Month: April 2024

With over a decade in the game, RAYE is having her superstar moment. Having written for some of the biggest artists — including Beyoncé, whose latest album, Cowboy Carter, features a RAYE co-write on “Riiverdance” — released a critically acclaimed album, and earned a No. 1 on the UK charts, RAYE is thriving on her long-carved path. Tonight (April 6), RAYE made her debut on the Saturday Night Live stage.

In her first performance of the night, RAYE performed “Escapism” from her debut album, My 21st Century Blues. Tapping into her full icon power, RAYE stood front-and-center, accompanied by a full brass band, as she delivered a harrowing account of heartache in a poetic fashion.

Trumpets, drums, and strings gave the harrowing heartbreak anthem a magical, orchestral touch. While “Escapism” has been almost everywhere over the past year, this beautiful rendition breathes new life into the song.

Though My 21st Century Blues dropped over a year ago, the album was nearly 10 years in the making. RAYE has long been open about her struggles with her past label before becoming an independent artist. Now, she is enjoying the long-sowed fruits of her labor, with so much more excellence to come for her.

You can watch the performance of “Escapism” above.

The main event of Night 2 at WrestleMania 40 will take place under Bloodline rules. That got determined based on the result of Night 1’s main event, which saw The Rock and Roman Reigns beat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match.

The match started with a length standoff between Rollins, Rhodes, Reigns, and The Rock. Rollins and Reigns kicked things off with the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion getting the early advantage. Rhodes and Reigns wrestled to a stalemate before Rollins tagged back in and Reigns tagged in Rock.

Rock jumped in and tossed Rollins before Rollins toyed with Rock. Rollins tossed Rock to the corner, but Rock popped out and clotheslined Rollins. He then called out Rhodes to climb into the ring.

Eventually the action spilled to the outside, with Reigns and Rhodes fighting up the ramp and Rock and Rollins brawling into the stands. Rhodes tossed Reigns into the LED board at the top of the ramp, while Rock beat Rollins with a trash can.

Rhodes suplexed Reigns on the top of the ramp and Rock took a drink and spit in Rollins face. Rollins and Rock eventually made their way back to ringside, while Reigns slammed Rhodes’ head into the barricade along the entrance way. Reigns saw Rollins on the apron and took his knee out. Back in the ring, Reigns and Rock continued to attack Rollins’ knee. As Rollins began to find any footing, Rock attacked him on the outside and Reigns threw him into the stairs.

Reigns went for the Superman Punch, which Rollins reversed into a neckbreaker. Reigns tagged in Rock and punched him below the belt. Rollins finally made it back to his corner and Rock tagged in Reigns. Rhodes and Reigns went at it in the ring, with Rhodes hitting a Cody Cutter for two. Rhodes went for the Disaster Kick, but got caught with a Superman Punch. At this point, Reigns saw his nose was bleeding and started to pump himself up before attempting a spear — Rhodes countered it, though, and got a two count.

Rhodes went for a Cody Cutter and Rollins tagged himself in, then climbed to the top rope and hit a frog splash for two. Rhodes tagged in, Rollins hit the Curb Stomp, Rhodes hit the Cross Rhodes, and while it looked like Reigns might have been in trouble, Rock pulled the referee out of the ring.

Reigns hit a spear and only got a two count. Reigns locked in a standing guillotine, but Rhodes powered out until Rock grabbed his legs and Reigns held on. While Rollins broke it up by hitting the Curb Stomp on Reigns, Rock slid into the ring and threw Rollins outside. He tagged in and looked to the crowd where Rhodes’ mom was sitting, got the Mama Rhodes weight belt, and went into the ring, but Rhodes was able to prevent him from using it.

Rhodes got back to his feet, but Rock set up for a People’s Elbow that Rhodes reversed into a Cody Cutter and set up for the Cross Rhodes. However, Reigns took him out.

Reigns set up for the spear, but Rollins pushed Rhodes out of the way and Reigns speared Rock. Rhodes and Rollins hit tandem pedigrees on Rock and Reigns, which only resulted in a two count.

