Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Killer Mike Plans To Bless A Fan With A Blazingly Good Gift For Her Future 4/20 Wedding Date

Much like the rest of us on Twitter last night, Killer Mike poked fun at the app’s possible demise. “Happy 420 Stoners,” the Run The Jewels rapper wrote. For some, it took a while to catch on to his joke, with some fans even hinting they were too high to get it.

“And here’s my dumb *ss blinking at the calander and counting months on my fingers like ‘sh*t I thought that was April,’” one person wrote. “Confusing us west coast potheads sir… Took me a minute!” another added.

However, one fan took a different approach to Killer Mike’s joke. She wrote that she would be hosting her wedding on April 20, 2024, otherwise known as National Stoner Day to most.

“My wedding date is 4.20.2024,” Rudy, the user, commented. “Not just for the holiday but it’s a palindrome date.”

“BIG Congratulations!” Killer Mike quoted the lucky future bride’s post. “If Twitter still exist and u remind me I will send ya’ll a small gift. Happy 420 to come.”

The exchange was so light and heartfelt that we genuinely hope that Twitter sticks around, at least until her wedding day in 2024, so we can find out what Killer Mike intends to send for her gift… Obvious bonus points if it’s something weed-related.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Why Is Brockhampton Breaking Up?

Brockhampton is going out with a bang. In addition to their much anticipated seventh album, The Family, the rap group released a surprise eighth album called TM today (November 18). Tomorrow, the group will perform their final show at The Fonda in Los Angeles.

While this may be their last show as a group, Brockhampton member Kevin Abstract has assured us that there’s no bad blood between him and his bandmates. Last year, upon the announcement of the band’s eventual disbandment, Abstract took to Twitter to reiterate that Brockhampton still has last for each other, and their break-up won’t mean that this is the last you hear of them/

“we all love each other and we wanna continue making the best music we can everybody just getting a lil older and got a lot to say outside of group projects,” said Abstract. “we’ve dedicated the last ten years of our lives to making music together this next project we’re just doing what’s rite”

In an interview with GQ, Brockhampton member Romil Hemnani hinted that the other members may pursue solo projects.

“…at a certain point, people deserve to give their lives to themselves,” said Hemnani. “So it feels like it’s time to let everyone just spread their wings and do the things that they want to do. Being in a group, I love it so much, but there’s also compromise. And I think everyone kind of deserves the shot to do what they want—no compromises.”

Fans unable to make Brockhampton’s final show via Amazon Music’s Twitch channel.

The Family and TM are out now via Question Everything and RCA Records. Stream them both here.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Even Fox News Is Baffled By The House GOP Going After Hunter Biden Immediately After Taking Power

The GOP has long heralded itself as the all-American “traditional family values” party — this despite the fact that a twice-divorced adulterer and scam artist whose own wife accused him of rape has been calling the shots for the past several years. And while many Republicans are finally beginning to turn their backs on Donald Trump and look toward greener-pasture politicians, their actions are proving that those aforementioned family values aren’t as innocent as they once were. So much so that even Fox News seemed surprised.

As Mediaite reports, Kentucky congressman James Comer, the incoming chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee when the Republicans officially retake the House in 2023, spoke with Fox News’ Bret Baier about what his top priorities will be. At the top of that list? Investigating Hunter Biden.

While many Republican congressional candidates spent the bulk of their breath talking about inflation and the economy, going after the current president’s adult son seems, well, petty. Seemingly even to Baier, who asked Comer: “For the people who look at this and say, ‘What did you take from the midterm elections?’ Republicans talked about focusing on issues such as immigration, the economy, and inflation. Why roll this out today as the first kind of foot forward?”

Comer didn’t balk while responding that:

“Well, we have the Commitment to America. It had four different tenets: One tenet, holding this administration accountable. The Oversight Committee is 8 percent of the Republican conference. So we’re focused on identifying waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government.”

The other 92 percent of the committee, Comer promised, will be focused on, ya know, immigration and stuff. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” he noted.

