A focal point of Sunday night’s episodes of The Last Dance was the rivalry between the Pistons and the Bulls. Michael Jordan said he still hates the Bad Boys Pistons to this day, and the player that draws the most of his ire is Isiah Thomas.

There is still some very clear, deep-seeded anger Jordan feels towards Thomas and the Pistons for walking off the floor without so much as acknowledging the Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. Thomas explained the decision and why they’d do it differently now in the documentary, but Jordan wasn’t buying it and insisted there was nothing you could show him to convince him Isiah “wasn’t an asshole.”

For Thomas, the ramifications of that decision lingered beyond just the end of the Bad Boys run, but to him not getting an invite onto the Dream Team — something he seems to have just figured out, even though it’s been the general assumption of most for decades.

Thomas made the rounds on ESPN on Monday, speaking with First Take and Get Up!, and on the latter, he discussed what he learned from last night’s episodes — and also couldn’t help but jab at the Bulls for finally doing what they were supposed to and realizing they needed to lift weights and get tougher.

Now, Thomas is not exactly an objective party to all of this, but he’s right in this situation that it’s pretty wild that Jordan and the Bulls didn’t really commit to weight training until they’d lost twice to the Pistons and realized they needed more physical and mental toughness. That’s a part of the game that’s taken for granted as the expectation now that wasn’t necessarily as big a part of the game in the 1980s, but it’s still incredible that they hadn’t taken getting strong that seriously until then.

Newly-minted Philadelphia power-pop group 2nd Grade introduced themselves with the singles “Velodrome” and “My Bike.” Composed of members from Friendship, Remember Sports, and Free Cake For Every Creature, the group aims to make breezy pop-adjacent tunes. Further previewing the upcoming record Hit To Hit, 2nd Grade releases the carefree track “Dennis Hopper In Easy Rider.”

It’s not too hard to pick up on what exactly inspired the sound of “Dennis Hopper In Easy Rider.” A catchy guitar riff provides an open space for lead singer Peter Gill’s lighthearted musings where he recites his ABC’s and lists off the cast members in the 1969 cult classic film.

In a statement, Gill said the band has no ulterior motive with their debut record other than to make fun pop songs. “That’s one way I can see this whole thing now,” Gill said. “I wanted to write a bunch of really catchy songs and at the end of the day that would have been enough for me, just to put out an album with a bunch of great pop songs that doesn’t have to have some sort of deeper meaning.”

Listen to “Dennis Hopper In Easy Rider” above.

Hit To Hit is out 5/29 via Double Double Whammy. Pre-order it here.

With everyone stuck inside under stay-at-home orders of varying severity around the country, video games have become a common escape for many looking to pass the hours and maybe forget about, well, everything happening in the real world.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom: Eternal both had release dates right as people were beginning to go a bit stir crazy, and as such it boosted their profile even more. The pandemic has also created problems for games that were nearing their completion, as developers and teams were separated and forced to work from home, pushing back some key release dates. The biggest of those was The Last of Us Part II, which was officially pushed back for a second time on April 2, with no firm date announced at that time.

On Monday, fans that were anticipating the game’s release were given a new date to patiently wait for, as PlayStation announced the game will hit the market on June 19, in a statement from Hermen Hulst, Head of Worldwide Studios.

As we begin to see an ease in the global distribution environment, I am pleased to confirm that The Last of Us Part II will arrive on June 19. And Ghost of Tsushima will follow on July 17.

I want to personally congratulate and thank both the teams at Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch Productions on their achievements, as we know it’s not an easy feat to reach the finish line under these circumstances. Both teams have worked hard to deliver world-class experiences, and we can’t wait to see what you think of them when they release in just a few short months.

It’s some good news for TLOU fans that have seen the highly anticipated release pushed back twice, but now they’ll (hopefully) only have another month and a half to wait before they get their hands on the game and can dive in.

It’s easy to forget, but we’re right in the midst of spring. The weather is warming up all around the country, flowers are blooming, the sky is beautiful, gas is cheap, and… we’re all still inside. Roughly a month and a half into the COVID-19 shutdown, the evidence is mounting that the curve has been flattened — but we’re not out of the woods yet. Sure, things are beginning to feel a little less scary and people are becoming braver about walking through a market and not totally freaking out, but even as parts of the country begins to open up, many of us are still going to be living in this lockdown life for a while longer.

