Category: Worldwide

Basketball and football aren’t the only sports with deep connections to hip-hop. Some of your favorite rappers, like 2024 breakout star Doechii, also grew up playing soccer (which is also football in most of the world), so it’s only right for the premiere soccer league in the US to show some love to hip-hop (see what I did there?). Doechii appears in MLS’ “Game On” campaign to hype up the upcoming 2025 season — the league’s 30th (time flies, right?).

Amid clips of thrilling headers and game-changing goals, Doechii runs down a list of things that are officially “on,” including: Doechii herself, stars (like Messi!), rivalries, and more. She certainly makes the sport sound more exciting than its reputation stateside, with a declaration that distinguishes Major League Soccer from the many longer-established leagues worldwide: “This is our soccer.” Yup, now, if we could win a world cup or something, maybe they’ll give our soccer some credit.

It certainly helps to have a breakout star like Doechii representing. The release of her debut mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, has made her a bona fide supernova, with a Grammy nomination, a slew of fan-favorite performances, and a newly minted Hot 100 single to her name.

This weekend is the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, where one of hip-hop’s pioneers will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the culture. Roxanne Shanté is widely thought to be one of the first female rappers with a solo hit — 1984’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” — and will soon be the first solo female rapper to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. The other artists being honored at this year’s ceremony include Frankie Beverly, The Clash, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal, Prince, and Frankie Valli.

The award is given to “performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording” — a bill Shanté certainly fits, considering she was one of the first female rappers ever to be embroiled in a rap feud, a proud legacy that continued into last year thanks to Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Ice Spice, and Nicki Minaj.

Other members of the hip-hop community to be honored for their contributions to the genre’s growth include Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Salt-N-Pepa, Slick Rick, and N.W.A.

The 2025 Grammy Awards, which will be hosted once again by Trevor Noah, will air at 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM EST on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

We now know the 24 players that will be headed to San Francisco in two weeks for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game (in its new format) after reserves were announced on Thursday night, and as is always the case, there were more than 24 players that had legitimate cases for a roster spot.

This year felt particularly difficult to narrow down the field, as some of the long-time standbys for the All-Star Game slid back and a bunch of young players emerged as legit All-Star talent. Add in a dominant team in each conference (which usually leads to multiple selections) and some surprise teams (headlined by the Houston Rockets), and you create quite the conundrum for the coaches as they pick the seven reserve players in each conference. We saw that play out on Thursday night when reserves were announced, as there were a number of players that will feel they got snubbed from an All-Star spot.

As is always the case, it’s easy to yell about snubs but anyone you add to the roster means someone has to be taken off. To be honest, I don’t think there are a ton of clearly egregious selections — if anything, this year is a reminder that it’s past time for the All-Star rosters to expand as the league has expanded — but these are the players I feel had the best resumes that got left off and have an argument to be in over someone else that made it.

EAST

Trae Young

The East backcourt was the biggest logjam in terms of players with similar resumes going up against each other. It’s an incredibly difficult group to separate and it was always going to be where the most players felt legitimately snubbed, because so much of the selection process would come down to what someone values personally in a guard. Young is the NBA’s assist leader (by a lot, 78 more than Nikola Jokic in second) on a Hawks team that was overachieving largely because of his play (and Jalen Johnson, who is now done for the season with a shoulder injury but had an All-Star case in the frontcourt as well). Young’s shooting efficiency (40.2/34.2/85.6 splits) and more pedestrian scoring average of 22.7 points per game played a role in him being left off, but the biggest problem for Young is that the Hawks have dropped from the battle for sixth all the way to ninth in the East. Despite the entire season being factored in, recency bias does tend to come into play and the Hawks have fallen off a cliff of late with injuries, losing their last six coming into Thursday.

Tyrese Maxey

Maxey, similarly to Young, has had efficiency issues this season (43.8/33.7/87.1 shooting splits) on a banged up team that leans heavily on him for scoring. That said, he’s still averaging 27.1 points and 6.0 assists per game, and has had to carry the load on a Sixers team that has spent most of the season without Joel Embiid and Paul George. Team record always plays a role in reserve selections, as coaches tend to reward winning, and more than anything else, Maxey’s candidacy takes a hit with the Sixers at 19-27, good for just 11th in the East. He did make a very strong closing argument for an All-Star selection, scoring 28 or more in each of his last 12 games, with Philly winning their four most recent games going into selection night.