You can watch the interview here on Mediate.

(Via Mediaite)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Why Did Katy Perry Support Rick Caruso And His Unsuccessful Bid For Mayor Of LA?

While Rick Caruso, who reportedly spent $100 million running to be Los Angeles’ next mayor, lost to Democrat Karen Bass, he still received a lot of support from prominent celebrities ahead of the election. One of them being pop star Katy Perry, who faced backlash from fans after supporting the Republican candidate… who only switched to being a Democrat in January.

“I am voting for a myriad of reasons but in particular because Los Angeles is a hot mess atm,” Perry posted, complete with an image of her posing with her ballot, as she clearly voted for Caruso. She also included some colorful hashtags like #doyoubutjustuseyourvoteok and eventually turned off the comments.

Perry’s fans were shocked by the move, as she previously had voted for Hilary Clinton and advocated for maintaining Roe V. Wade. Meanwhile, Caruso’s past policies include being linked to anti-abortion organizations and pledging $1 million to seemingly support abortion rights (but never donating).

Other Caruso supporters include Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian, so at least Perry can place herself in normal billionaire company. “Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor,” Musk wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “He’s awesome.”

“Elon, thank you for your support. L.A. is the greatest city in the world. I would be honored to be her next mayor and serve the city that I love,” Caruso replied. Despite all of his vocal celebrity supporters, Bass still won the mayoral election.

View some additional fan reactions to Katy Perry’s polling pick below.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Donald Trump Is Now Selling ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Wrapping Paper Just In Time For The Holidays

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, the holiday season is officially upon us. And December will be here before you know it. If you’re Donald Trump, that means it’s time to start wishing a “Merry Christmas” to everyone — even if you don’t celebrate the holiday. If you’re Melania, you might offer someone a snide “Merry F***ing Christmas,” then complain about it later.

While the former First Couple may no longer be able to force their garish holiday aesthetics on the White House, they can attempt to profit from the holiday from the diehard MAGAs who still believe in what they’re selling. And what Donald is selling, literally, is a festive $40 roll of Christmas wrapping paper that tells Joe Biden to go f**k himself. Because the former president is classy like that.

As Raw Story reports, Team Trump’s latest money-making scheme combines three of his favorite things: Christmas, grifting, and insulting the man who beat him in the 2020 presidential election. New York Magazine’s Margaret Hartmann was clued into the former president’s latest scheme via a fundraising email, which she wrote about on Thursday:

Following a protracted battle with my spam filter, a few months ago I finally started receiving the emails I signed up for at DonaldTrump.com. It has been a delight. Every few days I get a message with some bit of ‘URGENT NEWS’ from my ‘favorite president.’ On one very exciting week in early October, I got messages from both Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Regardless of which Trump is reaching out, the emails always end with a personal invitation to give them money, which I find very on-brand.

Was I flattered to learn that Trump considers me one of his ‘Best supporters,’ despite the fact that I’ve never actually given him a dime? Sure,” continued Hartmann. “But 40 DOLLARS for a single roll of ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ wrapping paper? I guess Trumps can afford to drop that much on rude wrapping paper, but I usually snatch up generic holiday gift wrap at HomeGoods for $3 a roll. To make matters worse, it’s not even cute or clever ‘fuck the president’ wrapping paper. For a donation of just $5 more, the National Republican Senatorial Committee will send me two rolls of this adorable paper featuring Trump in a Santa hat and the phrase ‘Don’t Be a Snowflake.’”

Not to be outdone, Melania is also getting in on the gifting grifting. The recent Christmas convert is selling her own line of ornaments with inspirational, and grammatically incorrect, messages like: Be Best.

(Via Raw Story)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Kari Lake Flew Down To Florida To Whine About ‘Ballot Harvesting’ With Trump And WWE’s Linda McMahon In Front Of A Sad Mar-a-Lago Crowd

Election denier Kari Lake is still refusing to concede in Arizona’s gubernatorial race despite Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs scoring a pretty decisive majority of votes during the 2022 Midterms. And while she battles against reality, and Tom Petty’s estate for using his music in campaign videos posted to social media, she’s also teaming up with Donald Trump to give meandering speeches at senior citizen conventions down in Florida.

