Month: June 2021

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals was nothing short of a disaster for the Atlanta Hawks, who returned home to State Farm Arena tied at 1-1 with the Bucks after splitting in Milwaukee. Unsurprisingly, Atlanta came out looking to send a message early and did so with some terrific defense and a quick 15-2 run out of the gate as Trae Young, who was dreadful in the Game 2 loss, came out on fire back home.

Atlanta would get the lead up to 25-10, but the Bucks began to steadily reel them in, trailing by just five after the first quarter and got it tied at 56-56 at the half even as the Hawks were 10-of-22 from deep. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way as he so often does, putting his head down and attacking, getting out in transition very well.

Still, Young was out of his mind, hitting a pair of logo threes that sent the Atlanta crowd into pandemonium.

The third quarter saw more of the same from both teams, with Young staying hot and the Bucks never letting them run away from them with steady offense going downhill.

For much of the game, the Hawks were reliant on Young to keep the offense going, which is not unusual, but with a minute to go in the third, Young had disaster strike as he stepped on the foot of a referee and rolled his right ankle, sending him to the locker room to get retaped.

Despite Young’s absence to start the fourth quarter (which happened during his normal rest period), the Hawks were able to extend their lead thanks to some timely contributions from the bench, including Onyeka Okongwu who played some terrific defense on Giannis and had a monster lob finish from Lou Williams to push the Atlanta lead to five.

Young would make his return after four minutes out of the game, moving fine on his ankle which was a welcome sight, and the Hawks went to work on the task of trying to extend their lead. They got it up to seven, but Khris Middleton found his stroke to rally the Bucks quickly into a one-point lead at 96-95.

Trae had the first answer with another deep three, but the Middleton fourth quarter barrage continued with a pair of long-range buckets (one with his foot on the line in the corner) to push Milwaukee into a 101-98 advantage.

From there it was just non-stop buckets from Middleton, who was absolutely out of his mind in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 of his 38 points for the night in the final period.

Young clearly didn’t look quite right as evidenced by the offense rarely running through the superstar in the fourth quarter off the dribble, and without his creation the Hawks offense stagnated down the stretch. On the other side, Middleton and Giannis were able to keep the foot on the gas for Milwaukee, pulling away for a 113-102 win.

Overall, the Bucks closed the game on an extended 25-7 run from when Atlanta took a 95-88 lead with 7:32 to play on the Okongwu lob. The Hawks would pull Young with just under a minute to play and a pair of John Collins missed free throws down 10 put to bed any chances of a furious late rally from Atlanta.

The series now shifts firmly into the control of the Bucks, who showed some impressive resolve in Game 3 given how things started. Giannis and Middleton were the unquestionable stars, combining for 71 points, 22 rebounds, and 11 assists, but they got a big night from Bobby Portis with 15 points off the bench and despite a dismal shooting night for him, Jrue Holiday dished out 12 assists.

On the other side, it was all about Trae Young, who finished with 35 points but just four assists, as the Bucks dared him to shoot Atlanta to a victory. He seemed capable of doing just that for three quarters, but the ankle injury really took away from his ability to carry the load as he had to start the game and the Hawks didn’t have anyone to make up for that absence. Danilo Gallinari did his best in support, with 18 points off the bench, but the lack of a secondary creator was clear down the stretch.

All eyes will be on Young to start Game 4, as his health will determine whether the Hawks have a chance to make this a series again. For now, Milwaukee assumes control with their first lead in the series, swiping homecourt advantage back and will be looking to take a 3-1 lead in Game 4.

Lil Nas X has been breaking down barriers since the beginning of his career. First, he bridged genres between country and hip-hop with his introductory single, “Old Town Road,” then, he broke multiple records with how popular that tongue-in-cheek, campy song was. After that, he became even more influential by choosing to come out, and live openly in his queerness.

Tonight, he raised the stakes even higher by making out with one of his male dancers during a performance of “Montereo (Call Me By Your Name)” at the BET Awards. Calling back to that infamous kiss between Madonna and Britney Spears, it’s a much more powerful statement for a young Black, queer man to do this on national television — during Pride — than it was for those two women back then.

Since it came as such a surprise, fans and celebrities alike are reacting to the moment, uplifting and praising Nas for both his bravery and self-acceptance, condoning his choice to be himself so openly. It shouldn’t be revolutionary for him to kiss another man at an event like the BET Awards, and maybe because of his choice to be so open, one day soon it won’t be. Check out reactions below.

