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Believe it or not, youngins, at one point in rap, Mase was leading the way. The rapper-turned-pastor-turned-podcaster was the poster child for Bad Boy Records. However, seemingly out of nowhere, on April 20, 1999, he formally announced his retirement from the game Funkmaster Flex’s radio show, citing religious reasons.

Shortly after, he made his widely embraced comeback in 2004 with the track “Welcome Back.” However, his passion for the game had dwindled. In the years following a nasty feud with his former label head, Diddy was all the public could talk about. On Friday, March 22, during a recent episode of his co-hosted podcast, It Is What It Is, he claimed his retirement from rap was ultimately to “escape” Diddy.

“Everything, now, that we see playing out was all the things that I escaped,” he said, seemly referring to the mountain of allegations Diddy is facing. “The car. The Shyne. The Loon. Puff Daddy. Craig Mack. Biggie Smalls. So, even though I made those decisions and it cost me money, that’s why [when] I got with [Cam’Ron], [God] gave me the money back. I didn’t [really] lose no money. Destiny.”

What started as a conversation about the start of Kobe (R.I.P.) and Vanessa Bryant’s relationship, life, and destiny led Mase to think about his past.

Watch the full episode above (however, the remarks start around the 1-minute and 4-second mark).

Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers continue to look good as they try to avenge last year’s performance in the NCAA Tournament. After becoming the second 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed in the history of the men’s tournament last year, the Boilermakers have steamrolled Grambling State and Utah State this year to earn a berth in the Sweet 16. And on Sunday, Edey was magnificent in a 106-67 win over the Aggies, going for 23 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, three assists, and two steals.

After the game, Purdue coach Matt Painter got asked about people (namely journalists) who believe the success the back-to-back consensus first-team All-American has comes exclusively because of his size. In a clip that sure comes off like a coach who has been thinking about this for quite awhile, Painter took some time to respond.

“They just shouldn’t cover basketball,” Painter said. “And so, like, you go to school and you learn things or whatever, but we all don’t like every single class we’re in, right? It’s kind of a necessary evil, it’s like going to work — you don’t like everybody you work with, or you don’t like certain parts of your job. It’s tough, right? You gotta be able to deal with certain things that are difficult.

“I just think everybody should take tests on their knowledge of what they’re doing,” he continued. “I think coaches should take a test so they understand refereeing, and I think all referees should take a test so they understand coaching. And I think all journalists should have to take a basketball quiz or a test, or anybody that tweets, they should have to be able to do it. If they say something so moronic as that, then they should have to have a probationary status where they can’t tweet for, like, three months. I think it’ll help society, just try to knock out the fools so they don’t have to meet at the local Walmart and say things that don’t make any sense.”

With the win on Sunday, Edey and the Boilermakers earned a matchup against Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

Joey Grundl, a pizza delivery driver for a Domino’s Pizza in Waldo, Wisconsin, is being hailed as a hero for noticing a kidnapped woman’s subtle cry for help.

The delivery man was sent to a woman’s house to deliver a pie when her ex-boyfriend, Dean Hoffman, opened the door. Grundl looked over his shoulder and saw a middle-aged woman with a black eye standing behind Hoffman. She appeared to be mouthing the words: “Call the police.”

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“I gave him his pizza and then I noticed behind him was his girlfriend,” Grundl told WITI Milwaukee. “She pointed to a black eye that was quite visible. She mouthed the words, ‘Call the police.'”

When Grundl got back to his delivery car, he called the police. When the police arrived at the home, Hoffmann tried to block the door, but eventually let the police into the woman’s home.

After seeing the battered woman, Hoffmann was arrested and she was taken to the hospital for her wounds.

Earlier in the day, Hoffman arrived at the house without her permission and tried to convince her to get back into a relationship with him. He then punched her in the face and hog tied her with a vacuum power cord.

“If you love me, you will let me go,” she pleaded, but he reportedly replied, “You know I can’t do that.” He also threatened to shoot both of them with a .22 caliber firearm he kept in his car. The woman later told authorities that she feared for her life.

An alert pizza delivery driver helped save a woman from her abusive ex-boyfriend, police say. A 55-year-old Grafton man now faces several counts of domestic …

A day later, Grundl was seen on TV wearing a hoodie from Taylor Swift’s “Reputation Tour” and her fans quickly jumped into action, tagging Swift in photos of the hero. Grundl already had tickets to go to an upcoming Swift concert in Arlington, Wisconsin, but when Swift learned of the story, she arranged to meet Grundl backstage.

