassador of the Raptors — trashed the idea of the franchise retiring DeRozan’s No. 10 one day. “If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself,” Drake said during the broadcast.
DeMar was asked about Drake’s comments in his post-game presser, which he brushed off. “He’s going to have a long way to climb,” the athlete quipped. “Tell him good luck.”
DeRozan spent nine seasons with the Raptors and delivered a close friendship with Drake, but Drizzy appeared to feel a type of way about DeMar — a Compton native — seemingly siding with Kendrick Lamar during their feud. DeRozan also made a cameo in the “Not Like Us” music video.
Joe Budden chimed in on the DeRozan-Drake beef, and while he understood Drizzy’s feelings toward the NBA star for seemingly switching up on him, he doesn’t appreciate how he’s navigated the conflict.
“I’m not mad at [Drake] for feeling — he should feel that way,” he explained on a recent episode of his eponymous podcast. “It’s never the conflict. It’s the inability to navigate the conflict … But all that standing at the game … the mumbling under his breath … You a b—h. I’m not about to sit here and do a bunch of unpacking. You went to the game and cut his eyes.”
“Not Like Us” arrived in May and proved to be a decisive blow in the Drake-Kendrick feud, which Billboard declared K. Dot the winner.
The Mustard-produced anthem has continued to haunt Drake and be part of pop culture throughout 2024, as it broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart when it held firm for a 21st week at the apex in early October.
Drake has yet to respond to Vivek’s move, and he’ll have to wait until next year to see DeRozan again, as the Kings won’t make another trip to Toronto for the rest of the season.
Andrea Swift is just as big of a Kansas City Chiefs fan as her daughter is. Taylor Swift’s mom attended the NFL game at Arrowhead Stadium with the “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” singer and her son Austin on Monday night (Nov. 4), where she was seen cheering on Tay’s boyfriend, tight […]
Taylor Swift has a few days off before she takes the stage fo the last dates of her Eras Tour, and she stopped by Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Monday night (Nov. 4) to cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs as they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Explore Explore […]
‘Tis officially the season, and Jason and Travis Kelce are getting into the holiday spirit with their new Boyz II Men-assisted Christmas song, “It’s Christmastime (In Cleveland Heights),” which arrived on Friday (Nov. 1).
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The track, which details the NFL duo returning to their hometown after some time away, gets an R&B spin thanks to Boyz II Men’s harmonies as they sing, “It feels so good to be back home again with all my family and friends/ Sharing gifts and memories/ We make under the Christmas tree.”
“I always have a blast when I get to join the guys on the Christmas album, but it was wild to be on a song with a group as iconic and timeless as Boyz II Men,” Travis said in a press statement. “My friends and I grew up on their music, and it’s still in the rotation today, so it was just an unreal experience.”
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“It’s Christmastime (In Cleveland Heights)” marks the first single off A Philly Special Christmas Party, the third charitable album from The Philly Specials, a.k.a Jason Kelce, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. Last year’s A Philly Special Christmas Special raised over $3 million and featured singles “This Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Fairytale of Philadelphia” and “Pretty Paper.”
Additionally, to celebrate the single, Jason and Travis’ mother, Donna Kelce, will bring exclusive The Philly Specials-inspired holiday ornaments to QVC on Nov. 1 starting at 8 p.m. ET. They will be sold as a set of four and will come with ornaments of Jason, Jordan, Lane and a Christmas tree. Proceeds from the vinyl sales will go to support Children’s Crisis Treatment Center’s Holiday Toy Drive, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Snowflake Station and 87 and Running Foundation, plus a number of other Philadelphia based organizations.
A Philly Special Christmas Party is set for release on Nov. 22. Listen to “It’s Christmastime (In Cleveland Heights)” below.
Do you love basketball as much as Kurtis Blow? Probably not. The rap legend bridged generations as he collaborated with Brooklyn rapper Lola Brooke and West Coast producer Hit-Boy for a modern take on his classic record “Basketball,” which reached No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1985.
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DoorDash partnered with the NBA, WNBA and Kurtis Blow to celebrate the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season. The music video — shot by Dave Meyers and his daughter Cassidy on the streets of New York — features WNBA legend Sue Bird and Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart of the New York Knicks.
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DoorDash announced a multiyear partnership renewal on Monday (Oct. 28) that extends the company’s role as the official on-demand delivery platform partner of both the NBA and WNBA. The partnership first tipped off in 2020, with DoorDash becoming the first-ever partner in the on-demand category.