Lake paid a visit to Mar-a-Lago earlier last night to speak in front of a sparse crowd of MAGA supporters where she threw out a bunch of trigger words that have been historically proven to rile up her ignorant right-wing base. Lake, who embraced both Trump and WWE matriarch Linda McMahon on stage, used the event to spread more baseless theories about voter fraud in her home state.

“They had to do everything they could to stop us. Ballot harvesting. They had to shut down the machines on Election Day, but we know their tricks and they think they can slow and pour cold water on a movement. It is not possible people,” Lake said, desperately trying to liven up the geriatric crowd.

Still, despite hiring a legal team to fight against her own election loss, Lake’s closing comments made it seem like she wasn’t too hopeful the results would be overturned.

“I’ll tell you this right now, I don’t know what my future holds other than [that] I’m going to continue to fight for this country,” Lak said. “But I will do everything in my power to make sure this man is back in the White House.”

(Via The Gazette)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Tighten Up Those Tinder Profiles! Harry Styles And Olivia Wilde Have Reportedly Broken Up After Two Years

While many people speculated that Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde were broken up two months ago after they didn’t show any PDA during the press run for Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling at the Venice Film Festival, the stars were just being extremely professional. Why take away attention from Wilde’s directorial efforts and Styles’ acting chops (or Spitgate???) But now, it seems as though the “As It Was” singer and Wilde have split, or are at least “taking a break.”

“The public pressure on them has been difficult,” a source told People. “They’ve had ups and downs throughout the relationship.” The source indicated that the couple are choosing to take time to focus on their own priorities at the moment. For Styles, that includes taking the Love On Tour to Mexico and South America for a number of dates before 2022 is over — and nevermind that he just came down with the flu and had to cancel three of his LA dates.

“He’s still touring and is now going abroad,” the source confirmed to People. “She is focusing on her kids and her work in L.A. It’s a very amicable decision.”

Wilde has two children from her previous marriage to Jason Sudeikis. She has attended Styles’ concerts in the past and even brought the kids along to an LA show this week. But it seems as though that was a fond farewell to a…friend? “They’re still very close friends,” the source said of the pair. While another source added that, “Right now, they have different priorities that are keeping them apart.”

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Big Sean And Jhene Aiko Have Welcomed A Baby Boy: ‘Happy, Healthy, And Everything We Could Ever Ask For’

Big Sean and Jhene Aiko‘s family has grown by one. Today, Aiko took to Instagram to announce the birth of their baby boy.

Their baby was born last week, on November 8, and Aiko revealed that his name is Noah Hasani.

“after 24 hours of labor, a total lunar eclipse, and while it was pouring rain… he came,” Aiko said in her Instagram post’s caption. “my baby Yoda, my Sani.”

In her post was a collection of photos, mostly of her surrounded by family and loved ones at the time of the birth. Also, at a nearby windowsill was a framed picture of her late brother, Miyagi, surrounded by crystals.

Sean also took to his Instagram to share the news, also recalling the rain and eclipse, saying, “he’s here safe and sound. Happy, Healthy and everything we could ever ask for and more. Any and everything for you Son.”

Noah is Aiko’s second child and Sean’s first. In an interview with Billboard back in June, before the two even announced they were expecting, Aiko said the best advice she could give to parents is to find a responsible balance.

Take moments to yourself and find gratitude in those moments, even when you have to do laundry. That’s why I like driving. It’s also important to spend time with your kids and find the joy in that because they grow up so fast. You’ll miss when they were with you all the time.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Jack Antonoff Calls Out Industry ‘Merch Taxes’ That ‘F*ck’ Rising Touring Musicians ‘So Hard’

Jack Antonoff logged on to social media to share his thoughts about touring. A longtime producer and collaborator with Taylor Swift, Antonoff’s series of posts came just hours after Swift took to Instagram with some angry feelings toward Ticketmaster. “It’s truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them,” Swift wrote.