Rollins dove onto Reigns on the outside, while Rock raked the eyes of Rhodes. Rock set up for a Rock Bottom on the table, but thanks to help from Rollins, Rhodes reversed and put Rock through the table. Then, Reigns took out Rollins with a spear through the barricade. Reigns tossed Rhodes back into the ring and the two traded blows before Rhodes reversed a clothesline into two Cross Rhodes. As he went for a third, Rock whipped him with the belt, which let Reigns hit a spear and make the tag.

Rock set up for the Rock Bottom, and connected in the middle of the ring. He then set up for the People’s Elbow again, connected, and got the pin.

The journey here was a wild one, with the expected twists and turns that typically come with building WrestleMania. First it was Rollins’ knee injury, then CM Punk’s Royal Rumble injury threw a wrench in what appeared to be solid WrestleMania plans against the World Heavyweight Champion.

After winning the Royal Rumble, Rhodes pointed to the box seats where Reigns was sitting and appeared on track to finish his story against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. On the following SmackDown, Rhodes said he wouldn’t face Reigns at WrestleMania before Rock returned and tossed us yet another swerve. Fans revolted in the days that followed, Rock turned heel, and Rhodes changed his path, officially challenging Reigns for the belt at ‘Mania.

With the Rock officially back in the fold, the Great One joined the Bloodline and then challenged Rhodes and Rollins to a tag team match at WrestleMania, with the condition being if the Bloodline wins, it’s Bloodline rules and anything goes.

GLENDALE — The UConn Huskies reached the 2024 Final Four without so much as a challenge in their first four games. UConn blasted through the East Region, headlined by a drubbing of No. 3 seed Illinois, and the Huskies entered Saturday’s game against the Alabama Crimson Tide as a double-digit favorite. In the end, UConn was forced to perform at a high level for most of 40 minutes, but the Huskies did just that, navigating multiple Alabama charges and emerging with a 86-72 win to reach the national title game for the second straight season.

While Alabama technically struck first with a three-pointer from Grant Nelson, UConn set the overall tone. Projected NBA lottery pick Stephon Castle rattled off eight quick points for the Huskies, and fellow projected lottery pick Donovan Clingan rejected two shots in the first two minutes of action.

The Crimson Tide were able to punch back, rattling off a 15-5 run to take the lead after about eight minutes. Alabama was buoyed early by its shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc to begin the contest.

While Alabama held a 31-30 lead within the final five minutes of the half, UConn flashed a bit of its overall upside with a notable push before halftime. The Huskies led by as many as seven down the stretch of the first half, though a layup from Mark Sears allowed the Crimson Tide to cut the margin to 44-40 at halftime.

Early in the second half, the teams traded 7-0 runs. First, Alabama cut the deficit to one with the help of five quick points from Aaron Estrada. That was followed by a seven-point spurt from UConn, punctuated by a dunk from Castle to force an Alabama timeout.

The biggest highlight of the evening came moments later, when Nelson finished with authority over Clingan in stunning fashion. That play helped to spark a 9-2 run for Alabama to tie the game, with Nelson leading the way on both ends

In on-brand fashion, UConn then ripped off an answer. Alabama had a shot in the air for the lead near the 12-minute mark but, after it didn’t fall, the Huskies enjoyed an 8-0 run to seemingly take control.

Unlike UConn’s previous opponents, Alabama did not stagger and fall down at the first or second sign of the tidal wave. The Crimson Tide kept things manageable, maintaining a deficit of 10 points or fewer until UConn’s Alex Karaban buried a triple with 3:40 to go. While the game certainly wasn’t academic at that point, it was a glancing blow, and the Huskies never relinquished control.