DashPass, DoorDash’s membership program, will serve as the official partner of NBA and WNBA Experiences, which offer a wide range of customized and immersive fan experiences at marquee events throughout the NBA and WNBA calendar year. These premium experiential packages include access to NBA and WNBA events alongside unique off-the-court programming such as player and legend meet-and-greets, behind-the-scenes tours, concerts and hospitality hubs designed to reach global fans of the game.
“Since joining forces with the NBA and WNBA in 2020, we’ve brought meaningful experiences to basketball fans, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what we build together this season and beyond as we deliver even more value to fans with DashPass,” said Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, CMO at DoorDash, via a press release. “With the season officially underway, we wanted to celebrate basketball’s impact on culture, and what better way to do that than reviving a hit classic that’s synonymous with the game? Working with Kurtis to bring this to life was an unmatched experience, and we hope fans enjoy the reimagined hit – and its nod to the past, current, and future of basketball – as much as we do.”
“Our partnership with DoorDash is rooted in a shared commitment to deliver unique and elevated experiences that celebrate NBA and WNBA fandom year-round,” said Kerry Tatlock, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships and Media, NBA. “We look forward to expanding our collaboration, leveraging our partnership to unlock even more opportunities to bring our fans closer to the game.”
Watch the new take on a hip-hop classic above.
Amazon Music Live is continuing throughout the NFL season, and revealed on Wednesday (Oct. 30) that TWICE and Gunna have joined the lineup. The show takes place after Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, and will continue on November 14 with a performance from Gunna, fresh off the road from his One Of Dem Nights tour. In May, the rapper released […]
Like Ice Cube was for the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two, New York Yankees fans were hoping that Fat Joe would serve as a good luck charm for the team heading into game three of the 2024 World Series on Monday (Oct. 28).
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Joey Crack took the field in a pair of signature brown Timberland boots to warm up the 40,000-plus fans at Yankee Stadium. Rocking a Yankees letterman jacket and a matching NYY x Terror Squad fitted cap, the Bronx native tweaked some of the lyrics to his hits to go with the baseball theme and rep for his hometown squad. Joe kicked off the set with his “Lean Back” anthem before moving into Ja Rule’s “New York” and closing out with “All the Way Up.”
As he performed, Fat Joe headed to the pitcher’s mound — which had to give the grounds crew members a collective heart attack — where he named some Yankee legends after Derek Jeter threw out the honorary first pitch to have the fans ready to roar for game three.
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“Even when Fat Joe came out, the body language from the fans was like, ‘Damn!’ I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ Are we in a funeral already?” MLB Fox Sports analyst and former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz said.
Many fans seemed to be perplexed by the performance, as many remained seated. Others roasted Joe and the Yankees on social media. “Fat Joe opening up for the Yankees might be one of the worst things I’ve ever witnessed,” one person tweeted.
Another chimed in: “I’m not a hater, BUT Fat Joe opening up for the Yankees might be one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. I think they got him on SALE 50% OFF.”
Even diehard Yankees fan Desus Nice was displeased, tweeting, “good morning to everyone except fat Joe and his trump sneakers!”
Some wondered why they couldn’t get fellow New York rappers such as Jay-Z or 50 Cent to pull up. Hov previously performed “Empire State of Mind” at Yankee Stadium ahead of game two of the 2009 World Series, which is the last time NYY appeared in the Fall Classic.
But it wasn’t all bad news for the rapper. Some fans chimed in to show their support on social media. “We won no matter the outcome as far as I’m concerned @fatjoe,” one fan wrote on Instagram over a photo of the performer on the field.
“BIG Bronx showed up!” another added over a snap of Big Joe performing, adding a “100” and fist-bump emojis.
Unfortunately, Joe’s performance wasn’t able to help power the Yankees to a win, as the team now faces a 0-3 deficit to the Dodgers. The Yankees’ bats largely went quiet into the night with Monday night bringing on a 4-2 defeat.
Fat Joe and the NYY will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers on Tuesday evening (Oct. 29) in game four. No performances are scheduled for pre-game.
Watch Fat Joe’s performance below.
Brad Paisley stepped into the baseball diamond on Friday night (Oct. 25), where he performed the national anthem at the first game of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Accompanied by a green electric […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Watching NFL games may be the main way to show support for your football team, but collecting merch will put your […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Megan Thee Stallion has become an honorary member of a major girl group — but it’s not within the music industry. […]