1. Caitlin Clark Dishes No-Look Pass to Angel Reese in WNBA All-Star Game
The future of the WNBA was on display in a single play at the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 20.
Record-breaking rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese teamed up on a play that saw Clark dishing an impressive no-look pass to Reese for an easy two points. After the shot, the would-be rivals high-fived as they ran down the court to get back on defense. Outside of that highlight, Reese and Clark, both 22, dually had an impressive game in the WNBA All-Star squad's 117-109 win over Team USA. Reese notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, leading Team WNBA in the latter category.
For her part, Clark set a rookie record for assists in the game with 10. That number was one shy of the overall record set by Sue Bird in 2017. After the game, Clark shared her thoughts on what was a tough shooting night but a great passing night.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes star shot 2 of 9 from the field including 0 of 7 on three-pointers, finishing with just four points on the night. Clark's record-setting pass went to the game's top scorer, Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings. Ogunbowale netted
34 points and the MVP trophy in a stunning performance.
2. LeBron James Chosen as Men’s Flagbearer for Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony
*LeBron James has been selected as Team USA’s male flagbearer for the Parade of Nations at the Paris Games on Friday, July 26.
The four-time NBA champion is the first men’s basketball player in history to carry the American flag at the Opening Ceremony, PEOPLE reports.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James said in a statement shared by Team USA.
“For a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only myself, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations,” he continued.
“Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment,” James added.
3. Sexyy Red Claimed That Her ‘4 President Tour’ Is Being Sabotaged, While Denying It Will Be Canceled
Rap’s biggest names are struggling to keep their tours afloat. Several acts, including chart-toppers Metro Boomin and Future, were forced to cancel multiple show dates, reportedly due to poor ticket sales. But it looks like Sexyy Red could have to make a similar decision for her 4 President Tour.
According to Touring Data, ticket sales for the “F My Daddy Dad” rapper’s tour with supporting act Hunxho aren’t moving quickly enough. Based on the organization’s metric, other outlets speculated that the North American run would be canceled soon. Yesterday (July 8), Sexyy Red took to X (formerly Twitter) to deny the claim.
“My fans are buying tickets we’re doin just fine,” she wrote. “We not canceling no tour dis cancelling sh*t all cap 🧢🧢.” Sexyy then went on to allege that her tour was being tampered with by other event promotions companies after she took things into her own hands.
“Dis how dey try to do u wen u go wit an independent promoter n the bigger companies try to sabotage u we not cancelling sh*t,” she wrote. “I did my touring deal with a black promoter black owned company AG Entertainment and now Dey playin dirty paying pages spreading fake news to discourage my fans from buying tickets.”
The shows kick off in a couple months, in late August in Seattle. The US tour will also hit Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and other major cities. On the trek, Sexyy will be joined by Hunxho, Loe Shimmy, and BlakeIANA.
Tickets for the shows are set to go on sale on June 28 at 10 a.m. local time. Find more information on Sexyy’s website.
4. Chris Brown, Yella Beezy Sued For Alleged Assault Backstage on '11:11' Tour
Chris Brown's "11:11" tour has been marred by some serious thuggery ... according to a new lawsuit accusing the singer of orchestrating the assault of several men.
According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Brown, Yella Beezy, CB's entourage lieutenant Sinko Ceej and Live Nation are all facing a lawsuit filed by the 4 alleged victims ... who are seeking a whopping $50 million. Brown's "11:11" tour hit Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX on July 20 -- and after the show let out, plaintiffs Larry Parker, Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush and Da Marcus Powell say they were invited backstage and escorted there, along with 40 women, for a post-concert hang.The plaintiffs say it took Chris 30 minutes to enter the VIP area, where they'd grown tired of waiting and began to make their exit ... but not without saying goodbye to the guest of honor.
According to the suit, Bush says he dapped up Chris, congratulated him on a good show and received appreciation from the "Under The Influence" artist.
Chris Brown hands down is that guy💯. Killed it in Ft Worth. If you have a chance to go, you won't be dissapointed!!!
Then, Bush claims a member of Brown's entourage shouted loudly, "Man you don't remember you two were beefing?" and claims Chris replied, "Oh yeah, we were. What's up, n****? I don't forget sh*t" and verbally ordered his crew to give Bush the beats.
In docs, Bush claims he was surrounded by 7-10 of Chris' chums who punched and kicked him. He also claims an entourage member known as Hood Boss threw a chair at his head.
5. Soulja Boy Sues Tasha K, William The Baddest For Gay Affair Claims
Soulja Boy has filed a lawsuit against social media personalities Tasha K and William The Baddest ... TMZ Hip Hop can confirm.
