Kyrie Irving wants out : End of the Big 3

Kyrie Irving: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation Surrounding Cavaliers PG

AND THE PLOT THICKENS

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving remains a key figure in the team's Big Three, which includes LeBron James and Kevin Love, though that trio has had its difficulties coexisting in the first year and a half of its partnership

Dating back to last year, I’ve been told that Kyrie Irving ain’t too happy being in Cleveland. The situation is not ideal for him. I don’t know the particulars, I haven’t spoken to him personally. It’s something that I’ve been hearing for months; that under ideal circumstances he would prefer to be someplace other than Cleveland.

Irving, 23, is averaging 18.9 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game this season for Cleveland. The Cavs have lost three of their last four games, however, and while they still appear to be the top team in the Eastern Conference, they haven't dominated this season like the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs.

The team's chemistry—or perhaps lack thereof—is certainly a factor. While the Cavs held a players-only meeting after head coach David Blatt was fired in January to hold one another accountable and air grievances, the team's biggest stars still have clearly struggled to coexist at times.

Irving's style of play has been one of the factors in that struggle. While he has scored at an impressive clip, he hasn't distributed to his teammates as is normally expected of a point guard. As Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com noted, "Irving has to commit to sacrificing his scoring numbers to make his teammates better on a routine basis."

Haynes added, "Behind the scenes, James has been growing livid about being the sole proprietor of making sure guys are involved, and in a rhythm. He's used to carrying such a workload, but on this team, he shouldn't have to. From top to bottom, this is the deepest team James has been a member of. He needs help."

Thus, if Irving continues to distribute at a subpar clip and indeed wants out of Cleveland, the team may have to entertain dealing him in the offseason.

While it's hard to imagine the Cavs giving up on a young player with superstar ability—and certainly they would need to get a star back in return for Irving—another failure to win a championship may be enough for the front office to determine he simply isn't the right fit for the roster as currently constructed.

'Deadpool' Might Topple 'Passion of the Christ' as Highest Grossing Rated-R Movie

Dead Pool Got Passion

Much like the titular character, Deadpool just refuses to die. The film already became the highest grossing rated-R opening ever after raking in a whopping $150 million through the holiday weekend. Film experts predict that the comic book movie will once again reign supreme at the box office with a $56 million weekend.

According to Deadline, the film is on track to beat out 2004’s Passion of the Christ as the highest grossing rated-R film of all time. The Mel Gibson flick follows the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as detailed in the New Testament. The film grossed more than $370 in the U.S. alone, which is still leaps ahead of Deadpool’s  $180 million total so far.  However, the Merc with a Mouth’s solo venture is grossing 10% more than the biblical tale did at the same period.




Time will tell on whether or not that record will be broken but it’s clear that moviegoers can’t get enough of the smart-mouthed mercenary in red and black. Deadpool gained popularity in the comic world for breaking the fourth wall with pop culture references while being unabashedly violent. It appears funny and gore are a winning combo for the Marvel character, whose movie was distributed through 20th Century Fox.  

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Azealia Banks Keeps It Funky With Her New Song, "The Big Big Beat"

By J. Morris Via. Complex

Azealia Banks comes through today with her new single, "The Big Big Beat." The track is an unabashed banger as the rapper tears through a savagely good beat. Equal parts rowdy and infectious, the track lives up to its title as Banks seamlessly skitters across that backbeat courtesy of producer An Expresso. Banks previously described it to her fans on Twitter as "Detroit house vibes with major Diana Ross teas. U guys are gonna gag."


Rap-Up notes that shortly after releasing the song, Azealia tweeted, "OK NOW SOMEBODY SIGN ME, I HAVE ANOTHER HIT THAT NEEDS TO BE ON THE RADIO, PLZ AND THANK YOU. SIGNED, -AN ANGRY BLACK WOMAN FROM NYC." The tweet appears to have been deleted. Azealia is currently searching for a new label as she works on her forthcoming project, Slay-Z, that is reportedly due for release this month. According to Banks, the project will feature eight tracks and one bonus track from Fantasea II: The Second Wave. Check out "The Big Big Beat" below.

Audio of Kanye West's 'Saturday Night Live' Backstage Meltdown Has Surfaced

BY JESSIE MORRIS

Recent reports surfaced that Kanye West had a major meltdown backstage of Saturday Night Live ahead of his performance over the weekend. In an audio clip obtained by Page Six, West lets us know how he really feels about his recent drama with Taylor Swift and calls her a "fake ass." He proceeds to yell at NBC staff, saying, "Don't fuck with me." He also threatens to not do the show and says, "I went through six years of this fucking shit." He goes on to say that he is 50 percent more influential than any other human being, "dead or alive."

