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The Miami Heat made a couple of important decisions on Sunday regarding their two veterans with team options, letting Andre Iguodala walk (with most anticipating he will return to the Warriors) and somewhat surprisingly picking up the $19.4 million option on Goran Dragic.

With Miami as one of the presumptive frontrunners for Kyle Lowry, picking up Dragic certainly opens up doors for a sign-and-trade with Toronto, but if the Raptors aren’t interested in a Dragic-centric package, they would need to find another team interested in taking on the veteran point guard. There are some teams that could have interest in doing so — the Mavs have been connected to the Slovenian point guard for the past couple summers/deadlines due to Luka Doncic’s relationship with Dragic — but it certainly put an interesting wrinkle into the point guard market.

Miami has been connected to Lowry for some time, making a push for him at the deadline this year, but they won’t be alone. Dallas and New Orleans have both cleared cap space to be able to meet the reported three-year, $90 million desires of Lowry in free agency, and Philadelphia’s interest in a sign-and-trade is also known. In the end, if money is all the same, it’s going to come down to where he feels most comfortable and happy spending the latter portion of his career. To try and give themselves a leg up in that category, the Heat are pulling out all the stops, per Marc Stein, who reports they are trying to work out how to bring Lowry’s old teammate and best friend DeMar DeRozan to Miami with him.

DeRozan will be a free agent and there were rumblings that San Antonio was willing to explore sign-and-trade opportunities to send him to L.A. before they pulled off the Russell Westbrook deal. Whether San Antonio, with a pair of young lead guards in Dejounte Murray and Derrick White they seem ready to build around, would want Dragic in a sign-and-trade or if a third team could be tossed into the mix remains to be seen, but there are few more tried and true routes to a free agents heart than bringing in their friends. That’s how Brooklyn ended up with DeAndre Jordan on a hefty deal as part of the price that came with landing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

The fit with DeRozan, Lowry, and Jimmy Butler would be fascinating to watch, if nothing else, as DeRozan and Butler have similar offensive games in that they like the ball in their hands and do their damage in the midrange, while Lowry isn’t exactly a sharpshooter from three. They would definitely have to match most any offer sheet for Duncan Robinson to give some floor balance offensively to that trio plus Bam Adebayo, but defensively they would be an absolute nightmare to deal with. We’ll see in the coming days if this becomes something more than pre-free agency smoke, but for now it’s fun to imagine those two longtime friends reuniting in Miami for one more ride.

The Kid Laroi’s success first began with his 2020 debut mixtape, F*ck Love, and increased a deluxe version titled F*ck Love (Savage). Now, more than a year after the original release, he finally reaches No. 1 on the ‘Billboard’ chart thanks to a second and third reissue titled F*ck Love 3: Over You and F*ck Love 3+: Over You respectively.

The Australian act’s latest reached the top of the charts thanks to 85,000 units sold for the chart dated August 7. That number is comprised of 82,000 streaming equivalent album units and 2,000 pure album sales. On July 23, Laroi dropped F*ck Love 3: Over You, adding seven new songs and guest features from Polo G, Stunna 4 Vegas, Justin Bieber, G Herbo, Lil Durk, and Mustard. Four days later, he returned with F*ck Love 3+: Over You, which tacked on six more songs, bringing it to 35 songs and an hour and 18 minutes of music. Altogether, the pair of reissues helped boost the album into the No. 1 spot.

F*ck Love is the first album to top the chart without previously debuting at No. 1 since 2019’s Frozen II soundtrack. It’s also the first album to reach No. 1 more than a year after its release since Prince’s 2001 album The Very Best Of Prince reclaimed the top spot in 2016. The last album to sit atop the album chart for the first time more than a year after its release was the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?. It went No. 1 sixty-three weeks after the project was initially shared back in early 2001.