And we’re getting increasingly stir crazy. Often to our collective detriment. It’s important we not jump the gun, but once it’s deemed safe, rest assured we’ll be out there in the world again the second we can manage — eating at restaurants, hanging out at beaches and parks, and, if we’re really lucky, seeing the world beyond our borders.

With visions of future travel dancing in our heads, we linked up with travel photographer Eduardo Gato, who spent much of 2019 and early 2020 capturing photos of life on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao. Gato provided us with enough photos to offer a visual tour of the island and advice for how to ensure our (eventual) trips there look just as beautiful as his did. Follow along below and imagine what it would be like to chill on the beach of Cas Abao, to stroll the art-filled streets of Punda, and to get out into the crystalline sea. Instead of, you know, listening to podcasts with no pants on like you’re probably doing right now.

Gato: Curaçao measures 172 square-miles but boasts more than 35 cove-like beaches. Cas Abao Beach, one of Caraçao’s widest, softest, and most famed shorelines, is dotted with palaces and edged by rocky limestone cliffs and graduated levels of cacti.

Gato: Chef Helmi Smolders is a modern expert in Caribbean culinary cuisine. She shares her passion for the kitchen by creating unique culinary experiences like six-course chefs table dinners prepared with locally sourced ingredients.

Gato: Curaçao’s vibrant colorful culture is captured everywhere on the island; even on buses. Dushi Yu means sweet son/daughter.

Gato: This iconic waterfront strip of colorful buildings in Punda is one of the most photographed places in Curaçao and speaks to the Dutch heritage of the island. From sunrise to sunset, the beautiful pastels serve as the perfect backdrop. At night, the illuminated storefronts and rainbow of colors beaming from the floating Queen Emma Bridge create another stunning view.

Gato: The trendy Pietermaii district has blossomed over the last five years with boutique hotels, trendy cafés, and an eclectic lineup of bars and restaurants popping up onto the scene. Mundo Bizarro, an iconic Cuban restaurant in the area, transcends decades, taking diners back to old-time Havana.

Gato: Curaçao’s 83-degree year-round temperatures create the perfect environment for sunbathing iguanas seen all around the island. The cold-blooded reptiles are also said to be a delicacy…. and an aphrodisiac.

Gato: Explore all four of Willemstad’s districts, including this one of Scharloo, on a tuk tuk. It’s the fastest way to see the sights including the historic Governor’s Mansion and Wilhelmina Plaza.

Gato: Float along the turquoise waters, breathe in the salty air, and get a natural dose of Vitamin D with Curaçao’s resident yogi, Liberty Suares of Dushi SUP. She leads an ongoing series of SUP yoga classes on the east side of the island at Fort Bekenburg in Caracasbaai.

Gato: Liberty Suares is an island native and owner of the island’s first floating yoga studio Dushi SUP, utilizing Curaçao’s natural beauty as the backdrop to an unforgettable centering experience on the sea for locals and tourists alike.

Gato: Pull up a barstool and sink your toes into the sand at Mambo Beach. This central hangout spot, just five minutes from downtown Willemstad, is the capital of daytime and nighttime entertainment, best know for its lively bars, shopping, and restaurants.

Gato: Caña Bar and Kitchen is Curaçao’s first gastropub that serves up Latin-Caribbean small plates like tacos and local fish ceviches. Featuring a cocktail menu heavy on Pisco, rum, and tequila, it also provides suggestions on which complement each dish, and the option to craft your own highball with one of the bar’s homemade sodas.

Gato: One of the many murals in Otrobanda created by street artist Sander Van Beusekom of Blend Curaçao. ‘Bida ta un bunita lucha’ translates to ‘life is a beautiful struggle’ in the island’s local language, Papiamentu.

Gato: This piece by Venezuelan artist Jhomar Loaiza showcases the traditional head wraps worn by women in Curaçao. The style was said to signify modest and also protect their hair against the sun.

Gato: On the southeast side of the island lies Jan Thiel Beach where trendy beach clubs, boutique shops and international restaurants beg you to spend a day and night. On Wednesdays, locals descend on this popular spot for acoustic, “Unplugged” musical performances by local artists.

Gato: The Blue Room is a natural wonder where the water and its reflection within the cave are an impossible blue. Bring your sense of adventure, snorkel gear, and an underwater camera.