Rapsody, Lil Kim, MC Lyte, and Monie Love paid lyrical tribute to Queen Latifah at the 2021 BET Awards as she won a Lifetime Achievement Award, performing Queen Latifah’s culture-defining hits “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y.” Rapsody and Monie Love opened things up with “Ladies First,” rocking gender challenging looks inspired by athletics, then Lil Kim and MC Lyte rapped “U.N.I.T.Y.,” with Kim ironically being the one to yell the iconic line, “Who you callin’ a bitch!?” The quartet’s tribute was followed by an acceptance speech from the pioneering Queen herself, who shouted out her partner, and wish fans a happy Pride Month.

Rapsody, who’s been a fixture of BET’s award shows over the years, last performed on the network in 2020, at the BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher, spitting socially conscious bars alongisde Chika, Jack Harlow, Polo G, and Rhythm + Flow finalist Flawless Real Talk. Throughout 2020, Rapsody made impressive appearances on a number of other artists’ projects, including Public Enemy’s What Are You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?, Reason’s New Beginnings, and T.I.’s The L.I.B.R.A., as well as Stevie Wonder’s social commentary, “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate.” Meanwhile, she also made her own social commentary on the song “12 Problems,” ensuring she stayed in the conversation, even without having a new album out.

Watch the 2021 BET Awards tribute to Queen Latifah above.

After a dreadful Game 2 performance in a blowout loss, Trae Young came out like a man possessed in Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks, through three quarters, Young had 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including a 5-of-11 effort from three. However, with under a minute to play in the third, Young left for the locker room after stepping on the foot of the sideline official following a turnover.

Young’s right ankle turned over and he was looked at by the Atlanta training staff before walking to the locker room under his own power but clearly in some pain.

It is a wildly unfortunate injury that will hopefully not be too serious for Young, who has dealt with shoulder issues at points during this postseason. It is not the same ankle that Young injured back in April, which is hopefully good news as far as it not furthering any damage remaining, but Hawks fans and fans around the NBA will be holding their breath to find out the severity of the injury and how it impacts Young going forward even if he’s able to return to the court.

It should be noted that the late third and early fourth is Young’s normal time to get some rest, and he returned to the bench early in the fourth seemingly retaped and ready to return — with the team announcing he was indeed available shortly after.

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars took the music industry by storm when they formed their duo Silk Sonic and released their upcoming album’s lead single “Leave The Door Open.” The song soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks, went viral on TikTok, and earned them the chance to perform at a number of awards shows, including the 2021 Grammys. Silk Sonic now bring their lush track to a silky-smooth rendition at the 2021 BET Awards to celebrate their Best Group nomination.

Leaning into their ’70s aesthetic, .Paak and Mars took the stage sporting matching pastel tuxedos. Joined by a few dancers, the duo left the stage and delivered the rest of their song amid the crowd. After their set ended, .Paak and Mars trolled the audience by asking if they wanted to hear a brand new song. But instead of unveiling a brand-new track, the performance cut to a commercial break.

Ahead of their set, .Paak and Mars sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to discuss their new duo. The two had been on tour together in 2017 and were intermittently messing around in the studio. As Mars explains it, though, things really kicked off when he called up a drunk .Paak and told him to meet him in the studio. “When we got to the studio, I actually called him on his birthday and I said, ‘I think I figured out that little hook we had. Come to the studio.’ He’s like, ‘It’s my birthday.’ So he came drunk. After every take, he was on fire.”

Watch a clip of Silk Sonic performing “Leave The Door Open” at the 2021 BET Awards above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The 2021 BET Awards were already a spectacle but at 10:20 pm ET / 7:20 PT, it was time for the “Twerkulator.” Miami duo City Girls — that’s JT and Yung Miami — hit the stage with a fleet of dancers in the shortest of short shorts to explain just what exactly their newest hit is about, with all the visual aids anyone could want.

Although the Miami duo’s musical output this year has been lower than it was at the same point when they were first breaking out, that doesn’t mean they haven’t been in the news quite as much. They’ve created their share of disturbance on social media, particularly with regard to JT’s relationship with fellow rapper Lil Uzi Vert, as well as Yung Miami’s similar possible situation with rap vet Puff Daddy — aka Diddy — aka “Love.”

However, the City Girls did share their new single “Twerkulator,” which had samples of Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” and Cajmere’s “Percolator,” and tried to make sure that they had an entry for “song of the summer.” So far the track has peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is a pretty strong start — although with Black TikTok on a strike, there won’t be a splashy dance number to push it along. Hopefully for them, tonight’s performance will do enough to get them to where they want to be.

Watch City Girls’s 2021 BET Awards performance of “Twerkulator” above.

For almost two years, Donald Trump’s Attorney General William Barr let him get away with anything. He helped cover up the Trump campaign’s cooperation with Russia. He dramatically misled the public about the findings of the the so-called “Mueller report.” He tried to obstruct numerous legal woes heading Trump’s way. All in all, he didn’t act as an independent leader of the Department of Justice but as his personal lawyer. (To make matters worse, we never got to see him played by Patton Oswalt on SNL.) The one thing he didn’t do was let him steal the 2020 election. And for that he wants forgiveness. But people aren’t giving it to him.

