Category: News

Facing elimination after getting absolutely rocked in Games 2 and 3 by the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat came out with the appropriate energy to start Game 4, looking like the more desperate team and jumping out to an early double-digit advantage as the Bucks looked a bit sleepy for the early tip time. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler got it going finally in their two-man game, Butler was orchestrating the offense beautifully, and Trevor Ariza got hot from three to help Miami open up a big lead early on.

However, even as they started slow, the Bucks never seemed panicked. They steadily reeled in the Heat and arrived at the half down seven despite a dreadful shooting start. The message at the half was clear, keep running the offense, be better with the basketball after being turnover-happy early, and the results will come. It didn’t take long for that to come to fruition, and by the mid-third quarter, Milwaukee was the team in control.

After the Bucks went on a 24-4 run in the third quarter to flip the script and take a double-digit lead of their own, things were spiraling for the Heat, as Udonis Haslem tried to fire up the troops one last time — with Kendrick Nunn seeming like the only one who received the message as he scored eight straight to keep Miami attached.

In the end, though, the Heat just didn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Bucks, who figured out how to attack Miami in the second half, getting Giannis and Middleton going, and once that happened it was an avalanche of points that the Heat had no answers for. Every time the Heat closed the gap to a few possessions, Milwaukee had an answer on the offensive end, as Bryn Forbes continued his hot shooting, Middleton picked it up, and the Bucks just never relented.

Middleton and Giannis each had 20 points, but the somewhat unlikely hero with so much of Miami’s attention staying locked on those two was Brook Lopez, who had a monster 25-point, 8-rebound game to give the Bucks a much-needed spark.

The exclamation point came from Giannis, who capped off his first career playoff triple-double (20 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds) with a slick layup and an emphatic dunk in the closing minutes.

The final result was a 120-103 win with the Bucks dominating the second half, allowing just 39 points while scoring 63 of their own. Milwaukee won games against the Heat in just about every way imaginable, and for them to blow them out in a game they shot just 31 percent from three has to make them feel very good going into Round 2. They won a tight, overtime contest where shots weren’t falling. They boatraced Miami twice with incredible shooting and defense, and in Game 4 they got timely shooting but mostly just imposed their will physically in the second half against a team that prides itself on that.

They now get to rest up for a few days and begin preparing for what most expect to be a showdown with the Brooklyn Nets in the second round, although the Celtics picking up a win in Game 3 suddenly makes that series a touch more interesting. That will be a wholly different challenge than Miami, but after the way the Heat ousted them in the Bubble, the Bucks getting a sweep with three straight blowouts to close out the series has to feel very good as they got to exorcise some of their postseason demons.

Last week Twenty One Pilots shared Scaled & Icy, their first album in almost three years, which they’ve been working on since 2019 and which featured no guest features. The album was promoted with an extremely unique livestream show that received critical acclaim. Now, just a week later the duo, comprised of lead vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun, took their talents to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Stepping onto a stage draped in eye-catching pastel colors, the pair delivered an alluring performance of “Shy Away,” the lead single from their new album. The colorful yet calm set clashed interestingly with the energetic and raucous set they delivered during the late-night show.

The performance is their latest promotional performance for Scaled & Icy. Earlier this month, they teamed up with Chipotle to create their own official burrito, which thankfully proved anything but “scaled” or “icy.” The burrito notably comes without beans, instead being comprised of chicken, white rice, fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, cheese, romaine lettuce, and queso blanco. It’s priced at $8.65 and logs a total of 1050 calories.

You can watch the late-night performance in the video above.

Scaled & Icy is out now via Fueled By Ramen/Elektra. Get it here.

The Lakers will look to put the Suns on the brink of elimination in Game 4 of their first round series on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, but it’s possible they will have to do so without the services of one of their top stars.

Anthony Davis showed up on Saturday’s injury report with a sprained left knee that has him listed as questionable for Game 4, alongside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who is questionable with the quad contusion that took him out of Game 3 in the second half.

It’s unclear exactly when Davis sustained the injury, as there were a few times late that he came up a big gingerly but he remained in the game throughout. Obviously any injury to Davis is concerning, but that he’s listed as questionable would indicate it isn’t a severe sprain. Hopefully he will be able to go in Game 4, but after winning the last two games, the Lakers could opt to be cautious with their superstar big man. Should he be unable to go, then what is already a critical game for the Suns to win becomes even bigger as the door would be ajar without Davis’ presence for them to swipe a game on the road to take homecourt back.

Matt Gaetz has spent a good chunk of 2021 in hot water, and for a good reason: He’s the subject of a federal investigation into his ties to an alleged sex ring. But it looks like bad news continues to plague him. As per The New York Post, the embattled Florida representative claims he got swindled out of a ton of money while trying to buy a boat named “Thirsty.”