Gato: The Blue Room tops many snorkelers must-do lists as this mostly underwater cave is known for its beautiful, deep blue hue and school of fish that hover inside it. Best on days where the sun is bright outside creating an even stronger reflection.

Gato: At night, truk di pans (food trucks) open after 9 p.m., providing night owls with late-night eats after conquering Curaçao’s bustling nightlife scene. This one, in particular, is known for grilling and makes the popular Kapsalon, meat, fries, and cheese. What’s not to love about that?

In February, the Los Angeles Lakers were among three teams in the NBA valued at over $4 billion on the Forbes franchise valuation list, ranking second, only behind the Knicks, at $4.4 billion. While franchise valuation isn’t necessarily representative of the cash flow ownership has at any given time, the Lakers are always near the top of the most profitable franchises in the league and few would think of them as a business getting hit the hardest by the current pandemic.

There is no doubt that sports franchises are feeling the effects and hurting like so many others, but when the federal government launched the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, no one would have thought of the Los Angeles Lakers as an organization worthy of a cut. As it turns out, the Lakers did indeed apply and were granted $4.6 million by the PPP, but have since given the funds back after the coffers went dry amid various reports that large corporations and companies had received loans while many actual small businesses around the country struggled to get through the process, as they told ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz in a statement.

“The Lakers qualified for and received a loan under the Payroll Protection Program,” the Lakers said in a statement to ESPN. “Once we found out the funds from the program had been depleted, we repaid the loan so that financial support would be directed to those most in need. The Lakers remain completely committed to supporting both our employees and our community.”

The Lakers qualified as they are a business with 300 or so employees, but they certainly don’t operate or bring in revenue like what you would think of when you think of a small business. It’s not surprising that the Lakers and others looked into PPP funding and applied, and truthfully, it’s an indictment of the federal government’s planning and processing of the fund that they were given a loan while others were denied — and that there wasn’t enough set aside to help more businesses in need. Still, it’s the right move to give the money back, as many other larger businesses have, even if it shouldn’t have had to be their decision in the first place. The Lakers are surely being impacted tremendously by the current situation, but there are thousands upon thousands of businesses around the country that find themselves in far worse situations.

Even without a hard release date for Run The Jewels 4, El-P and Killer Mike continue the rollout for their next album undaunted. After releasing their unprecedented party track “Ooh La La” with Greg Nice and DJ Premier last month, the duo dropped the video today and despite being a fresh look for the ordinarily aggressive partners-in-rhyme, they infuse it with every bit of their anti-establishment rebel spirit.

While “Ooh La La” is ostensibly a party song, just shooting a bunch of people dancing in a club would be too pedestrian for the Run The Jewels crew. Instead, the people dance in the middle of Wall Street in the aftermath of a hypothetical revolution, burning huge piles of money and passing out champagne bottle to celebrate the downfall of financial institutions and corporations — you know, the ones who just got a $500 billion bailout at the same time as 11 million Americans filed first-time unemployment claims.

The video came accompanied by a statement from the crew, which you can read below.

We shot this video only a few weeks before the pandemic hit with no clue as to what the future held. The fact that we got the chance to do it is damn near miraculous in hindsight.

In conceptualizing the video with our friends Brian and Vanessa Beletic we imagined the world on the day that the age old struggle of class was finally over –a day that humanity, empathy, and community were victorious over the forces that would separate us based on arbitrary systems created by man.

This video is a fantasy of waking up on a day that there is no monetary system, no dividing line, no false construct to tell our fellow man that they are less or more than anyone else. Not that people are without but that the whole meaning of money has vanished. That we have somehow solved our self-created caste system and can now start fresh with love, hope and celebration. It’s a dream of humanity’s V-DAY… and the party we know would pop off.

Love, RTJ

PS: We’d like to thank everyone who busted their ass to make this happen from directors Brian and Vanessa Beletic to line producer Cat Restrepo to editor Biff Butler to the wonderful folks at The Mill who handled post production, as well as everyone involved in shooting, prepping and executing this video. You guys gave us so much of your energy and talent during this crazy f*cking time to make it all come together and we are truly grateful.

Watch the “Ooh La La” video above.

As much as times have changed in hip-hop, one name remains a constant when rap fans talk about the greatest MCs the genre has ever seen. The Notorious B.I.G. still appears on many fans’ all-time lists, a function of both the time-tested quality of his music and the manner of his untimely, still-unsolved death. You might think that with over 25 years passed since his debut album, we’ve all heard all there is to hear from the legendary rapper, but it looks like Biggie can still surprise us with new music, even decades after his death.