Recently, Kanye has been having similar rants on his Twitter timeline, including asking "white publications" not to comment on "black music" anymore. Following the Grammy Awards where 'Ye in fact did not win the award for Album of the Year that he was not nominated for, Kanye seemed to have a change of heart and began tweeting encouraging messages to fans. That positivity continued today where Kanye publicly acknowledged his ego and the fact that it has been his "number one enemy" for the first time ever. It's anyone's guess why Kanye has suddenly become much more positive online, but this latest meltdown and his wife's reported disapproval could have something to do with it. Listen to the audio above.

Rihanna's New Song Feat Drake "WORK"

By Zach Frydenlund Via Complex

With rumors swirling that Rihanna is finally releasing her ANTI album this week, she just debuted her new single, "Work," featuring Drake on all iHeartRadio stations across the country. This latest connection between Drake and RiRi has also been rumored for a little bit now, as footage of them shooting a video for the song at a mall in California surfaced earlier this month. The song is slower and very rhythmic with Rihanna showing off her vocal skills over the crafty production. Drake is also singing on the track, but it fits with the overall flow, as he and Rihanna end up going back and forth at one point. The song is produced by Boi-1da​. 

While the reactions to "Work" are still fresh, the song will have big shoes to fill seeing that their 2012 collaboration, "What's My Name," hit No. 1 on the charts. Will "Work" see similar success? Only time will tell. Listen to the song via Tidal here. You an also stream a BBC Radio 1 rip of the new track below. The single is also available to purchase on iTunes here. 

5 Things You Don't Know About Rihanna

By Jessie Heyman

1. Like many who’ve come before her, Rihanna does not actually go by her given name. The 27-year-old Barbadian beauty was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Her middle name is Arabic and means “sweet basil.” With her family and close friends, she still goes by Robyn. “I get kind of numb to hearing Rihanna, Rihanna, Rihanna,” she has told Rolling Stone. “When I hear Robyn, I pay attention.” (Also: According to Rihanna’s Instagram, we may have been mispronouncing her stage name. Turns out, it’s Ri-Anna.)


2. Before making her on-screen debut as a Navy weapons expert in Peter Berg’s Battleship, Rihanna had a bit of real-life experience to help prepare her for the role. The “Umbrella” singer was an army cadet in a sub-military program in her native Barbados. Singer-songwriter Shontelle was even her drill sergeant and ordered Rihanna around. “That’s what drill sergeants do. We boss cadets around, we make them do push-ups . . . especially when they show up on the parade square late,” Shontelle told the BBC in 2009. “We were both in cadets together—it wasn’t compulsory or anything. But picture me and Rihanna in combat boots and fatigues crawling through mud and things like that.”

3. At 15, Rihanna won her high school beauty pageant and was named Miss Combermere after performing Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” “I kind of laughed at these stupid pageants,” Rihanna told the Daily Mail in 2007. “But my friends at school dared me to do it, and my military training came in handy for learning to balance books on my head for the catwalk.”




4. Rihanna has a few unorthodox preshow rituals. Things start off normal: “I eat lozenges, steam my voice, do my makeup. I Skype my vocal coach, and we sit there at the makeup table and do warm-ups for about a half hour,” she told Esquire in 2011. Then she starts to have some fun: “My personal assistant-slash-bartender brings me a shot that she dilutes with a little something so it’s not so harsh, like orange juice or soda water and lime,” she said.“I have to have it. I take it very seriously, so there is a level of anxiety, always. I overthink everything when it comes to my job. The drink calms my nerves. I sip it while I watch the opening act from my dressing room. Sometimes I go out into the audience. I put on a really big hoodie and sneak out there.”

5. In 2007, Gillette insured Rihanna’s legs for $1 million. “They named me this year’s Celebrity Legs of a Goddess, so along with the title comes an insurance for your legs of a million dollars,” she has told the Guardian. “But I think I’m just normal. I think, ‘Do people really insure their legs for a million dollars?’ If it was my million dollars, I’d probably walk about in pants all day long.”



André Leon Talley talks to Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala

Watch this video on The Scene.

Nicki Minaj backs Meek Mill in court, says she's helping him work on 'being an adult'

Nicki Minaj, shown at the American Music Awards in January, testified Thursday in a Philadelphia court on behalf of boyfriend Meek Mill. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

By Christie D'ZurillaContact Reporter

With Meek Mill facing an irritated judge and the serious possibility that he'll spend more time behind bars on a probation violation, girlfriend Nicki Minaj has taken the stand on his behalf. And she's making it personal.

"She's not going to be the one sleeping alone if he goes to jail. I am," rapper Minaj told the judge in a Philadelphia court Thursday, referencing Mill's parole officer. "He's not perfect, but I can't believe how much he's changed."

Change would be a good thing for hip-hop artist Mill, 28, real name Robert Williams. His current trouble goes all the way back to a 2008 conviction on drug-dealing and gun charges. He was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison, served only a few and was paroled in 2009 on five years' probation. It's that last part that's been hard for him: He's violated his parole a number of times, and in 2014 his probation was revoked, leading to about four months back in prison, getting out on Dec. 2, 2014.