The "Crank That" rap star is suing over comments he claims were made on Tasha K's "Unwine With Tasha K" podcast about William and the rapper being in a romantic relationship ... which Soulja claims are nothing but big, fat lies. According to the lawsuit, William told Tasha on the podcast in May that he and Soulja Boy were lovers in graphic detail ... and the clip went viral online. Soulja says he gave both Tasha and William a chance to right their wrongs by sending them a retraction letter around the time he made his social media posts denying the allegations. But now Soulja's upping the ante ... suing the pair for defamation, sexual harassment, violation of right to privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and more.
William, for his part, later doubled down and tattooed Soulja's name on his cheek -- in purple ink, no less. Soulja is suing for more than $16 million in total damages.
6. LATTO CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE BEEFING WITH ICE SPICE: 'WOULD SHE EVEN WANT THAT?'
Latto may have made some subtle jabs at Ice Spice in recent times, but she has no plans to actually go bar for bar with the Bronx native in an actual feud.
The Atlanta rapper touched on the beef during a new conversation with Billboard earlier this month.When asked if she’d engage in a real beef with Ice a la Kendrick Lamar and Drake, Latto said: I mean this in the most understanding [way]: I’m a fan of music. I’m not one of them ‘lyrical only, anything else is bullshit’ people. There’s so many sub-genres that I’m a fan of — like mosh pit-type music; when Drake is in his melodic bag, I like that type shit — and all of it is still Hip Hop.”
She continued: “If I was to do [a battle], it would have to be with somebody I feel like I’ma go tit for tat with. I really don’t mean it as shade. Would she even want to do that? I feel like she’s doing her in her lane. It’s two different types of vibes. I don’t even think she gives me like, ‘Oh, she wants to engage in an actual rap beef.'”
Back in February, Ice Spice took aim at Latto on her song “Think U the Shit (Fart)” where she rapped: “I got my foot on they necks, I can’t let up/ She all on the floor, told her get up.”
In turn, Latto struck back at Ice Spice on “Sunday Service” when she rapped: “Think I’m the shit, bitch, I know it, ho/ Jesus walked on water, I got ice boilin’ though.”
7. EMINEM'S 'THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY' TOPS BILLBOARD 200 WITH BIGGEST RAP SALES OF 2024
Eminem ‘s latest album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) has topped the Billboard 200 with the biggest sales week of 2024 in Hip Hop.
Debuting atop the chart with 281,000 equivalent album-units, Em’s 12th LP finally knocked Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department after an unbroken 12-week stint at No. 1, per Billboard. The Death of Slim Shady‘s first-week sales make it the biggest rap debut of 2024, eclipsing Future and Metro Boomin‘s previous benchmark of 251,000 units sold with We Don’t Trust You.
Eminem’s latest offering also had the second biggest digital launch of the year with 114,000 sales, second only to Swift’s 274,000. The Death of Slim Shady does not have a physical release until September 13.
The album was originally projected to earn between 270,000 and 290,000 album-equivalent units in its opening week, so it landed right in the middle of this estimate.
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is Em’s 11th No. 1 album, putting him level with Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand. Only Drake (13), Swift (14), JAY-Z (also 14) and The Beatles (19) have more.
The album also had a bigger opening week than Slim Shady’s previous album, 2020’s Music to be Murdered By (279,000), as well as 2017’s Revival (267,000).
Since its release on July 12, The Death of Slim Shady has courted controversy after Eminem dissed conservative pundit Candace Owens on “Lucifer.”
8. 50 CENT ACCUSED OF BETRAYING KENDRICK LAMAR BY TEASING DRAKE COLLAB DURING TORONTO LINK-UP
50 Cent has been accused of betraying Kendrick Lamar after linking up with Drake and teasing a collaboration with the Canadian superstar.
The G-Unit boss, who worked with Kendrick on the 2013 track “We Up” and shares a number of mutual friends with him including Dr. Dre and Eminem was largely criticized for kicking it with Drizzy in Toronto over the weekend. Posting a picture of the two of them on Instagram, 50 wrote: “Brain [brain emoji] storming last night me and @champagnepapi gonna get the [camera emoji] rolling biggest ting on your TV GLG.”
The comment suggests that their collaboration will be more likely a film or TV show than a musical project, especially given both men are now prolific producers of movies and television series.
Another social media post showed 50 and Drake also hanging out with Canadian rappers Pressa (who was booked to support the Queens, New York native on his recent tour) and Bundog. 50 Cent aligning himself with Drake amid his bitter feud with Kendrick Lamar angered fans of the Compton rapper, with one commenting: “Dang, Fif! You sided against K-DOT?! Nah. Bruh.”