The Crimson Tide gave the Huskies their biggest push of the tournament, though the power of the three-pointer deserted Alabama in the second half. Following a red-hot start that kept Alabama in the game, Nate Oats’ team shot just 3-of-12 from beyond the arc after the break. Given the nature of the opponent in front of them, that outage left an insurmountable task. Standout guard Mark Sears (24 points) and versatile big man Grant Nelson (19 points, 15 rebounds) played quite well for Alabama, but UConn was simply too much.

For the Huskies, Castle had a showcase game on the national stage. He finished with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, flashing the considerable two-way tools that make him an appetizing prospect at the next level. Clingan was potent with 18 points and four blocked shots, with UConn also bringing its trademark balance behind strong efforts from Karaban, Cam Spencer, Tristen Newton, and backup big man Samson Johnson.

“I think we just stayed true to our identity,” said Karaban, a returning contributor from the title-winning team a year ago. “The coaches preach every day that, if we focus on the defense and the rebounding, everything else can go our way. It really starts on the defensive end with us. Get out in transition. Offensively, we’re so unselfish. We’ll pass up good shots for great shots. We have so much trust in one another.”

UConn used its size and physicality to overwhelm Alabama, little by little, throughout the evening. The Huskies finished with 13 layups or dunks, 12 offensive rebounds, and 18 second-chance points to go along with eight blocked shots on defense. It was a fitting two-way performance from the team favored to win it all for the second straight season, even as the Huskies took the best shot of the Crimson Tide.

“I think the feeling just with the group is it’s body blows, it’s body blows, it’s continue to guard, continue to rebound, execute our offense,” said UConn head coach Dan Hurley. “Eventually, there will be a breaking point opportunity that will present itself, especially in this tournament.”

“Our identity is to be pretty relentless,” Hurley added. “We might not break you for 18 minutes, 25 minutes, but at some point, if what we’re doing at both ends and on the backboard is at a high level, it just becomes hard for the other team to sustain it.”

UConn will now face its most prominent challenger to date when the Huskies meet the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers for the national title on Monday evening. The stakes couldn’t be higher, with the chance at back-to-back titles for UConn and the opportunity for a full-fledged redemption arc on Purdue’s side. It is the matchup that many salivated over at the started of the tournament, and State Farm Stadium will host a must-see matchup in fewer than 48 hours.

Sami Zayn pinned Gunther to become the new Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania 40.

After defeating Chad Gable to earn the title shot, the story of Zayn struggling to find his confidence unfolded. He lost to Bronson Reed in a match on Monday Night Raw and shortly after began working with Gable to gain his confidence back in a Rocky-style vignette.

Zayn defeated Reed the next week and headed into WrestleMania believing he could end the longest Intercontinental championship reign in WWE history. Before the match, Zayn was shown backstage with his wife, his kids, Gable, and eventually his best friend, Kevin Owens.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1776784123417293243A

Once the match kicked off, every time Zayn looked to have some amount of momentum, Gunther stopped him in his tracks. Eventually, it looked like the match was reaching its conclusion. Gunther hit a powerbomb for a two count, and then, he hit two powerbombs that once again ended in a two count. Gunther went to the top rope for a splash, did the same, then stepped out onto the apron and laughed as Zayn’s wife cheered him to get up.

Zayn began fighting to get up and as Gunther climbed to the top rope, he hit a Helluva Kick. He climbed to the top rope and landed a brainbuster, then Zayn hit another Helluva Kick for the pinfall and three count.

Jason Kelce may be retired, but he’s still a fan of picking up wins at Lincoln Financial Field. During Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 on Saturday, the legendary Philadelphia Eagles center and one of his longtime teammates along the offensive line, Lane Johnson, threw on luchador masks and helped Rey Mysterio and Andrade pick up a win over Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar.

Late in the match, things started to descend into chaos outside of the ring. With the referee distracted, two absolute units in Eagles-style masks grabbed Dominik, threw him into the ring post, and slid him back into the ring. It set up the end of the match, and in the ensuing celebrations, the pair of All-Pro offensive linemen removed their masks and received the monster pop you might expect.