Last month, the music world was met with the sad news of Biz Markie’s death, which came as a result of complications with Type II Diabetes. Now plans for the rapper’s funeral were revealed: It will be held on August 2 at the Patchogue Theatre For The Performing Arts in Patchogue, New York, the rapper’s hometown. Greater Long Island reports that the funeral will run from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and also be livestreamed on BET.

“Biz Markie touched the world with his infectious smile, amazing energy, and hip hop hits,” the announcement reads, according to Revolt. “Known for his Top 40 hit, ‘Just A Friend’ and his recurring role on Yo Gabba Gabba! he brightened every room he was in and every song he was on.”

Reverend Al Sharpton will give the eulogy at the service, which he spoke about in a recent post to Twitter. There will also be appearances from the late rapper’s peers, including Fat Joe, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J and members of the Juice Crew.

Shortly after Markie’s death, his representative Jenni Izumi revealed that he passed away with his wife beside him. “Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years,” Izumi added. “He leaves behind a wife, many family members and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes and frequent banter.”

Matt Damon first made his name playing a coarse M*sshole who happens to be a reluctant genius. Since Good Will Hunting, he’s built a very different persona: Nice, affable, polite, often endearingly bumbling. (A rare exception is as the Gruff Midwestern Everyman he plays in the new film Stillwater.) But you can’t take the Massachusetts out of a Massachusettsite, which is why — for some reason — he decided to confess that he only stopped using the “f-slur” semi-recently.

In a new interview with the UK’s Sunday Times (as caught by Vulture), the actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter opened with an anecdote about how his daughter stopped him from using an epithet that went out of fashion among polite society quite a long time ago. He called it “the f-slur for homosexual,” and he was apparently still throwing that one around, at least among family and friends.

To get him to retire the term took, he said, a “very long” plea from his daughter. “I made a joke, months ago, and got a treatise from my daughter,” he recounted. “She left the table. I said, ‘Come on, that’s a joke! I say it in the movie Stuck on You!’ She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous. I said, ‘I retire the f-slur!’ I understood.”

Why would Damon self-own like this? And why did it take so long, especially since he’s played two prominent LGBTQ+ characters, in Behind the Candelabra and The Talented Mr. Ripley? Who knows! But for some reason he never got the memo that the only people who still use the “f-slur” are old school bigots, or certain rappers. Indeed, this bit of news was dropped during a recent epidemic in homophobia amongst the hip-hop world, which saw DaBaby get booted from Lollapalooza due to an anti-gay tirade.

When the news hit social media, it left a lot of people confused.

Anyway, welcome to 2021, Mr. Damon!

(Via Sunday Times and Vulture)

On Friday, 42 Dugg shared what he felt was an affectionate video featuring him and his son. In it, the rapper can be seen kissing and licking his son around the neck and shoulder area, an act that many deemed inappropriate for the child. He later caught wind of the negative reaction and slammed critics with a homophobic response.

“Quit tryna shove that sh*t down n****s throats,” he wrote. “Ah gay n**** ah be on national tv tonguing down another h*e ass n****, but that’s ok though. Y’all or no motherfucker on earth ain’t finna make me like sh*t ion like and if y’all don’t like me f*ck y’all get wit me. Keep my son out y’all mouth flat out.”

A day after he posted this response, 42 Dugg returned with an apology for the insensitive statement.

It never be my intentions to offend anybody even when I’m offended so for that I am sorry. Usually I’m a very private person when it come to personal sh*t such as my son or my family in general people always tell me I need to take more pictures or you know let my fans see something about me other than music. Yesterday I called myself doing that. My son birthday was the weekend so I decided I would let y’all see how much fun we had. You know the picture/videos I posted of my son wasn’t put out for feedback. That was us being us. So for y’all to take that and make it what y’all did just reminded me of why I keep my family private. I will not be showing my son or any of my family on this s*it again. Y’all lost that privilege. This is for me to promote my music and that’s what I’m gone use it for. Nothing more nothing less.