Another said: “Nah 50 he ain’t it. That’s Kendrick’s Ja Rule,” while someone else highlighted their shared ties to Dre’s Aftermath label: “This might be the first 50 cent L ever. How you side with dude who lost and dude who won is aftermath? Smh. Bad look.”
A fourth critic accused 50 of being a hypocrite given his own history of attacking those who sided with his rivals: “This weird as hell to me because if you fraternize with the enemy 50 cutting you loose. This applied to his own son as well.
“But Kendrick cool with Dre who cool with Eminem who just so happens to be 50 main man yet here he is Green lighting shit with Drake. Practice what you preach n-gga.”
Others defended 50 Cent, with one user pointing out that 50 and Drake share a common enemy: “They both dislike Rick Ross. But I know 50 has nothing against Kendrick. They’re cool.”
Another said: “50 is untouchable in the industry he does what he wants I respect it.”
9. METRO BOOMIN ANNOUNCES SPECIAL ONE-NIGHT ONLY ‘& FRIENDS’ SHOW IN HIS HOMETOWN
Metro Boomin is gearing up for a special, one-night only show in his hometown of St. Louis, MO, entitled “Metro Boomin and Friends.”
The producer shared the news on Friday (July 19), and the event will be held at The Pageant in the Gateway City on Monday, July 29. Tickets will be available starting Monday, July 22 at 10am local time via Live Nation.
The gig will be a warm-up for his We Trust You Tour with Future, which will kick off the following night on Tuesday, July 30 in Kansas City, MO at T-Mobile Center.
From there, Pluto and Metro will invade Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, Philadelphia, New York, Houston, Las Vegas and Inglewood, among other cities, before wrapping things up on September 9 in Vancouver.
The arena tour will come in support of the pair’s recent collaborative albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You.
10. BLUEFACE TO REMAIN IN JAIL DESPITE HAVING PROBATION REINSTATED IN LAS VEGAS SHOOTING CASE
Blueface has essentially had his probation in a Las Vegas shooting case reset; however the rapper remains behind bars in connection to a different probation violation case.
According to Vegas NBC affiliate 8 News Now, Clark County District Court Judge Kathleen Delaney — who, back in February, issued a bench warrant for his arrest for violating his probation in this same case — has now suspended the two-to-five year sentence the rapper was facing. Instead, he has been granted up to three years of probation, thus avoiding anymore jail time, so long as he complies with the terms of his probation.
“This was a first technical violation with only temporary revocation available for a maximum of 30 days,” read an amended judgment of conviction issued last week.
Since he is currently in jail in California, Judge Delaney has elected to count the time he has already served towards that 30 day sentence. Blueface is set to appear in court on July 29 for a decision regarding a separate probation violation case.
Judge Delaney’s latest decision is a far cry from the stern tone she took with Blue (real name Johnathan Porter), when she handed down a suspended two-to-five year sentence for the rapper’s role in an October 2023 shooting on the Las Vegas strip.
11. POP SMOKE’S MOM SAYS INTERVIEW OF HER SON’S ALLEGED KILLER IS ‘HORRIBLE’
Pop Smoke‘s mother has spoken out against her son’s alleged killer being interviewed, saying the spotlight is “horrible.”
Audrey Jackson caught up with TMZ on Thursday (July 18) and shared her thoughts on King “Blockstar” Raskel receiving media requests. She said: “For something like this, that is horrible. You really want to interview him and get his opinion, get his position? First of all, you’re not a helping hand. The whole purpose in L.A,’s law is that at 25 you get out and try to make something of yourself, you try to do something with your life. Hopefully there’s been some sort of reform. But you come out and people are like, ‘Yo, bro! How you feel about what you did?’ That’s not helping anybody. You’re sharing with me about gag orders? I’m gonna go look into that, because that makes sense to me.”
Check out the entire interview here. Jackson’s thoughts on Raskel begin at about the 1:48 mark.
Pop Smoke‘s murder made its way back to headlines earlier this month when King Raskel was was released from custody.
In an interview clip posted to Instagram by No Jumper, Blockstar — who was just 15 years old at the time of the 2020 murder — told Adam22 that he didn’t regret anything about the incident.
“I’m not sorry about nothing,” Blockstar stated. “It should’ve never happened, but I ain’t sorry. If I could go back, I’d go back. But I ain’t sorry. People die every day. [Pop Smoke] was rapping about it. All types of stuff. So, I ain’t sorry about it.
“I send my condolences to the family. I wish it never happened. But I don’t regret nothing. Growing up, my people, my family told me, ‘You ain’t sorry for nothing. Whatever you did, you did it for a reason and stand on it.’”
