Black athletic excellence is coming to Walt Disney World! Several elite Black college basketball programs will participate in the first-ever HBCU Hoops Invitational at Walt Disney World Resort on Dec. 4-7. According to the press release, the women’s bracket includes Bethune-Cookman University, Hampton University, Edward Waters University, and Cheyney University. The tourney features Florida A&M University, Tuskegee University, Florida Memorial University, and Barber-Scotia College, while the women’s bracket includes Bethune-Cookman University, Hampton University, Edward Waters University, and Cheyney University.  The highly anticipated games will take place in the State Farm Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in a single-elimination format with the chance to claim the inaugural HBCU Hoops Invitational titles. View this post on Instagram A post shared by HBCU Hoops Invitational (@hbcuhoopsinvitational) “The HBCU Hoops Invitational is far more than a basketball tournament—it’s a powerful celebration of heritage, excellence and the limitless future of HBCU athletics,’’ said HBCU Hoops Global vice president Haywoode Workman, a former NBA veteran before becoming an NBA referee. a “We are building a legacy that extends well beyond the court to open doors to academic achievement, career readiness and financial opportunity for our scholar-athletes.”  In addition to the HBCU Invitational, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is hosting the WBCA Showcase (Nov. 20-23) and the ESPN Events Invitational (Nov. 24-28) during the Thanksgiving holiday week.  “We are excited about the opportunities to bring thrilling, family-friendly events to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and this HBCU Hoops Invitational adds to our lineup of high-caliber youth and college events,’’ said Jorge Senior, Disney’s Director of Sport Planning and Development. “If you’re a college basketball fan, there’s no better place to be during the holidays than at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.’’  Tickets for the HBCU Hoops Invitational are on sale now at www.hbcuhoops.org.

Lil Nas X has entered a difficult chapter after being arrested in Los Angeles following an incident that drew widespread attention. The rapper was seen last week wandering the streets in only his underwear and cowboy boots, before removing the rest of his clothing in front of startled bystanders. Police eventually stepped in, and reports suggest there was a struggle before he was taken into custody. Officers first brought him to a nearby hospital, saying they believed his erratic actions might have been linked to possible drug use. After being cleared, he was transferred to Van Nuys jail where he spent the weekend awaiting his court appearance. On Monday, the 26 year old appeared before a judge and was hit with four felony counts. These include three charges of battery on a police officer causing injury and one charge of resisting an executive officer. Together, they carry the possibility of up to five years in prison. Court filings show he pleaded not guilty and waived a formal arraignment. His bail has been set at seventy five thousand dollars, with conditions that require him to enter an outpatient program and avoid any possession or use of illegal substances. The rapper himself has not released a statement since the arrest. His father, Robert Stafford, spoke to TMZ and asked the public to support his son. “He’s great. God is good, God has a plan,” Stafford explained. “I think you all know everything that you need to know about what happened Thursday.” When asked if drugs played a role, he responded, “absolutely not.” Stafford stressed that his son is in strong mental health and remains hopeful. “He’s in good spirits,” he shared. “He’s very remorseful for what happened, but you know, it can happen to any family. He’s gonna get the help that he needs, and just keep him in your prayers.”

Wale recently revealed what rappers would made his all-time list. During a conversation held at Soho Works in Brooklyn as part of the PLLRS series, presented by Little Engine Media, the Grammy-nominated rapper, accompanied by his longtime manager, Kazz Laidlaw, Wale shared his favorite MCs.  “Mt. Rushmore is a racist thing…” Wale told host Keith Nelson Jr., “But…my favorite rappers? Jay-Z. Black Thought. Lil Wayne. J. Cole.” He also listed AZ as an influence who is “super important.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by PLLRS (@thepllrs) Elsewhere in the interview, Wale also shared that the lack of support by Atlantic Records for his early Afrobeats collaborations was almost detrimental to his career. “I think it hurt me to my people a little bit. They couldn’t understand why these songs weren’t getting promoted. There’s a whole generation of people who don’t even know that I did it,” Wale explained. “A lot of these Gen Z kids don’t know that I took Wizkid to his first BET Awards. They don’t know we have about nine songs together. It was detrimental because Shine was my worst-selling album.” A known sneakerhead, Kazz spoke about how Wale was one of the first rappers to wear Anthony Edwards’s AE1 shoe on “Damage Control.” “Last year, after the AE’s, I think we caused a little bit of a storm for them. Ant was super appreciative of it, so he and his A&R approached me at the beginning of the year, like, ‘We have to get him on this album.’” He also shared his plans to develop his own signature sneaker line. “We’re going to have to draw a line at some point. We’re going to see. Hopefully it goes one way, but if it goes the other way, then it’s going to go the other way,” Wale said. “Something good is going to happen. I’m leaving here with something.”