Gaetz told WLFA in Florida he and his fiancée, whose name is Ginger Luckey, were trying to buy a 41-foot vessel in St. Petersburg. The price was $155,000 but after wiring the money, they said the boat “went missing.” Gaetz alleged that he and Luckey were targeted by “malicious actors, first domestic and now foreign,” but that “federal law enforcement is both aware of and actively pursuing.”

The boat initially bore the folksy name Ol’ Pappy but that in late April, when the deal was nearing a close, it was renamed Thirsty. It’s not clear if Gaetz and/or Lucky were the ones who renamed it.

If it’s true that Gaetz was grifted via a wiring snafu, it wouldn’t be his first such dalliance. He’s alleged to have used Venmo to send $900 to accused sex trafficker Joel Greenberg, who is currently cooperating with the feds in a plea deal.

In the meantime, Gaetz has been attempting to carry on as if he wasn’t engulfed in a sex scandal involving minors. He’s claimed he’ll run for president in 2024 if Trump doesn’t, around the same time he graced supporters with what sound pretty clearly like insurrectionary language. All the while he’s tried to appear like a friend of the common man, and what common hasn’t been swindled out of over a hundred thousand dollars while trying to buy a big boat?

(Via NY Post and WFLA)

On Friday, Juice WRLD’s estate shared an anniversary edition of the late rapper’s debut album, Goodbye & Good Riddance, which came with an updated version of “Lucid Dreams” with Lil Uzi Vert and a new track titled “734.” But its arrival came with new trouble for the rapper’s estate. A producer who goes by Ghost Loft sued them, claiming the Juice WRLD’s 2018 song “Scared Of Love” features 16 stolen bars from Loft’s 2013 song “So High.” He pointed out that Juice WRLD and another producer, Mitch Mula, are the only credited names on “Scared Of Love.”

Loft also claims that during a later conversation, Mula told him that “Scared Of Love” features a sample from “So High.” As a result, Loft filed the lawsuit against Mula, Juice WRLD’s mother, the executioner of his estate Carmella Wallace, and Juice WRLD’s labels, Universal Music Group and Interscope. He’s seeking compensation for damages, a writing credit, and an injunction that stops the estate from making money off “Scared Of Love.”

Fans of Juice WRLD will soon receive more music from the late rapper in the form of Maroon 5’s “Can’t Leave You Alone,” a track from the band’s upcoming album Jordi which arrives on June 11. It will serve as his latest posthumous track of the year, the last one being with Post Malone and Clever on “Life’s A Mess II.”

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Goodbye & Good Riddance (Anniversary Edition) is out now via Grade A Productions/Interscope Records. Get it here.

Competition in hip-hop has always been a major factor in hip-hop. It’s something Jay-Z knows all too well, having had spats with acts like Nas and Drake. But sometimes rappers need to put aside their differences for the greater good. During a recent appearance with Bad Bunny on LeBron James’ HBO show The Shop, the legendary musician spoke about once siding with the late DMX after the Grammys failed to nominate him at their 1999 show.

“The first time I boycotted the Grammys was for him,” he said. “We both came out that year. He didn’t get nominated. He dropped two No. 1 albums in the same year and they didn’t even nominate him.” The two albums Jay-Z is referring to are 1998’s It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot and Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood. The 1999 award show is also where Jay-Z earned his first Grammy, winning in the Best Rap Album category for Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life. He added, “I wasn’t even in the building because I boycotted it for him. There was a competitive thing, but it was big love.”

Jay-Z then dove into the pugilistic nature of his relationship with DMX, recalling a time when the late rapper called him out at a show. “He got on stage: ‘JAY-Z, where you at!?’ I was like, ‘This guy is nuts!’ He was just all passion,” he said. During the episode of The Shop, Jay also explained why DMX was an impossible act to follow at live shows.

Friday was a pretty good day for Kawhi Leonard. On the court, the two-time NBA Finals MVP came up big in the Los Angeles Clippers’ Game 3 win over the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 36 points and reeling in eight rebounds to propel his side to a crucial 118-108 victory. With the win, L.A. cut its series deficit against Dallas in half, making things 2-1 ahead of a gigantic Game 4 in Dallas on Monday evening that could lead to the Clippers re-gaining home-court advantage with the win.

His big day wasn’t just limited to what he did in the world of basketball. A gigantic music fan, Leonard, along with Warner Records Senior Vice President of A&R Eesean Bolden, is the driving force behind Culture Jam, an upcoming compilation album that is slated to drop sometime this summer. While Leonard does not rap on the album, he did tease that a video was coming for the track “Everything Different” featuring NBA YoungBoy and Rod Wave.