On Sunday, The Atlantic published a piece that details Barr’s final days as Trump’s AG, namely when he decided, in early December, that all the talk about a “stolen” election was, in Barr’s words, “bulls*it.” He stood up to a predictably furious Trump, never backing down. He only placated Trump’s explosive temper by writing a fawning resignation letter, praising all the good times they had during his administration, from when Barr took the job in February 2019 to when he prematurely stepped down in late 2020.

Much like Jared and Ivanka, who’ve reportedly distanced themselves from the president-turned-failed blogger, Barr appears to be trying to save face. He doesn’t want his legacy tarnished by someone who, despite continuing to have an inexplicable iron grip on the GOP — still in thrall to a septuagenarian who lives by himself in resorts and is banned by most of social media due to his violent rhetoric — may not look so hot in the history books.

But people were not buying it, and they advised others to not let him off the hook — not now, not ever.

And Barr’s not the only one people shouldn’t let off the hook.

Still, at least someone is admitting that what Trump said then, and continues to tell his supporters, is bull. But that’s arguably the lowest bar on planet Earth.

Lil Nas X has already had quite the eventful year. He dropped two new singles, had a wardrobe malfunction on his SNL debut, and was sued by Nike for selling “Satan shoes.” Now, Lil Nas X may not hold a nomination at the 2021 BET Awards show this year, but he still gave a showstopping performance of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” at the ceremony.

Lil Nas X went all-out during his 2021 BET Awards set. He waltzed out wearing in an all-gold, Egyptian pharaoh-inspired outfit, paying homage to Michael Jackson’s iconic “Remember The Times” video. That wasn’t the only pop culture moment Lil Nas X paid tribute to. At the end of his set, the musician made out with a few of his fellow backup dancers, drawing inspiration from the iconic kiss shared by Britney Spears, Madonna, and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 VMAs.

Ahead of his BET Awards performance, Lil Nas X revealed that he knew his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” track would eventually land on Fox News, even during the planning stages. The musician laid out his vision as a recent guest on the Desus & Mero show, saying he had some idea of its controversial nature before it dropped. “Even when I was planning the video, I was like, ‘Oh, this is definitely going to hit Fox News,’” he said. “I definitely didn’t expect the outrage as much as it was at all, especially, like, governors tweeting me. Like, you’re a governor. You don’t have anything better to do?”

Watch a clip of Lil Nas X perform “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” at the 2021 BET Awards above.

In addition to winning Grammy and Oscar awards, HER also has her very own music festival. She first premiered the Lights On Festival back in 2019 with help from Summer Walker, Jhene Aiko, and Daniel Caesar. While there might’ve been plans to have the festival again in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced the singer to delay the show for the forseeable future. Now that things are reopening for the most part, HER used the 2021 BET Award stage to announce that the Lights On Festival would return this fall. Moments later, the official lineup for the show was revealed.

This year’s Lights On Festival will return the Concord Pavilion on the weekend of September 18-19. The show is led by Erkyah Badu, Bryson Tiller, and Ari Lennox as well HER who will appear with “friends” that have yet to be mentioned. Other performers for the Lights On Festival include Ty Dolla Sign, Keyshia Cole, Masego, Lucky Daye, Kiana Lede, Foushee, Blxst, VanJess, Arin Ray, Tone Stith, Tiana Major9, Maeta, Brianna Castilo, Samaria, Maxx Moore, Lorea, and more names to be announced.

In addition to announcing the festival at the BET Awards, HER also performed “We Made It” and won the Best Female R&B/Pop Artist award.

You can view the full lineup above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Twitter has thoughts about a white rapper. Are you surprised? As has happened many times before, when the very white Eminem received multiple nominations at the BET Awards — an award show designed to highlight Black excellence in entertainment – fans are consternated that Jack Harlow is up for a few trophies tonight. Look, it’s not like these are small awards either, Harlow is nominated for Best New Artist, Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, and his “What’s Poppin” remix (which featured DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne).

Surely he is one of the rising stars in the genre, but in a space that’s reserved to focus on Black performers, who will consistently face barriers that Harlow never has and never will, it’s always a strange reality. That’s the main point for most people who are reacting to his nominations, though most aren’t really questioning his talent or disparaging his music. Still, whenever Twitter does what it does, seizing upon a subject and going to town with reactions, memes and jokes, it’s always worth checking out. Again, Jack, no hard feelings, just know those footsteps you’re walking in right now were laid down by Marshall Mathers many times over.

For his part, the main thing Jack is focusing on is his red carpet look:

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.