Now he's accused of submitting a suspicious urine sample and repeatedly changing his court-approved travel schedule. His attorney, Frank DeSimone, told the judge Thursday that Minaj "would not marry a criminal or a bum," TMZ reported. He also said his client had told him the night before how much he respected the judge. "He wouldn't be who he is if you sent him to the state penitentiary in 2009. He wouldn't be Meek Mill," DeSimone told Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley.

"He doesn't have a lot of structure. He can be irresponsible," said Minaj, the 33-year-old "Bang Bang" performer who was sworn in under her birth name, Onika Maraj, and didn't mention any wedding plans. "Since I've come in his life, I think I've been working on that a little bit. ... He's just getting accustomed to being an adult."

The AP said Brinkley warned DeSimone as the hearing ended: "He is thumbing his nose at me," she said, "and I haven't been convinced otherwise."

But wait, back up a second to the part where Minaj didn't say she and Mill were planning to marry. Didn't he just give her another hulking diamond this week? Aren't they, like ... ?

"He and I are not engaged," Minaj told Billboard in an interview published Thursday. "But he said he would like to give me three rings before we get married."

Ring No. 1 arrived in April, sparking a round of engagement rumors just four months after he was released from prison and the couple started dating. The second one came for her birthday on Tuesday, apparently: She published shots of another enormous rock on Instagram on Wednesday.

"Now this is what I'm talking about baby," she wrote. "Lol. Love u ... @meekmill ~ RANG finga whr da rock iiizzzzzzzz."

Jason Kidd calls Warriors' Steph Curry 'this generation's Jordan'

Having played against Michael Jordan for a good portion of his career, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd is well aware of the former Chicago Bulls star's legendary abilities. So when talking about Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry on Saturday night, Kidd was not being facetious when he compared the reigning MVP to Jordan.

"He's this generation's Jordan." Kidd told reporters. "We all wanted to be like Mike, and children today will grow up seeing Steph."

Do note that Kidd is not saying that Curry is a similar player to Jordan. He is mainly comparing Curry to Jordan on a generational level, which is quite true. Jordan captured the imagination of a generation of fans during his playing career and now Curry is doing the same.

Due to his build, stature and how he actually plays the game, Curry has become one of the league's most popular and marketable players. He was the lead vote getter in last year's All-Star game and Curry's jersey is number one in sales. And like Kidd says, children are not only proudly wearing Curry merchandise, they are also beginning to play like him, too.

Curry may not have the "Be like Mike" marketing campaign like Jordan did but he doesn't need that. His play is already making an impact on a generation of youth.

This is Stephen Curry's world, we're just living in it.

Erykah Badu Speaks on friendship with Drake and the impersonator on her tape

When you reached tracks five and eight on Erykah Badu’s critically-acclaimed mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone, you probably heard a familiar voice that many attributed to Drake. But with a little bit of clarification, Ms. Badu swiftly confirmed that it wasn’t the Toronto native blaring out of your speakers or earphones. It was an artist named Aubrey Davis who goes by the stage name ItsRoutine.

While you’re wondering whether or not Drizzy is aware that he has a sound-alike out there, no need to fret because Badu shared a tidbit on the situation. In an interview with Pitchfork, the “Phone Down” singer revealed that she notified the Toronto native of her plans.

“I talk to Drake once a week,” she said. “He’s my friend, and I told him about ItsRoutine, and he laughed and made a joke that he didn’t want these guys taking up his tea time.” On the OVO leader’s track “Days in the East,” he referenced one night where he shared a cup of tea with Badu.

The Dallas native and Drake have an extensive relationship, with him serving as inspiration for her latest soundscape. After the release of the 29-year-old’s catchy and remix-worthy song “Hotline Bling,” Badu did a rendition of her own and concocted But You Caint Use My Phone in the process.
He’s an inspiration to me. Sonically he’s in a place where I want to be,” she said in an interview with The Fader. “It’s halfway between where I was and halfway to where I am now. If I want to come out and do something, I will try and raise myself to his bar or channel myself to his frequency.”

Y. ROME Drops debut EP "THIS IS ME NOW"

Y. ROME IS ON THE CUSP OF GREATNESS 


Y. Rome has had an outstanding 2015 and his 2016 is looking even more promising. He has been all over the place this year making a sighting at Summer Jam, performing in front of COMPLEX,XXL, & Fader magazies, dropping a smash single "Oh My Oh My" feat Republic Records artist Charles Hamilton, and setting many shows a blaze at A3C music festival and conference.

But before this year ends he has blessed his  fans with a new ep called 'THIS IS ME NOW" or "TIMN' for short.  Y. Rome brings the heat with this EP with singles like "Kurnin Dope" and "Since You Wanna Play" Feat K Zeus. The production is top notch including some fire from in house producer Steven Nieves (AKA Kal El Beat) on tracks like Amazing and Superheroes...This EP has a industry feel and the simple but dark cover lets the audience know that its about to get serious...peep the tracklist below



check the tape below and let us know if you think Y.Rome is gonna be the future of Hip Hop.



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