It was reported earlier this week that WWE reached out to Kelce about appearing at the event in some capacity, and while Johnson wasn’t rumored to make an appearance, he did team up with Seth Rollins and go through a workout at the Eagles facility in the lead-up to WrestleMania 40.

Earlier this offseason, Kelce, a six-time first-team All-Pro selection, retired after spending his entire, 13-year NFL career as a member of the Eagles.

GLENDALE — Saturday’s Men’s Final Four doubleheader began with considerable buzz, as four fan bases filed into State Farm Stadium before tip-off between the Purdue Boilermakers and the NC State Wolfpack. For more than 30 minutes, the No. 11 seed Wolfpack were up to the challenge, making life difficult for the Boilermakers and trailing by only seven points at the under-8 timeout of the second half. However, Zach Edey and Purdue withstood that charge and eventually pulled away, picking up a 63-50 victory that brought the Boilermakers within one win of their first national championship.

The evening began in encouraging fashion for Purdue, with size and physicality leading the way. The Boilermakers opened the game on a 12-4 run and, while they made only four of their first ten shots, they secured five offensive rebounds in fewer than five minutes of action.

As usual, Edey was the centerpiece of Purdue’s early attack. In the first 11 minutes, Edey generated 10 points and five rebounds while consistently altering shots on the defensive end.

Soon after, NC State was able to string together its best stretch of the second half, just as Purdue seemed to be asserting control. The Wolfpack used a 9-2 run to cut the margin to 30-25 with 3:54 remaining before halftime, buckling down defensively in the process.

With a late three-pointer by Fletcher Loyer, Purdue took a six-point halftime lead. In some ways, it was encouraging for NC State in that the team slashed what was once at 12-point deficit. On the other hand, the Boilermakers led despite a nightmare half from Braden Smith (0-of-6 shooting with five turnovers) and a 13-point half from standout NC State guard DJ Horne.

The start of the second half was not exactly filled with fireworks. After more than six minutes of game time, the six-point margin was unchanged from halftime, with each team managing only four points. Purdue was unable to take care of the ball on offense, committing a turnover on more than 30 percent of possessions in the first 26 minutes of the game, while NC State opened the second half by missing eight of its first nine shots.

However, it was the Boilermakers that broke out first when Mason Gillis and Lance Jones buried back-to-back triples to stretch Purdue’s advantage to 45-33 with 12:40 on the clock.

Prior to the mini-eruption, Purdue failed to score for almost five minutes, and it was a missed opportunity for NC State to make a run during that time. The Wolfpack were undeterred, though, as they hung in the game and cut the margin down to seven by the under-8 timeout.

Then, the Boilermakers turned on the gas. Coming out of the stoppage, Purdue essentially put the game away with a 12-1 run. The dagger came from Smith, who had struggled mightily throughout the game, but when the sophomore guard connected on a three-pointer with 3:24 to go, it was all but over.

For NC State, it was a tremendous and unexpected run to Glendale. The Wolfpack needed a stunningly unlikely win over Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinal, followed by an upset win over North Carolina in the final, to even reach the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Led by the majesty of DJ Burns, NC State won four games in the tournament, including three as an underdog, and didn’t look out of place on the biggest stage. Ultimately, NC State’s offense was unable to produce at the requisite level to pull the upset, scoring fewer than 0.9 points per possession and shooting just 36.8 percent from the field. Burns was held to eight points and, while Horne was fantastic, it wasn’t quite enough.

Purdue did not perform flawlessly by any means, including ball security issues throughout the game. The Boilermakers have yet to lose a game this season when they commit a turnover on fewer than 20 percent of possessions, but Purdue gave the ball away on 25.4 percent of trips in this matchup, making things more difficult than they needed to be. The Boilermakers also withstood a well below-average performance from Smith, but Jones and Loyer combined to shoot 7-of-14 from long distance to boost the offense.

And, of course, Edey was Edey. He finished with a “ho-hum” effort of 20 points and 12 rebounds, notching at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for the fifth straight NCAA Tournament game and the eighth consecutive game overall. The two-time National Player of the Year added four assists and two blocks and, even on a night where he perhaps did not have his A-plus fastball, the entire game revolved around him.

