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Source: Courtesy Sotheby’s / Sotheby’s
Since his untimely passing in 2020, Kobe Bryant-related memorabilia and attire has been a hot commodity amongst fans and collectors. Now, someone out there will have the chance to own something extremely rare as Kobe’s personal locker is now up for auction.
Source: Courtesy Sotheby’s / Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s has begun taking bids for Kobe Bryant’s Staples Center locker, which was actually discarded once the Staples Center underwent renovations back in 2018. Luckily, it was recovered and is now a coveted piece of Kobe Bryant history, which is sure to bring in millions of dollars. Can you believe they were actually willing to chuck this locker?
Sotheby’s Head of Modern Collectables, Brahm Wachter, knew this was something akin to a grail for hardcore sports fan and stated as much in a press release for the auction saying, “Kobe Bryant’s locker at the Staples Center is more than just a piece of memorabilia; it’s a sacred relic of his unparalleled journey. This locker was Kobe’s sanctuary amidst triumphs and challenges, a witness to the highs and lows of a storied career. Every achievement and hardship left its mark within these walls. Its appearance now at auction symbolizes a rare opportunity to own a unique piece of Kobe’s legacy.”
We couldn’t agree more.
The auction for Kobe Bryant’s personal locker will be live from Tuesday, July 23 until August 2 and carries an estimated value of $1-1.5 million. Who will end up with the winning bid and how much they’ll actually end up dropping is anyone’s guess, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it was someone who actually knew Kobe personally whether it be a fellow NBA player or a celebrity of some sort.
Would you drop a King Kong-sized grip to own a piece of Kobe Bryant history? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: @est_bigbeach / Instagram
Tragic news coming out of Louisville as EST Gee’s manager, Devontae Beach, was shot and killed after a concert EST Gee (George Stone) held in his hometown.
According to WLKY, the 31-year-old’s lifeless body was discovered inside a car in downtown Louisville during the wee hours of Sunday morning. Police found Devontae Beach’s body after responding to a call of gunshots on the 800 block of West Main Street around 1:30 a.m.
Local media outlet Wave3 reports that there were concerns about the security surrounding the concert at the KFC Yum! Center prior to the shooting.
Per Wave3:
The Yum! Center was aware of those concerns, multiple sources confirmed, but the concert happened anyway.
A spokesperson for the venue said they had enhanced security measures during the concert and that ensuring their staff and guests’ safety is paramount. They added the measures “effectively ensured a secure environment for everyone attending the concert.”
LMPD successfully increased their efforts inside the venue as well. Investigators know of the gang ties surrounding Stone’s crew.
In 2021, the FBI arrested several of Stone’s business partners including his previous manager, Eric Mosely, for gang related activity including guns and drugs. The trafficking organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, was “Everybody Shine Together,” or “EST” their press release stated. Stone, who has been shot twice himself, was not arrested in that raid.
As of press time, police have no suspects or motive for the killing.
EST Gee has yet to comment on the murder of his manager. RIP.
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Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
After a lengthy hiatus from the rap game, Juelz Santana has been slowly but surely releasing new material and is looking to reclaim his spot as one of the dopest lyricists to ever come out of Harlem world.
Linking up with fellow Uptowner in A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie for the visuals to “Friendly,” Juelz and A Boogie ball out of control with Jim Jones while having some thick young women flaunt their curves and bounce their bottoms to the beat as Santana and Boogie floss some major ice and talk their ish. Good to see Juelz back on the scene.
Childish Gambino meanwhile also makes his return and for his clip to “Lithonia” rocks out in a private living room performance before his eyes pop out and it turns into a horror scene. Can’t say we saw that coming. We lowkey want this to become a movie.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Samara Cyn, That Mexican JT featuring Trapboy Freddy, and more.
JUELZ SANTANA FT. A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE – “FRIENDLY”
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CHILDISH GAMBINO – “LITHONIA”
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SAMARA CYN – “KATANA”
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THAT MEXICAN OT FT. TRAPBOY FREDDY – “COWBOY IN A ESCALADE”
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JT – “90S BABY”
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K’MARI MAE – “IN MY ZONE”
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B.G. – “B.G. BACK”
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AVI KAIOR – “NO NONSENSE”
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LARRY JUNE – “LIKE A MACK”
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Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
Sean Kingston is now facing a hefty prison sentence after he and his mother were federally indicted and charged with wire fraud totaling $1 million.
Last Friday (July 19), singer and rapper Sean Kingston was indicted in a federal courtroom in Miami, Florida along with his mother, Janice Turner on charges connected with a $1 million wire fraud scheme. The listed charges are one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud charges with the intent to defraud victim sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry, and other goods bought with fraudulent documents. If convicted, both face a prison sentence of up to twenty years.
In their statement, the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida said that Kingston, aka Kisean Anderson and Turner “unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers.” The businesses targeted included a car dealership, from which Kingston and Turner are alleged to have stolen a Cadillac Escalade, and one individual who alleges that the two stole $480,000 in jewelry from them.