Following the disastrous presale (and general on-sale ticketing cancellation) for her 2023 The Eras Tour, a significant amount of fans have rallied to petition to dismantle the ticketing monopoly. And, it appears to be working, as today the Justice Department has reportedly started a formal investigation into Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s joint business venture.

“while we are having the discussion can venues simply stop taxing merch of artists? this is literally the only way you make money when you start out touring,” Antonoff wrote, speaking to the larger issues in the music industry that prevent rising artists from ever turning profits. “the more we make it tenable for young and small artists to make a living on the road the more great music we will get.”

“touring is one of the most honest ways to make a living. some of the hardest and most heartfelt work you can do. so why must [they] f*ck artist so hard?” he continued. “simpel solutions, stop taxing merch, stop lying to artists about costs of putting on shows, include artists in more areas of revenue. the stories i could tell from my years touring are bananas. young artists on tour are the last to see any money.”

Oh, and Antonoff also offered some more choice words for Kanye West. “ok one more, kanye a little bitty little b*tch,” Antonoff ended before noting he had to get back to work.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

The Biggest Strength And Weakness Of Each Top-5 Rookie In The 2022 NBA Draft (So Far)

Four of the top-five selections from this summer’s Draft are quickly approaching the midterm portion of their first NBA semester (get well soon, Chet Holmgren). Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray, and Jaden Ivey have all played at least 350 minutes. They’re all logging 29+ minutes a night, which makes it easy to compile initial returns on their games. Given the infantile nature of their presumptive careers, any hardline stances would be rash and faulty.

That, however, does not mean we can’t assess what we’ve seen from this quartet through one month and identify some strengths and areas of improvement for each of them. So, let’s do exactly that, praising one aspect of their skill-set and noting another that presents room for growth.

Paolo Banchero

Biggest strength: An advanced driving game

Though on the mend with a sprained ankle the past week and a half, Banchero’s roared out to a prolific start. The 20-year-old is averaging 23.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 55.6 percent true shooting. He’s been remarkably consistent, scoring at least 20 points in all but two of his 11 games. He doesn’t even yet know an NBA reality where he scores fewer than 15. He leads all rookies in Estimated Plus-Minus at plus-2.1 (39th overall), stationed right above All-Star guards Kyrie Irving and Dejounte Murray. Assuming he returns soon from his injury, an All-Star label next to his own name this year isn’t too far-fetched. He’s that good already.

Offensive superstardom awaits him. The primary reason for such a future stems from an adept slashing game. He’s a powerful 6’10, 250-pound tank downhill, merging strength, explosion, footwork, and a silky handle. His technical refinement, in conjunction with a special athletic profile, belies his first-year status.

According to NBA.com, he’s logging 13.3 drives per game and generating points on 69.2 percent of them, two marks that parallel Giannis Antentokoumpo (14.5, 73.8 percent), the gold standard for high-volume, big man slashers. The fluidity with which he moves and dribbles at his size, while also gracefully mashing through defenders when necessary, is a marvel to watch.

Only 44 percent of his makes at the rim are assisted (88th percentile among forwards), per Cleaning The Glass. He’s shooting 68 percent there (55th percentile). Overwhelmingly, he’s converting or drawing fouls (.472 free-throw rate). Banchero’s jumper has largely escaped him to open his career (26 percent from deep, 40 percent from midrange), but he’s still playing like a tremendous offensive talent because he’s already a dynamo attacking downhill. His array of physical gifts and advanced perimeter skills are the reason why.