On the music side of things, you can revisit the rapper’s recent videos for “Turnest N**** In The City” and “Maybach.”

42 Dugg is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As we continue moving into the digital age, we’re seeing stars across the world get more creative in bringing fans to them, especially in music. It used to be that the only way to check out your favorites was to go to a concert, a music festival, or maybe a meet and greet of some kind. Now we’re seeing some of these same events stretch out to a wider audience through the connectivity of online platforms, and particularly gaming.

One of the more unique ways we’ve seen this happening is in Fortnite. The battle royale may be most well known for all the dance trends it spawns, but it’s also hosted a lot of crossovers with real life stars such as Travis Scott and LeBron James.

Joining the trend of celebrities making their appearance in Fortnite will be pop star Ariana Grande. The former child actor turned pop singer, will be a part of Fortnite’s “Rift Tour” where she’ll put on virtual concerts for anyone that attends the in-game events. Of course, because this is Fortnite, there will also be quests to complete and Ariana Grande themed loot to collect throughout the Rift Tour.

Among the items that players can earn while playing Fortnite during this event is a Cuddly Cloudcruiser umbrella that players will be able to glide in with after dropping. The event begins Friday, August 6, and will take place throughout the weekend. The final showing will be on August 8, Sunday, at 6 p.m. ET.

Ensuring that fans around the world can catch the Rift Tour, the experience spans five showtimes over three days. We recommend fans arrive in Fortnite 60 minutes before showtime, and the Rift Tour Playlist should be live 30 minutes before each show. Before Ariana’s arrival, the Rift Tour kicks off with Fortnite-themed experiences — pairing popular tracks with moments based on elements from the game.

This might seem weird to some, but these events have been wildly successful in the past. During Travis Scott’s virtual concert he managed to break Fortnite’s concurrent players record with over 12 million all playing at once. Considering the extreme popularity of Ariana Grande, and that FFortnite is a free game, there’s a pretty solid chance that this concert is going to break a few records of its own.

Break-ups are hard, and it’s not always easy for two people who used to date— much less be married to — the same person to get along. And then there’s Lenny Kravitz and Jason Momoa. Kravitz was married to actress Lisa Bonet from the late ‘80s through the early ‘90s. Momoa is married to her now. And yet the two are not only great friends but also family — people who are very open about their love for one another. So it was no surprise that the musician went all out on the Aquaman star’s birthday. Again.

“Happy birthday, @prideofgypsies,” Kravitz wrote on Instagram, alongside a black-and-white photo of the two of them together, one considerably taller than the other. “I’m proud to call you my brother. One love. One family.”

It’s actually almost the exact same post Kravitz did last year, on Momoa’s previous birthday. Same picture, almost the same caption, now with the words, “I’m proud to call you my brother.”

There’s another member of this party, and that’s Zoë Kravitz, who took after both her parents, becoming a singer, like her dad Lenny, and an actress, like her mom. Both Zoë and her mother’s current husband are even both part of the DCEU, though it’s unclear whether Aquaman and her version of Catwoman — to be seen in the forthcoming The Batman — will ever get to hang. But at least in real life their bond is real and beautiful.

Susan Collins has long been the Neville Chamberlain of the so-called moderate right. The Maine senator has always pitched herself as a rare Republican who will reach across the aisle, and while she sometimes breaks rank — she was one of too few Rs who voted for Trump’s second impeachment, which didn’t clear the Senate — but more often she doesn’t. She infamously okayed Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court, and after Trump’s first impeachment — which she didn’t vote for — she bizarrely claimed he’d “learned his lesson.” (Spoiler: He didn’t.)

So naturally Collins poo-poohed the ongoing Jan. 6 committee. On Sunday she went on CNN, where she said she was “very disappointed” that the probe into the Capitol siege wasn’t as bipartisan as it could have been. Did that mean she was angry with Republicans, who shot such a committee down a number of weeks back? Nope. She put the blame on Democrats. “We should have had a 9/11-style commission, to fully look at what happened.”