An attorney for that individual says that Kingston’s method was “basically a script, he says that he works with Justin Bieber, and obviously puts on a big show here, this is a rental house, he doesn’t own it, and he lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it and then he simply never pays.” Kingston is best known for his 2007 single “Beautiful Girls”, which spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He’s worked with Bieber, Wyclef Jean, and Nicki Minaj before stepping back from music.
The 34-year-old artist was arrested in Fort Irwin, California on May 24 which was the same day that a SWAT team and other police officers conducted a raid on Kingston’s home in the Southwest Ranches suburb of Fort Lauderdale. Turner, 61, was arrested during that raid. Both have had their issues with the law – Kingston is also accused of violating a probation sentence related to felony charges of trafficking stolen property which ends in October 2025. Turner served 16 months in prison after being convicted of filing fraudulent loan applications in 2006.
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A few weeks ago a random white girl named Hailey Welch had social media on fire when she described how to pleasure a man when she “spit on that thang” with a “hauk tuah!” And with all the memes that one moment spawned, Plies has decided to take some of that momentum and create a whole song around that sexual sentiment.
In his new visuals for “Hawk Tuah,” Plies shows just how he likes his women to give him that “hawk tuah!” by getting his “mic checked” in a public bathroom before getting some more of the same treatment in the comfort of his own home. The man didn’t waste any time banking off that hawk tuah hype.
Elsewhere Fat Trel and Millyz make a D.C. to Boston connection happen and in their clip for “Airplane Mode,” the two artists take to the rooftops of the buildings of Bean Town before hopping on a boat with some thick and exotic young women.
Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Honey Baby featuring Fivio Foreign, RJmrLA, and more.
PLIES – “HAWK TUAH”
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FAT TREL & MILLYZ – “AIRPLANE MODE”
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HONEY BABY FT. FIVIO FOREIGN – “BONNIE & CLYDE”
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RJMRLA – “RJ TALK”
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ARRDEE FT. THE SHAPESHIFTER – “DIFFERENT”
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OGEE L’Z – “WE SOLDIERS”
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CORY GUNZ FT. REALLY JAEWON – “RICK OWENS & NIKE TECH”
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BECKY HILL – “MULTIPLY”
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HALEY SMALLS – “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU”
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The court chaos in the Young Thug / YSL proceedings continues. The judge who was just appointed to the case has also recused herself.
As spotted on Rolling Stone Magazine the trial will most likely face even more delays. Earlier this week Judge Ural Glanville was removed over a private meeting he hosted with the prosecutors and a state witness.
The defendant’s lawyers were not invited to the session thus it created concern that Glanville was not being impartial. Glanville was promptly replaced by Judge Shakura L. Ingram but on Wednesday, July 17 she willingly removed herself from the case admitting she has a connection to her former courthouse deputy.
“Because this court’s former assigned deputy could be called as a witness in any future proceedings in this case, the court may be called upon to assess this deputy’s credibility, or rule on matters related to her criminal prosecution,” Ingram wrote in the filing to recuse herself.
“This may undermine the public’s confidence in the impartiality of the proceedings. The clerk of this court is directed to reassign this criminal action to another judge.” Akeiba Stanley, the former courthouse deputy, had a romantic relationship with one of the co-defendants in the case. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Stanley would visit Christian Eppinger in his cell and conspire with his relatives to bring him contraband.
Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has now been assigned to the Young Thug / YSL RICO Trial.
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Photo: Getty
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This coming September, Hollywood actors, writers, and directors will have a chance to take home some well-deserved gold when the 76th Annual Emmy Awards airs on ABC and yesterday the academy released this year’s list of nominees which included some of your favorite actors and series.
According to Pitchfork, the likes of Donald Glover, Selena Gomez, and even Jay-Z are up for some golden statuettes as their work in 2023 have not gone unnoticed by the academy. Donald Glover got himself two nods for his work on Prime’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith as he’s been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (a lot of people slept on that series). Glover will face some stiff competition for Lead Actor as he’ll go up against the likes of Idris Elba (Hijack), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun) amongst others.
Jay-Z meanwhile will be battling the likes of Usher for the Outstanding Variety Special Award as both men turned some memorable Super Bowl Halftime Shows while Selena Gomez earned herself her first acting nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Only Murders in the Building.
Per Pitchfork:
Notably, The Bear set a new record for most Comedy nominations in a single year with 23 nods, beating the previous record held by 30 Rock in 2009 with 22 nominations. One of those nominations goes to Lionel “L-Boy” Boyce for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Boyce was formerly a hypeman in Odd Future and actor on Loiter Squad, the rap group’s Adult Swim sketch comedy show.