Biggest area of improvement: Off-ball awareness

For all of his offensive exploits, Banchero’s defense is often a detriment. He’s a good rebounder and, when he analyzes rotations properly, an impactful secondary rim protector. That’s the extent of his reliably beneficial contributions. His awareness lags behind. He labors through screens, an understandable issue at his stature. More pressing, though, is his general lack of attentiveness. He loses cutters, fails to properly rotate on the weakside in help-the-helper scenarios, and just generally seems to not recognize or adhere to his responsibilities off the ball.

Apathy may not be the correct framing for his gaffes. But he’s certainly not up to speed on the complexities of his duties, nor does he position himself well, whether it’s standing upright or being caught in ineffectual purgatory. There are various plays most nights where the opposition creates an advantage and he played a prominent part in it.

Among motor, recognition, and technique, much must be cleaned up for Banchero to not be a liability in space off the ball defensively. The rebounding and rim protection are valuable traits, but they cannot override everything else at the moment. He’s quickly established himself as a borderline star, and defensive progression would help him further climb that hierarchy.

Jabari Smith Jr.

Biggest strength: Perimeter mobility

Prior to the Draft, when Smith was seemingly in the mix to go No. 1, his allure centered on this juiced-up 3-and-D forward whose versatile floor-spacing and comfort on the perimeter defensively would make him a distinct, indispensable cog for high-level winning.

The offense hasn’t burst onto the scene. The Houston Rockets aren’t utilizing him ideally on either end of the floor. They’re playing him in drop coverage against ball-screens a good bit, which seems like a poor allocation of his services. Nonetheless, he’s showcased flashes of rangy perimeter chops. He needs to build core strength to counter brawny wings and his screen navigation is clunky, due to some inflexibility.

But man, he can glide laterally. When he unfurls his 7’2 wingspan and crouches low, he covers some serious ground to fluster opponents. It’s awesome stuff so early in his NBA tenure, and an obvious point of optimism upon which to build.

Biggest area of improvement: Attacking closeouts

Smith is only shooting 30.4 percent beyond the arc on more than five attempts per game, an inauspicious start for someone billed as such a tremendous long-range gunner. Some of that isn’t his fault. The Rockets don’t really incorporate his movement shooting into their offensive sets. Far too commonly, he’s stashed in the corner and/or relied upon as a floor-spacer for Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Alperen Sengun. Occasionally, that’s fine. Houston desperately yearned for spacing last season and Smith can help there. It’s the norm, though. Eventually, he will knock down more of these looks — his elevated release point is already a weapon, and hopefully, he’ll be better accommodated for his talents to shine.

What does look like more than merely an inauspicious start is his 32.8 percent clip inside the arc. That’s concerning for any player, let alone a 6’10 forward. Smith struggles to thrive off the catch when defenses close out aggressively. He doesn’t operate with much haste, force, or wiggle. Physicality rattles him. While he’s not gained traction from deep yet, defenses much prefer the alternative than to let him bomb away.

According to Cleaning The Glass, he’s shooting 52 percent at the rim (2nd percentile among bigs) and 24 percent from midrange (12th percentile). He looks overmatched around the basket and so many of his drives conclude with difficult fadeaways or pull-up jumpers. Those are wins for the defense.

Smith will rediscover his outside stroke. He’s been a very good shooter for a long time. But if he continues to be erratic inside the arc, shrewd defenders and schemes will skirt him off the line and exploit his shortcomings. It’s early, of course, and he doesn’t turn 20 until next May. Navigating options inside the arc can be one of the more complex learning curves for young shooters. That’s certainly the case for Smith at the moment.

Keegan Murray

Biggest strength: Off-ball versatility

The 8-6 Sacramento Kings are cruising. They’ve won seven of nine and are the league’s second-ranked offense. They’re tied for seventh in the West and a game out of second. Beyond De’Aaron Fox’s ascension, Sacramento’s lethal offense is built upon dynamism. Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, and Keegan Murray are all malleable off-ball scorers. They’re equipped to flourish around Fox’s driving and Domantas Sabonis’ handoffs, screening, and interior presence. That’s exactly what they’re doing.