“The reason I came back (to school for final season) is playing games like this,” Edey said. “The reason I’m playing college basketball for four years. To finally get this game, big-time. We obviously got to keep going and keep playing. But, yeah, these are the games you can come back, these are the games you work and practice every day for.”

NC State certainly pushed Edey but, as has been the case in virtually every game this season, his dominance came to the forefront.

“I thought they did a good job tonight,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter of NC State’s defense on Edey. “I thought they battled him, pushed him out some, made it difficult on him, forced him into five turnovers.”

“He still got to his spots,” Painter continued. “If he can get to his spot for his jump hook, get it to the rim. He didn’t have a lot of dunks, easy ones tonight. He had to earn almost everything, whether he was going to his left hook or right hook, just continue to play and continue to compete. It’s really about running things and getting in that position. If he can get there, he’s had a lot of success.”

Purdue will face the winner of UConn and Alabama for the national title on Monday evening, with the Boilermakers aiming to replicate the feat of Virginia in 2019, going from a stunning first round loss to a No. 16 seed to a national title just 12 months later. For now, the Boilermakers are simply taking care of business, and Matt Painter’s team will participate in a 40-minute game for the title.

Awesome Truth claimed the Raw tag team championship and Grayson Waller and Austin Theory took the Smackdown tag team titles in the 6-pack tag team ladder match against DIY, New Catch Republic, New Day, and the Judgement Day at WrestleMania 40 Night 1.

The match started with everyone going after the Judgement Day. Damian Priest and Finn Balor were able to fight them off and tossed the New Day off a ladder. Priest threw a giant ladder onto Pete Dunne, then Tyler Bate stopped Balor from climbing, lifted him and the ladder onto his shoulders, and spun him around. On the outside, they both did backflips onto the competition.

Priest powerbombed Dunne into a ladder that Bate was climbing and both fell. R-Truth did the splits as Priest flew over the top rope then hit John Cena’s signature comeback on Balor, hit him with an Attitude Adjustment onto a ladder, then pinned Balor and counted to three — which, of course, did not matter in this match.

He then asked Johnny Gargano to hit Sweet Chin Music on Priest and set Tommaso Ciampa hit an inverted pedigree. R-Truth, Miz, Gargano, and Ciampa climbed up separate ladders to grab the belts but were knocked off by Waller and Theory, who then climbed up to claim the Smackdown tag titles.

Bate and Dunne then powerbombed Waller over the top rope and through a ladder. New Day set Ciampa on a ladder and Xavier Woods dove from the rope with an elbow drop on the ladder. Kofi Kingston climbed up the ladder and did a backwards, no look dive outside of the ring. Gargano then did a float over the top rope DDT on Dunne through table on the outside.

Ciampa slammed Bate off the top of the ladder, then JD McDonough hit R-Truth off the ladder and lifted Balor to climb.

The New Day made the save, hit Balor with a chair, and flung McDonough over the top rope and through two tables. Priest then took out the New Day and started to climb the ladder. Miz tried to fight Priest off, but was chokeslammed from the ladder. R-Truth pulled Priest off the ladder, hit the Attitude Adjustment over the top rope, climbed the ladder, and grabbed the Raw tag team titles.

Rhea Ripley pinned Becky Lynch to retain the WWE Women’s World Championship in the opening match of WrestleMania 40 Night 1.

Lynch and Ripley both arrived to WrestleMania-worthy entrances, with the former following excerpts from her book and the champion being played out to a live performance of her theme song, Demon in Your Dreams by Motionless In White.

The pair traded blows to open the bout, with Lynch looking for any opportunity to gain an advantage. Early on, Lynch rolled up Ripley, but the champ rolled through and lifted her into a suplex. Ripley then climbed to the top rope and shimmed like Eddie Guerrero before Lynch arm dragged her off the top rope.