Zach LaVine

The Bulls struggles meant LaVine faced an extreme uphill battle to make the All-Star Game, but he’s had a similarly fantastic season to Herro, just on a worse team. He’s averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for Chicago on some truly staggering shooting splits (51.1/44.6/79.7). The Bulls being 20-28 made it very difficult for him to earn a third All-Star nod without having crazier averages, but if nothing else he has rebuilt his value around the league after being unmovable for the Bulls this summer.

LaMelo Ball

The leader in fan voting among East guards will not be in San Francisco, a scenario that was not hard to see coming once you started doing the math on the starter vote. Once Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson were voted as starters, with the media and player vote being enough to override Ball’s lead in fan voting, it was hard to see him getting a spot via the coaches. Ball is putting up some big averages at 28.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game, but his shooting splits are fairly pedestrian (41.9/33.7/82.0) and the Hornets have been truly dreadful this season with or without him. Making an All-Star team on a 12-32 team requires some truly outrageous stats, and I think Ball needed to be leading the NBA in scoring to make the team on the coaches vote, rather than being fourth (and missing 11 games and counting).

Franz Wagner

The frontcourt picks in the East were much more straightforward than the guards. Jalen Johnson had a pretty strong case pre-injury, and Jarrett Allen’s been key for the Cavs but just doesn’t really have the statistical profile for a selection. However, the guy that was likely closest to making it that didn’t was Wagner, who was trending as an All-Star lock before his injury, but playing in just 28 games made it tough for the coaches to put him on the roster. Wagner is averaging 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 46.2/31.7/87.2 shooting splits, but the Magic took a big tumble down the standings without both he and Paolo Banchero, and even with both back they have not been able to do much other than tread water at .500. With other teams like Indiana surging (which pushed Pascal Siakam into an All-Star spot), Wagner got pinched by his lengthy absence and Orlando’s slide.

WEST

Kyrie Irving

Most All-Star lists that got written by various members of the media over the past few weeks had Kyrie Irving alongside Anthony Edwards for the second West guard slot, but with James Harden getting that nod, the Mavs got shut out. Luka Doncic’s injury took him off of the ballot and for awhile it looked like Irving would be a near-lock for a spot. But the Mavs struggles over the last few weeks have them down in eighth in the West at 26-22 and Kyrie’s averages of 24.2 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game on 48.2/41.9/89.7 shooting splits were apparently not enough to get a spot. With both Wild Card spots going to frontcourt players as coaches looked to reward the Rockets strong season with a spot for Alperen Sengun and the Thunder getting a second selection with Jalen Williams, the 8-time All-Star guard ended up missing out.

Domantas Sabonis

West frontcourt was the next toughest group to narrow down behind the East guards, and Sabonis, like Sengun, was among those left on the outside looking in. Sabonis’ numbers this year in Sacramento are staggering — 20.9 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game on 60.1/48.1/77.1 splits. The problem he ran into is, Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis were always going to be locks with LeBron and KD getting starting spots, the Thunder were always getting two guys in which elevated Jalen Williams over him, and the Grizzlies best player this year has been Jaren Jackson Jr., and he is more than deserving of a spot. That made things particularly tight and it came down to a Wild Card battle with some of the West guards.

De’Aaron Fox

Like his Sacramento teammate, Fox finds himself just on the outside despite strong averages (25.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds per game). Anthony Edwards and Kyrie Irving picked up the two West guard spots and with the stacked frontcourt battle, there were limited opportunities for a Wild Card selection for Fox. The Kings have been better of late and that surge certainly gave him a chance, but he’ll have to wait until next year, when he’s possibly playing somewhere else, to make another push for a second All-Star selection.

Devin Booker

Booker’s production this season is very similar to Fox (25.5 points, 6.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds per game) and he will miss out on an All-Star trip for the first time in five years. Booker’s biggest issue is that the Suns have just not lived up to expectations and he’s taken a slight step back both in overall productivity and efficiency this season. Durant’s spectacular season earned him a starting nod, but putting two players from the current 9-seed was a tough ask for Phoenix.

Norman Powell

Snub might be a strong word, but Powell’s season deserves a mention here. His averages aren’t so eye-popping that you feel he was robbed of a spot (24.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game) but he’s been lights out shooting the ball (49.4/43.5/84.6 splits) and is a major reason why the Clippers are in a playoff position in the West past the midway point of the season despite the departure of Paul George this summer. James Harden getting a selection was a bit of a surprise, and there

Last week, the NBA announced the 10 players who earned the distinction of being a starter in the 2025 All-Star Game. Fast-forward to today and the league rounded out the player pools from each conference, as the Inside the NBA crew announced the reserves from both the East and the West.