The video, which also features top high school basketball recruit Mikey Williams, dropped on Friday, and you can watch it at the top of this post. Beyond just the album, the broader Culture Jam project will be used as a way to raise money for youth sports and arts initiatives, with a portion of Leonard’s earnings heading to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

“Culture Jam will always be a platform where creators’ ideas and talents come to life and serve our families and communities,” Leonard said in a statement. “As an athlete that loves family, music, culture, and community, it was extremely important for me to build a space where all these elements thrive. Culture Jam’s significance is not only timely but it is also necessary. Equally, it is extremely important to support youth. My donation to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation is just the beginning of that support and connection.”

The new year seemed like it would be a good one for Armie Hammer. He had multiple big projects on the burner, including a likely sequel to Call Me by Your Name, and he was optimistic that 2021 would be exponentially better than 2020. But it was not to be. In mid-January, bizarre and disturbing allegations emerged about his personal life, causing him to either drop out or be booted from all future gigs. Now months later, one of those jobs — the Godfather making-of show for Paramount+ — finally has a new lead.

Miles Teller is taking over as the protagonist of The Offer, which tells of the behind-the-scenes squabbles that led to one of the most beloved movies in Hollywood history. The actor will play Al Ruddy, who co-created Hogan’s Heroes and went on to a colorful and diverse career, producing everything from Burt Reynolds vehicles (including the Cannonball Run cycle), the Rodney Dangerfield soccer comedy Ladybugs, Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby and his forthcoming new film Cry Macho, as well as one of the movies that helped save Paramount in the early ’70s.

The show will show the making through Ruddy’s eyes, and he presumably had a great view of the fights between director Francis Ford Coppola and Paramount head Robert Evans, as well as Marlon Brando’s more eccentric outbursts. In the meantime, you’ll be seeing Teller much sooner in another Paramount product: the belated sequel Top Gun: Maverick, in which he’ll get schooled by Tom Cruise’s 50-something Pete Mitchell. As for Hammer, he’s going to have to watch as his Call Me by Your Name director and co-star make a cannibal movie without him.

(Via THR)

Rick Ross has some new legal troubles to deal with. The rapper was sued by St. Louis concert promoters after he missed a show back in January 2021. Antoine Meeks and Orland Watson filed a lawsuit earlier this month that seeks $74,000 in damages from Ross. According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Meeks, whose company is Black Luxury Entertainment LLC, and Watson, who’s connected to Rockhouse Entertainment, claimed Ross was contracted to appear at the Pagent in St. Louis, but the show was eventually canceled after he didn’t appear for the concert.

Prior to the cancellation, Meeks, Watson, and their respective companies said Ross was set to receive $60,000 in two payments through their contract. The first $30,000 was paid on October 21, 2019, while the second half would be given at the time show. The promoters also paid $6,000 for the venue, $3,300 to accommodate Ross’ travel expenses, $4,100 on marketing and promotions, and $25,000 on “production costs.”

As he awaits further details in this lawsuit, Ross will most likely continue work on his upcoming album, Richer Than Ever. Back in September, he said the project was 95% complete. He and Drake are also reportedly working on a joint album, which former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson revealed in a tweet. “The joint album they’re doing together [will] unseat all projects they’ve done to date,” he wrote.

On Friday DMX’s posthumous album, Exodus was released. Fans of the late rapper can rest assure knowing that the final body of work was completed before DMX tragically passed. Swizz Beatz, who executive produced Exdous, also revealed that a bulk of the project was completed after DMX and Snoop Dogg’s Verzuz battle last summer. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Swizz spoke about the energy DMX had while he recorded the album — or lack thereof.

“We’d been talking about this record for a long time, but after we did Verzuz [in July 2020], he was ready,” Swizz said during the interview. “He saw that the people were showing him love and the fans were ready.” He added, “X was tired. The whole time we were doing the album, he was excited, but he was like, ‘I think this is going to be my last album.’ I was just like, ‘Let’s get through this and then let’s see; let’s judge it later, let’s not judge it now.’”

Swizz concluded, “I just tried keeping him in the now spirit, instead of thinking about what he’s not gonna do. But obviously, he knew something we didn’t.”

The famed hip-hop producer also shared his own feelings about the album now that it’s out. “I can at least listen to a song now without breaking down,” Swizz said. “I’m making it look strong, but I’m crushed, I’m destroyed, I’m hurt. But I had to pull this through for him and his family and for his legacy.”

You can read the full Rolling Stone interview here.

Exodus is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.