As the match continued on, Lynch began to get the upper hand as the crowd cheered Ripley on. Lynch hit a leg drop across the ropes on Ripley, then a leg drop from the top rope back inside the ring for a two-count. She then tried to attack Ripley’s hand, which had a cast on it earlier in the week. Ripley shrugged her off, lifted her into a press, threw her, then landed a knee to the face for a two-count.

Ripley went for the Riptide, but Lynch reversed it and swooped over into the Disarmher. Ripley powered out and lifted, powerbombing her three times before getting the two-count. Lynch and Ripley exchanged chest slaps before Ripley ran shoulder first into the ring post. Ripley tried for the Riptide again, but Lynch reversed into the Manhandle Slam for two. Ripley then hit Riptide for two.

Ripley went to the top rope, but Lynch knocked her feet and then suplexed here. Lynch rolled into the Disarmher, but Ripley lifted her off the ground, rolled over the top rope, and dropped her on her back. Ripley hit a frog splash for two. Back on their feet, Ripley hit the Riptide onto the turnbuckle, then hit the Riptide again for the three count.

After winning the Elimination Chamber, Lynch challenged Ripley and her more than a year reign atop the Raw Women’s division.

This year in rap, there have already been several monumental lyrical run-ins. First, Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj exchanged jabs on wax. Then Metro Boomin, Future, and Kendrick Lamar aimed at Drake and J. Cole. After a heated conversation online, GloRilla and JT could be next.

Following the release of GloRilla’s mixtape, Ehhthang Ehhthang, a rumor started by media personality Armon Wiggins resurfaced. Wiggins claimed GloRilla had gotten into an altercation with JT. On “Aite,” GloRilla attempted to shut the gossip down, but it backfired.

Continue below for both women’s accounts of what happened.

Did GloRilla Slap JT?

In October 2023, Wiggins took to his YouTube channel, alleging that GloRilla had an unfriendly encounter with JT backstage at the VMA Awards. The now-private video by the Tea-GIF co-host sparked an uproar amongst the rappers’ fans. GloRilla’s line “Slapping rap b*tches and making bail hoe” on “Yeah Glo!” only furthered the flames.

According to JT, the incident never happened. JT disputed the claim on X during an exchange with Female Rap Room.

“I been said she didn’t,” she wrote. “[GloRilla is] the one who went radio silent! [She] played into it and released a song about slapping rap b*tches. Now, it’s female unity? CORNY!”

In a now-deleted post, GloRilla refuted JT’s response. Although she agreed that she did not slap JT, she claimed they were involved in a scuffle. “What you want me to say,” she said. “I didn’t slap you? But I hit you with a purse instead. Scary ass ho.”

Based on this online exchange, GloRilla didn’t slap JT. However, the public opinion court is still unsure what to believe.

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

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is the gift that keeps on giving. The project has set a new streaming record in country music and amplified the work of Black musicians in the genre (including Linda Martell, Shaboozey, and Tanner Adell, to name a few).

Now, according to CBS News, the album’s impact can even be traced back to the stock market. On April 5, the outlet reported that “Levii’s Jeans,” a collaborative track with Beyoncé and Post Malone, boosted Levi Strauss’ stock value.

As the pair sang about their love for the brand’s tried and true denim, financial analysts connected it to a 20% increase in Levi’s overall public value. In a statement, the company’s CEO, Michelle Gass, shared her excitement for the peak in consumers’ interest. “I would just say that denim is having a moment, and the Levi’s brand is having a powerful moment around the world,” she said.

Gass also addressed the report that Beyoncé aided in the uptick in sales. “One of the things that really is significant about the Levi’s brand,” she said. “We also place a lot of emphasis and investment in making sure that Levi’s brand remains at the center of culture. And I don’t think there’s any better evidence or proof point than having someone like Beyoncé, who is a culture shaper, actually name a song after us.”

First, Uber and Lyft were fighting to offer the Beyhive a better promo code. Now, Levi has entered the mix. Maybe apartment management companies or mortgage lenders will take note.