Here’s how things break down:

Eastern Conference

Jaylen Brown
Pascal Siakam
Darius Garland
Cade Cunningham
Evan Mobley
Damian Lillard
Tyler Herro

Western Conference

Anthony Edwards
Anthony Davis
James Harden
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Alperen Sengun
Jalen Williams
Victor Wembanyama

This, of course, will not be the final list of players who participate in All-Star this year, as some of the names on this list will be out due to injury. There’s also the curious case of Victor Wembanyama, who was selected to the Rising Stars Challenge — because of the new format that the NBA has put together for All-Star, the winning Rising Stars team will get an invitation to play in the 4-team mini-tournament, and presumably, the team that has Wemby on it will have a pretty big advantage over everyone else, if he chooses to participate instead of doing the All-Star Game.

The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Last week, FYI and Uproxx Studios, in collaboration with will.i.am’s charity, i.am. Angel Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, and WalkGood LA raised over $250,000 for people affected by the devastating LA Wildfires in a series of livestream telethon-esque events. Dubbed the “LA Check In,” the event saw donations come in from people who live and breathe LA, but the work isn’t done just yet.

The LA Check In is set to continue this Friday, January 31st, live from the FYI Campus, opening the doors to the community to join in on the festivities.

This week’s event will include appearances from will.i.am, DJ Drama, DJ and songwriter Samantha Ronson, DJ HED, and a surprise performance by viral rap sensation Coast Contra, as well as unannounced surprise guests, and an open bar providing premium drinks for everyone in attendance.

Given the talent already in question, you’re going to want to be there, but this is also a unique opportunity to be a part of doing what LA does best — coming together to care for its community.

Space at this event is limited, but you can secure your spot with a donation here. 100% of the proceeds raised by the LA Check In will be directed to LA fire relief efforts, providing immediate financial assistance to affected families in need via organizations on the ground floor, including the LAUSD Foundation, Pasadena Educational Foundation, and Core Foundations.

Come through and come together to support LA. Reserve your ticket here.

Saturday Night Live has put together quite the lineup of musicians to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary.

Peacock‘s SNL50: The Homecoming Concert special will feature “live from New York” (specifically, Radio City Music Hall) performances from Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Bad Bunny. The other acts, all of whom have performed on SNL before, include Arcade Fire, Backstreet Boys, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Chris Martin, David Byrne, DEVO, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Jelly Roll, Mumford & Sons, Post Malone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Robyn, The B-52s, and The Roots. More names will be announced.

Here’s more:

Live from Radio City Music Hall, witness the concert of a lifetime with a star-studded lineup of musical performances and comedy guests. This one-night-only SNL homecoming event, executive produced by Lorne Michaels and Mark Ronson, will bring together legendary SNL hall-of-famers, iconic guests, and surprise musical performances.

SNL50: The Homecoming Concert streams live on Peacock on February 14 at 8 p.m. ET.

The special will also play at select Regal Cinemas IMAX theaters in California, Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, and Florida. Free tickets for the fan screenings will be made available for Fandango FanClub, Regal Crown Club members, and IMAX subscribers. You can find out more information here.

On Thursday, a bombshell report from the Baltimore Banner details alleged inappropriate behavior by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker towards six massage therapists in the Baltimore area at various spas from 2012-16.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker engaged in inappropriate behavior at four high-end spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore region, according to six massage therapists, including exposing his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments.

Tucker’s attorneys denied the allegations, and Tucker released a lengthy statement calling them “unequivocally false”. Six therapists went on record with the Banner detailing extremely similar experiences with Tucker. Two of the spas said through attorneys that they banned Tucker as a client and made him aware of that in a phone call, which Tucker’s lawyers also denied.

Per the Banner, most of the six women they spoke to had not known each other prior to being contacted for the story, but provided very consistent accounts of Tucker’s behavior. The Banner also corroborated the stories with a number of their colleagues who recalled being told of the incidents at the time — and include a screenshot of a private Facebook post by one of the therapists in 2013.

Five of the women said Tucker asked them to massage his pelvic region or inner thighs while he had an erection. Then they said he repeatedly wiggled his pelvis to remove the sheets, which fully or partially exposed his genitals. Two women said Tucker brushed them with his exposed penis. Three said, when they returned to the treatment room after Tucker left, they discovered a large wet spot on the massage table, which they strongly believed to be ejaculate.