Murray’s slid into that role seamlessly. He’s a highly diverse off-ball scorer, leaving his imprint via cuts, relocation triples, movement threes, curling around handoffs, deftly tossing in floaters, and occasionally punishing mismatches. He’s averaging 12 points on 57.2 percent true shooting (.451/.375/.778 split). His early season scoring signature is littered with a plethora of different buckets playing off of Fox and Sabonis.

In trading for Sabonis last winter, Sacramento forged a clear vision for its future. The additions of Huerter, Monk, and Murray helped solidify that vision and amplify its success. Murray is a snug fit in this offense that’s proving to be a symbiotic partnership.

Biggest area of improvement: Defending in space

Just as Murray follows the lead of his teammates offensively with versatile scoring, he is similarly doing the same defensively. The frontcourt trio of him, Sabonis, and Harrison Barnes is quite slow laterally. The offseason worries about the defensive personnel of the roster have come to fruition. The Kings are 26th in defensive rating. They don’t have adequate rim protection, nor do they hoard an army of wing stoppers to mitigate their interior limitations.

Murray is among those unqualified to provide stout on-ball protection. He’s rather sluggish in space and cannot promptly flip his hips in response to changes of direction. Whether it’s on or off the ball, tracking movement from his assignments is a lofty task; dribble handoffs are a nemesis. His steps are choppy and he fails to curtail driving angles as a result.

Some of his interior rotations have been precise and impactful. He’ll read passing lanes well to muck up actions as well. Playing the three alongside Barnes and Sabonis doesn’t provide him any leeway. But becoming less susceptible in space, however he can, should be a priority to help that off-ball offense lead to even more individual and collective profits.

Jaden Ivey

Biggest strength: Finishing craft

Jaden Ivey seems to etch another highlight into his rapidly growing catalog on a nightly basis. He’s absurdly explosive, ingenuitive, and crafty. His downhill escapades will command attention from the audience, regardless of how they end for him. Through 15 games, the former Purdue star is averaging 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals.

The bedrock of his advantage creation is founded on his downhill speed and finishing. Only 35 percent of his buckets at the rim are assisted (67th percentile among combo guards). Forty-four percent of his field goals occur there (92nd percentile), where he’s shooting 62 percent (56th percentile).

Despite the Detroit Pistons’ cramped floor-spacing and dearth of effective ball-handling around him (sans Cade Cunningham), Ivey is an excellent finisher as a rookie. He’s flexible, creative, and will convert with either hand. He adapts on the fly when rim protectors rotate over. He explodes through space. Like an elite pass rusher, he ducks his shoulder, burrows his head, and charges inside. Eliminating the edge against him is exceptionally difficult.

Biggest area of improvement: Midrange game

Try as he might, Ivey cannot live exclusively at the rim. He can, however, call the paint his home. His screen manipulation, East-West handle, pliability, and burst enable him to routinely generate paint touches. When he finds himself probing inside the free-throw line yet outside the restricted area, a wave of discontent seeps into his game.

He’s shooting 29 percent from midrange. Floaters and intermediate pull-ups are a last resort. The floater looks like an uncomfortable push shot; it’s important he’s experimenting right now, even if the outcomes are murky. He’s prone to relinquishing advantages and resetting the possession when stuck in the midrange. Advantages are hard to fashion. Surrendering one can spell doom. The best initiators avoid such pitfalls.

A lot of analysis regarding Ivey seems to land on his long ball. He shot 32.2 percent at Purdue and has drilled 31.9 percent of his triples with the Pistons. More salient for his ceiling as a creator, at least from my perspective, is the midrange development. Much like other trackstar guards before him — ex: John Wall, De’Aaron Fox, Ja Morant — defenses will always prioritize stopping the drive ahead of the three. Ivey would have to become such a terrific sniper for that dynamic to shift.

Instead, broadening his pathways to success on these downhill forays, which he can almost always forge, would augment his offensive value. The finishing is stellar, but defenses will take it away at times. Expanding his midrange prowess is a necessary counter.