“She … she knew who I was,” Grundl jokingly tweeted after the concert. “I’m thoroughly convinced Taylor gave me a cold.”

“This has been one of the most exciting weeks of my life,” Grundl said. “I’m legitimately getting emotional and I almost never get like this. But as the likely most memorable week of my entire life comes to an end … I guess I can really say … I’m doing better than I ever was.”

See on Instagram

This story originally appeared on 10.4.18

The Colorado Buffaloes have a pair of players who are currently projected to hear their names called very early in the 2025 NFL Draft. Starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders could have gone awfully high this year if he did not decide to return to Boulder, while wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter might be the most talented player in college football.

We still have to get through the 2024 NFL Draft and the upcoming college football season before we start worrying about where Sanders and Hunter will go, but unsurprisingly, their current head coach has thought ahead about this one. During an appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, Deion Sanders expressed his belief that both players will go awfully high next spring, and then dropped a bombshell: He’s not opposed to either player pulling an Eli Manning if they go to a situation he dislikes.

“Top-4,” Sanders said when asked where he thinks the two players are going to go next spring at the 59:06 mark of this video. “Anywhere from 1-4, one of them is gonna be 1. One of them is gonna be 1, and the latter one would not go behind 4. Now, all this is subjective because I know where I want, kind of want them to go — and let’s not forget Shilo (Sanders). But I know where I want them to go. So, there’s certain cities where it ain’t gonna happen. It’s gonna be an Eli.”

Back in 2004, Manning and his father, Archie, made clear that the Ole Miss star refused to play for the team that had the No. 1 overall pick, the San Diego Chargers. As a result, after the Chargers used the pick on him, the team turned around and sent him to the New York Giants for a package headlined by the No. 4 pick that year, which was used on Philip Rivers.

Sanders did not specify which teams he’d prefer the two players avoid, nor did he explain his rationale for wanting this. However, while we have quite a way to go until next spring, this will almost certainly be something to monitor once we get through the upcoming college football season.

Film lovers, brace yourself. Apparently, there’s yet another musical movie heading to theaters. However, unlike other projects (Wonka, Mean Girls, Wicked, etc), this rumored theatrical release is completely appropriate considering its subject.

According to The InSneider, Prince’s biggest hits could be coming to the big screen. The newsletter letter reports that a “jukebox musical film” based on the late musician’s discography, directed by Ryan Coogler, is in the works.

Based on author Jeff Sneider’s account, the forthcoming project is backed by Universal Pictures but helmed by Proximity Media. Sneider also alleges that the venture has supposedly been “in development since 2018.” This part is noteworthy seeing that Prince died in April 2016. Following his tragic death, his estate was in constant contention as to which entities could license his likeness. Ultimately, the estate took first dibs, dropping unreleased music, a collector’s edition of written works, and more.

There have already been several attempts to release visuals about Prince’s life, including Ava DuVernay’s failed documentary attempt with Netflix. So, the public isn’t getting their hopes up. However, Sneider says the team over this latest project has been fully formed with involvement from Coogler’s wife and fellow director Zinzi, Bryan Edward Hill, Sev Ohanian, and Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, Jody Gerson.

Prince’s musical movie, Purple Rain, was preserved by the National Film Registry. So, Coogler has big shoes to fill. But given his past track record, he seems to be the perfect person for the job.

As if Ariana Grande didn’t have enough public scrutiny to worry about, there’s something else. The “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” singer’s latest album, Eternal Sunshine, was supposed to kick off a new peaceful era for Grande, but things haven’t gone to plan.

Following the explosive docuseries Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, Grande has begun to be bombarded with inquiries about her time as a child actor, specifically, her time working under the eye of Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider. During a taping of The View, host Sunny Hostin, and others questioned Grande’s silence on the allegations in the series and former Nick stars online.

As the panel discussed the damaging accusation of fostering a toxic and abusive work environment (including racism, sexism, harassment, and verbal abuse), many emphasized that Grande should address the claims from her experience on set with Schneider. Before becoming a global music star, Grande’s big entertainment break came through her appearance on Nick’s Victorious and Sam & Cat.

Joy Behar broke through the dialogue to seemingly defend Grande’s lack of involvement. “But what does Ariana Grande have to do with this,” she asked. “Did she even witness anything?”

Hostin pushed back, saying: “She is an adult now. So, is silence complicity or not?”

When the topic was introduced, Hostin shared her thoughts on allyship. “I often tell people if you’re a true ally and if something is happening in a room, if you see it happening to me, a true ally says it at that moment,” she said. “Don’t do that, you should do that.”