The accounts of Tucker’s alleged behavior follow a similar pattern to that of Deshaun Watson. The defense from Tucker’s attorneys is that athletes move around due to the intensity of massages, and the wet spot could’ve been anything — sweat, water, massage oil, etc. However, the therapists make clear that his movements to uncover himself were not just normal behavior during a massage, and also state there was no confusion as to what was left on the massage table. The Banner spoke with four other massage therapists, referred to by Tucker’s attorneys, that have worked with Tucker recently and described positive experiences.

The NFL said it will “look into the matter” and claims that it became aware of the allegations against Tucker on Thursday when the story came out.

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour remains the highest-grossing tour of all time, but it’s no longer the most attended.

According to Guinness World Records, that feat belongs to Coldplay’s colorful Music Of The Spheres World Tour with over 10.3 million tickets sold, compared to “only” 10.1 million for Swift. The soon-to-be-retired British group will keep adding to that number, too: the tour isn’t over until September 2025.

Additionally, Coldplay recently played the “largest-ever stadium show of the 21st century” in Ahmedabad, India, with more than 223,000 fans in attendance across two nights. “Thank you Ahmedabad, thank you India,” the band’s official account wrote on X. “We’ll never forget these two weeks. Your love and kindness will stay with us forever.”

Below, you can see the other most-attended tours ever.

The Top 10 Most Attended Tours Of All Time

1. Coldplay — Music Of The Spheres World Tour (10.3 million tickets sold)
2. Taylor Swift — The Eras Tour (10.1 million)
3. Ed Sheeran — ÷ Tour (8.8 million)
4. U2 — 360° Tour (7.3 million)
5. Guns N’ Roses — Use Your Illusion Tour (7 million)
6. The Rolling Stones — Voodoo Lounge Tour (6.5 million)
7. Garth Brooks — The Garth Brooks World Tour (6.3 million)
8. Elton John — Farewell Yellow Brick Road (6 million)
9. The Rolling Stones — Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour (6 million)
10. Rammstein — Rammstein Stadium Tour (6 million)

I was surprised to see Rammstein in the top 10, too.

Yesterday (January 29), Patti Smith was speaking on stage at an event in Brazil when she “collapsed,” before ultimately ending the show early, per The Associated Press.

Since then, Smith has apparently heard some inaccurate tellings of what happened, so she has decided to clear the air.

On Instagram today, Smith posted a photo of herself smiling and waving at the camera. She also shared a statement in the post’s caption, and it explains the situation:

“This is letting everyone know that I am fine. A grossly exaggerated account is being spread by the press and social media. I had some post migraine dizziness. Had a small incident, left the stage, and returned 10 minutes later and talked to the people, told them I was fine and sang them Wing and Because the night. I was checked out by an excellent Doctor and was absolutely fine. Please do not accept any other story . With all the strife in the world, this explainable incident does not merit so much attention. Thank you everyone for your concern. Trust me I am fine.”

In 2023, Smith canceled some concerts after being hospitalized due to a “sudden illness.” Smith later shared a message apologizing for the cancellations and thanking hospital staff for taking good care of her.

Life is kind of messy right now (understatement), so thank goodness that Reacher‘s third season will arrive to collectively punch some baddies.

Alan Ritchson’s Big Guy will touch down in Maine to adapt Lee Child’s Persuader novel, and in the process, he will stared upward at a Bigger Guy, Paul “Paulie” Masserella, who will be embodied by Oliver “The Dutch Giant” Ritchers. He’s a frightening specter even when not frowning, and Ritchers has been known to gobble 1000 calories in 3 minutes to keep his World’s Tallest Bodybuilder title going strong. Ritchson vs. Richers.

Also, Reacher will embark upon an undercover mission, and I can’t get that into my eyeballs soon enough.

When Does Reacher Season 3 Come Out?

February 20, 2025. Amazon’s synopsis lays the drama on thick:

Based on Lee Child’s novel Persuader, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. There, he finds a world of secrecy and violence and confronts some unfinished business from his own past.

Ritchson and Ritchers will be joined by Maria Sten in her continuing role as Frances Neagley. Additionally, Anthony Michael Hall will be onboard as the head villain of the season, and because Reacher always needs a love interest, Sonya Cassidy will portray DEA Agent Susan Duffy (tough job, someone’s gotta do it, you know the drill).