Tapper didn’t let her argument slide. “Mitch McConnell opposed it, that’s why it didn’t happen,” he reminded her. He also pointed out that, despite her calling it a “partisan” committee, there are two Republicans on it: representatives Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney.

“I respect both of them, but I do not think it was right for the speaker to decide which Republicans should be on the committee,” Collins replied, referring to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks, including Jim Banks and Jim Jordan, both of whom Pelosi deemed unfit.

But Tapper didn’t let that slide either. He reminded her that both Banks and McCarthy are “election liars,” and that Jordan — who recently confessed that he spoke with Trump on Jan. 6, though he seemed to pretend that he couldn’t remember when — is possibly a material witness. But Collins tried to downplay that.

“There were many communications with President Trump that day,” she replied. She did clear a very low bar indeed, which is that those who stormed the Capitol were clearly inspired by the former president’s words.

While the rioters are primarily responsible for what happened, there’s no doubt in my mind that President Trump helped instigate and motivate the rioters,” she allowed.

What Tapper didn’t come and say is that she’d fallen right into McCarthy’s hands. No doubt that, by stocking his portion of the committee with lawmakers who believe the election was stolen — and who would turn it into a circus — he was hoping Pelosi would deny their involvement. And then someone like Collins would go on a place like CNN and claim that Pelosi, not McCarthy, was in the wrong for not being more bipartisan.

Collins’ words weren’t surprising. After all, some on social media pointed out, she almost always falls for what those on her side of the aisle claim.

Some dwelled on her curious defense of Jim Jordan, which wasn’t quite the rebuttal she was hoping for.

Speaking of learning lessons, some drudged up her defense of Donald J. Trump.

And her support for Kavanaugh.

And her other faults.

Some refused to believe she was even a true moderate.

We’re still a ways away from the committee concluding its fact-finding mission, but the odds are good that whatever they turn up, Collins will claim the day’s perpetrators will learn some valuable lessons.

The Miami Heat had a pair of huge decisions to make before the start of free agency. Two highly-paid veterans, Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala, each had team options worth a combined $34.4 million, and with Miami’s perpetual desire to bring in big names every offseason, that’s a ton of money to tie up in a pair of rotation players.

According to reports, the Heat made up their minds, and opted to only bring one of those guys back. The team will decline Iguodala’s option, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, and pick up Dragic’s option, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

What makes this decision so interesting is that the Heat are viewed as a potential landing spot for Kyle Lowry, who reports indicate want something in the range of $25-30 million this summer. While picking up Dragic’s option means they can’t bring him on board as a free agent (for now, at least), Wojnarowski noted that Miami could potentially use that money as part of a sign-and-trade package.

Dragic showed during the team’s run to the Finals in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble that he can still be a very good player, but last year, he struggled. The 35-year-old guard averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 assists in 26.7 minutes per game.

A few months ago, Lil Nas X released “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and its accompanying music video, both of which sent the industry into chaos. From the Satan Shoes that were released with it, the images of hell in the video, and the singer dancing with the devil, the “Old Town Road” act found himself in headlines for a healthy amount of time. But outraged press is still press, and the controversy helped the video reach a new and dubious milestone.

The video reached one million dislikes this past weekend, becoming the first video on his artist page to do so. The news was shared by a Lil Nas fan account and after the singer himself caught wind of it, he shared a brief message. “Thank u to everyone who made this possible,” he wrote. “I am nothing without you guys lack of support.”

Back in June, Lil Nas revealed that he anticipated that the song and its video would receive considerable backlash. “Even when I was planning the video, I was like, ‘Oh, this is definitely going to hit Fox News,’” he said during a guest appearance on the Desus & Mero Showtime series. “I definitely didn’t expect the outrage as much as it was at all, especially, like, governors tweeting me. Like, you’re a governor. You don’t have anything better to do?”