In this case, the new release came via New York producer Statik Selektah’s Instagram (what would Biggie’s Instagram be like, we wonder). After declaring himself “bored on a Sunday,” Statik — who has worked with Action Brons, Bun B, Freddie Gibbs, Joey Badass, and more over the years — posted the new verse with a question and a challenge in the caption, writing, “Some new Biggie for you? (Bored on a Sunday). Even the biggest Notorious fans prob don’t know this verse.”

Statik thanked Joe Lyons for the “reminder,” which apparently came in the form of a flyer the former DJ posted promoting his upcoming Instagram Live session playing rare and unreleased Biggie demos and freestyles. “If you are a huge fan and collector of Biggie’s music you likely have heard most of these tracks,” he disclaimed, “But tune in for a trip down memory lane to the early ’90s when #nychiphop ruled.”

You can listen to the “new” Biggie verse above.

Earlier this year, Jessy Lanza’s spacey lead single “Lick In Heaven” ushered in a new era following her 2016 record Oh No. The certifiable bop set the pace for Lanza’s upcoming dance-ready project. Lanza now returns with the shuffling single “Face” to announce her third record All The Time.

Crunchy synths and digital tones are at the forefront of Lanza’s off-kilter track. The accompanying video, directed by Winston Case, was filmed during their travels across the US. Hailing from Ontario, Lanza had an insightful journey across the US while on tour. In a statement, the singer said she drew inspiration for “Face” from watching the sea of people’s faces on the NYC subway:

“I was fantasizing about what everyone was thinking based on their expressions. I found myself projecting my own feelings onto the strangers I was looking at. I went home and wrote the lyrics imagining that the commuters were having telepathic conversations with each other. The questions I imagined them asking each other oscillated from sexual to confrontational: ‘Baby is it just enough? Tell me do you want it all? Baby are you feeling tough? Feeling tougher more than not?’”

Watch Lanza’s “Face” video above. Below find her All The Time cover art and tracklist.

1. “Anyone Around”
2. “Lick In Heaven”
3. “Face”
4. “Badly”
5. “Alexander”
6. “Ice Creamy”
7. “Like Fire”
8. “Baby Love”
9. “Over And Over”
10. “All The Time”

All The Time is out 7/24 via Hyperdub. Pre-order it here.

Like The Mandalorian before it, Disney+ is forgoing Netflix’s “all at once” model and releasing one episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars per week. More shows should be put out that way, but there is a downside: if you’re waiting to binge the final season, Twitter is a spoiler minefield on (in the case of Clone Wars) Fridays, especially last Friday, when many of the day’s trending topics concerned the new episode, “The Phantom Apprentice.”

I am one of those people who’s waiting to watch the season (the final season!) all at once, but I was aware of the buzz surrounding “Phantom,” which is not only apparently a series highlight, it’s also one of the highest-rated episodes in TV history on IMDb.

As with all things voted on by anyone with decent wifi, you shouldn’t take IMDb’s “User Rating” metric too seriously, but it’s still an interesting indication of what fans consider to be the best episode of a series (like “Homer’s Enemy” for The Simpsons) and the worst (“Lisa Goes Gaga”). “The Phantom Apprentice” is currently sporting a near-perfect 9.9 rating, where it’s in a second-place tie with the series finales for Six Feet Under and Chernobyl; “407 Proxy Authentication Required” (Mr. Robot); “Mizumono” (Hannibal); and multiple episodes of Attack on Titan, Game of Thrones (“The Winds of Winter,” “Battle of the Bastards,” “Hardhome,” and “The Rains of Castamere”), and Breaking Bad (“Felina,” “Face Off”), among others. Speaking of Breaking Bad, it has the distinction of having the only 10.0 episode on IMDb: season five’s “Ozymandias,” where [spoiler] is killed and Walt [spoiler]. I probably don’t need to include spoiler warnings, as the episode came out seven years ago, but I wouldn’t want to ruin the “Ozymandias” experience for anyone. It truly is the best episode of Breaking Bad, and that’s saying something.

It’s hard to get two people to agree something is good on the internet, let alone 113,939. How many thumbs up do Saul and Kim give “Ozymandias”?

(Via IMDb)

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