“Television delivers stories that connect us, uplift us, challenge us, and always entertain us. Today, I am honored to celebrate the outstanding work of our extraordinarily talented and hardworking creative community,” said Television Academy chair Cris Abrego in a press release. “This morning’s Emmy nominations are a testament to their contributions and highlight the incredible programming that has risen to the top of an exceptional year in TV.”
Donald Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith is also up for Best Drama Series with the show itself getting 16 nominations in total. We doubt it’ll get that clean sweep but how dope would it be if that came to pass? Just sayin.’
Check out the rest of the nominations on Emmys.com and let us know who’ll you be rooting for come September 15 in the comments section below.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Variety / Getty / Carlos Watson
Carlos Watson and his now-defunct startup, Ozy Media, have been found guilty of fraud.
Spotted on The Verge, Carlos Watson and Ozy Media were found guilty of fraud by a federal jury on Tuesday, per the New York Times reporting.
During the trial, the jury heard arguments from the government that Watson and Ozy Media misled investors by falsifying financial records, inflating audience numbers, and even completely making up business deals.
Things started well for Watson and business partner Samir Rao when they founded Ozy Media in 2013. The company launched with a newsletter, magazine, and an annual conference in New York City.
The company also received millions in investments while establishing high-profile partnerships before it all went to sh*t.
Per The Verge:
But things came to a halt when a 2021 article from New York Times media columnist Ben Smith reported that Rao impersonated a YouTube executive during a call with a Goldman Sachs banker about a potential $40 million investment. Rao pleaded guilty to related charges last year and is awaiting sentencing.
Additionally, prosecutors alleged that Watson lied to a prospective investor by saying that Google offered $600 million to take over the media startup. According to testimony from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the company only considered investing $25 million as part of a potential plan to hire Watson. During the trial, Watson’s lawyers blamed Rao and Ozy Media’s employees for the fraudulent activity, NYT reports.
Speaking on the verdict, Breon Peace, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, broke down the fraud shenanigans Watson was up to.
“The jury found that Watson was a con man who told lie upon lie upon lie to deceive investors into buying stock in his company,” Peace said in a statement. “Watson invented phony financial figures and caused others to forge fake contracts and impersonate a media executive.”
Bruh.
Watson is looking at a lengthy 37 years in prison after being charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Damn.
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Young Thug’s trial continues to get even more bizarre. The judge who has been overseeing the case since it started has just been removed.
The New York Times is reporting that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause filed a written order on Monday, July 15 requesting that Judge Ural Glanville be removed from the case.
For the last 18 months, Glanville has supervised the very chaotic proceedings which have included some very intense witness questioning, an alleged attempt to hand Young Thug drugs in court, and a witness admitting he was high under oath. Things got even more interesting for all parties involved when Judge Ural hosted a private meeting on June 10 with both prosecutors from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and state witness Kenneth Copeland.
Under a legal lens, this session is deemed as an “ex parte” meeting which is Latin for “by or for one party”. In essence, the defendant’s legal representation was not involved in the discussion thus the move can be viewed as unfair or as that the magistrate is not impartial.
In her request for recusal Judge Rachel Krause made it clear that she doesn’t disapprove of his decision to hold the private assembly but understands how poorly this might be perceived by the public.
“This Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied, but the ‘necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system’ weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville from further handling of this case,” Krause wrote.
In a statement to The Washington Post Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel (pictured above) said, “We look forward to proceeding with a trial judge who will fairly and faithfully follow the law.”
It is unclear who will take over as the judge or when the trial will recommence. You can read the order to recuse Judge Glanville here.
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Photo: CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / Getty
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It’s been 7 months since Kid Cudi dropped the deluxe version of his last album, INSANO, and though many thought Cudi might’ve been moving on to whatever project he’s working on next, the Cleveland rapper revisits his ninth studio album for his latest video.
Coming through with some new visuals to “SUPERBOY,” Kid Cudi hops on a private jet and heads to Japan where he and his crew take in the sights and sounds of the island country in the Far East and has a grand ol’ time before performing on stage for his adoring fans.
Back in the Western hemisphere, Tyga and Sabrina Claudio get up close and personal, and in their clip for “No Question,” the two spend some quality time in Puerto Rico where they frolic around the pueblo before downing some icey drinks and getting things lit with a bonfire on the beach. Looks like a helluva time.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from B.o.B, Mellow Rackz, and more.
KID CUDI – “SUPERBOY”
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TYGA & SABRINA CLAUDIO – “NO QUESTION”
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B.O.B – “BAMBOO”
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MELLOW RACKZ – “YOU GONNA LEARN”
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SHORDIE SHORDIE FT. 03 GREEDO – “RIDE WITH YOU”
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FREDO BANG – “OUTTA THERE”
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MALEEK BERRY – “SECRETS”
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SADA BABY – “BATMAN”
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LEBRA JOLIE FT. SKILLA BABY – “OUTSIDE”
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MIJITA – “AIN’T IT SICK!”
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ALBEE AL – “KOBA FLOW”
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Photo: Scott Dudelson / Getty