Users online slammed Hostin’s comments as insensitive. View a few responses below.

Drake continuously brags about his loyalty to “all of his dogs” (hence the name of his latest album). However, someone named Kendrick Lamar is ready to clear out the kennel.

Thanks to Lamar’s latest verse on Metro Boomin & Future’s song “Like That” (off of their joint album We Don’t Trust You), a new rap beef is sizzling up fan bases. Now that a few days have passed since Lamar’s fiery bars, fans are expecting a response from Drake any moment now. So, the question is, when is it coming?

Continue below for more speculation.

Will Drake Respond To Kendrick Lamar’s Diss On The ‘It’s All A Blur Tour?’

Both dissed parties, Drake and J. Cole (slighted by association), are currently on the road. Yesterday (March 23), their joint, It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? made a stop at Sunrise, Florida’s Amerant Bank Arena. During the set, attendees expected a response but were deeply disappointed.

Instead of addressing Lamar’s sharp lines, Drake used the stage to show love to his mentor and longtime friend, Lil Wayne. The pair performed “Right Above It” and “She Will.”

Drake was later spotted living in a club in Miami, listening to an audio recording. Fans have speculated that it could be his official response, which they hope drops soon.

Meanwhile, users online have begun spreading a rumor that J. Cole’s official response to Lamar is imminent.

For now, eager hip-hop heads are forced to wait until the next bomb drops from either side.

The New York Knicks looked to Villanova University for inspiration as it put its team together for this year, and things have paid off in a big way. The team has made moves over the last two seasons to acquire Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo — all of whom were members of the 2016 Wildcats team that won a national title — and as a result, New York is 42-28 and has legitimate aspirations of winning the Eastern Conference.

While this is happening, Mikal Bridges is over in Brooklyn on a Nets team that isn’t doing especially well. The Nets are 26-45 and would need an all-time miracle to make the postseason. Bridges, who was a member of the 2018 Villanova championship squad alongside Brunson and DiVincenzo, has had a solid season, but it just hasn’t worked with him as the No. 1 option in Brooklyn. And over in Manhattan, Hart can’t help but compare this to a meme from SpongeBob SquarePants.

“It’s like that SpongeBob meme when Squidward is looking out the window and he sees SpongeBob and Patrick having fun,” Hart said, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “[Mikal] is Squidward.”

It is an unbelievable line by Hart, in large part because everyone knows exactly what he is talking about and it sums up how things are going in New York pretty well. But who knows? Maybe there’s some path that leads to Bridges ending up on the Knicks that turns all of the Villanova guys into a different, more optimistic SpongeBob meme.

In 2005, a Croatian architect designed a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.

Nope, not nonsensical bellows or chaotic tones. Real, actual, music.

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Most of us have never seen, or heard, anything like it.

Imagine walking along the picturesque Adriatic Sea, treading lightly on a set of white stone steps as a cool breeze rolls past.

Carved into the steps are narrow channels that connect to 35 organ pipes, each tuned to different meticulously arranged musical chords.

As the waves lap against the steps, they push air through the pipes and out whistle-holes in the surface above, making a harmonious and completely random musical arrangement.

But you don’t see what’s happening below the surface. You close your eyes and all you hear is a song like you’ve never heard before, one completely unique to the movement of the sea at that exact moment.

Take a listen: Here’s what it sounded like at one particular moment, on one particular day. On any other day, it might sound completely different.

(Hit the orange button to hear it.)

Pretty amazing, right?

The Sea Organ, or the Morske Orgulje, is an incredible feat of architecture designed to bring life back to one of the world’s oldest cities.

Zadar, a 3,000-year-old city on the coast of Croatia, was almost completely destroyed in World War II –– so many of its ancient landmarks lost forever. Years after a rebuilding that featured lots of plain, concrete structures, award-winning architect Nikola Bašić was brought in to bring some delight back to the coastline.

That’s when he came up with the idea.

No doubt he was inspired by the hydraulis — a nifty little instrument built by the ancient Greeks that used water to push air through tuned pipes — or even the Wave Organ in San Francisco — a set of curved tubes built in the 1980s that amplify the gurgles and howls of the Pacific Ocean.

But the intricate design of the Sea Organ is what sets it apart and makes it truly something to marvel at.

This article originally appeared on 11.06.15

Matthew Inman is the Eisner Award-winning author of The Oatmeal. He’s published six books, including New York Times Best-Sellers such as “How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You“ and “The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances.” He enjoys running marathons, writing comics, and eating cake.

You can read more of Matthew’s comics here.

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