Snoop Dogg recently admitted that a trip to the movies turned into something he never expected. While speaking on the It’s Giving podcast, in a segment that has since been deleted, the rap icon explained that watching Pixar’s Lightyear with his grandson brought up questions he wasn’t ready to answer. The 2022 animated film shows Buzz Lightyear’s close friend Alisha Hawthorne starting a family with her wife, which includes a short kiss between the two women. According to Snoop, his grandson immediately wanted to understand what he was seeing. “‘They just said, she and she had a baby — they’re both women. How does she have a baby?’” the child asked. Snoop admitted that he felt unprepared, saying, “I didn’t come in for this s—. I just came to watch the goddamn movie.” He confessed the situation left him rattled. “It f—ed me up. I’m like, scared to go to the movies. Y’all throwing me in the middle of s— that I don’t have an answer for.” The moment reflected a much larger conversation surrounding the film. Disney and Pixar originally considered removing the kiss, but after employee pushback over what was seen as censorship, the moment was restored. Producer Galyn Susman described the decision as important, saying the relationship was meant to be “loving and inspirational.” Despite the creative defense, Lightyear faced bans in multiple countries, including Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Director Angus MacLane expressed frustration, telling the San Francisco Chronicle, “The controversy is whether or not you think it’s appropriate for people to love each other. That’s a thing that’s a controversy? I don’t know where to begin on that one.” For Snoop, though, the film became less about international debates and more about being a grandfather. “These are kids,” he said. “They’re going to ask questions. I don’t have the answer.”

Cardi B has expressed why she believes she receives so much hate from female rappers. “For some reason, it’s something about me that these bitches can’t stand,” Cardi told Zane Lowe in an interview. “They can’t f**k with me. Some bitches, I feel like they’re on this class right now, they’re sophomores, and I’m a senior,” she continued. “ And it’s like you want to f**k with the senior so bad. You think you’re here with the senior. You’re not even a junior.” “And it’s like you need to worry about them other sophomores before you start worrying about here, the f**king senior,” she continued. “But it’s something about it that it’s like they can’t even focus on them. They got to focus on me. And they always got to focus on throwing me shots and throwing me slings. No matter if you’re a fucking sophomore or in motherfucking college, it’s me.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Apple Music (@applemusic) As she prepares for the release of her highly anticipated sophomore album, Am I The Drama, Cardi also had some words for some men who were critical of her sampling JAY-Z  on her latest single, “Imaginary Playerz.” “For people to dog pile on me over one song,” Cardi said on X Spaces. “And when it comes to dog piling, it’s not even just like, ‘Oh well, I don’t like this song,’ because if you don’t like this song, fine, but to come at the way I speak, to make narratives of how I think I am and who the f**k I think I am, to talk about every single piece of me, to bet on my downfall is crazy.” “There’s grown men that are practically betting for me to lose. Grown-ass men that I ain’t never did nothing to, betting on my downfall,” she continued. “ And my thing is with these people, it just be like, when my record do good, when ‘Outside’ did good, people couldn’t believe it.”

Jadakiss had some words for those who claimed he grew up like The Huxtables. During a recent episode of his podcast  Joe & Jada with Fat Joe, he shut down the idea that the social media chatter said that he was raised as a rich kid. “Some assh*les in the comments think I grew up like the Huxtables,” Jadakiss said. “I don’t know what the f*ck is wrong with these people, but coming from where we come from, it’s a beautiful thing to have both of your parents. I know in rap, they see all these people– Yeah, we had both of our parents.” “Do that mean we wasn’t in the street? No. That mean our household had gold spoons? No. My moms bust her ass,” he continued. “My pops was on drugs. He was able to shake back. I was outside doing sh*t. I was smart in school, I was athletic, but I was outside.” The legendary LOX rapper then revealed some receipts of his past life and was shocked that people attempted to discredit him for having two parents “Just ask the people, just ask the cops, just ask anybody you wanna ask. But for some reason these people… you can’t be standing up to your word if you have both of your parents. Are you some type of assh*le? It’s a blessing to have both of your parents.” JADAKISSBEANIE SIGEL KISS THE MAC COLLAB ALBUM EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY FREEWAY COMING SOON pic.twitter.com/2AvsopqGr4 — Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) August 24, 2025 On the music side, Jadakiss recently announced that he was dropping a collaborative album with Beanie Sigel titled Kiss The Mac. Freeway will serve as executive producer and the album will include appearances from both The LOX and State Property.

On what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 47th birthday, Vanessa shared a deeply touching tribute on Instagram that resonated widely. Vanessa posted a throwback photo of herself kissing Kobe on the cheek—set against a romantic European backdrop—and captioned it: “We love and miss you and Gigi so much. Sending our love to you. Happy birthday, baby.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) Natalia Bryant, their eldest daughter, also honored her father with her own heartfelt gesture. She posted a playful snapshot of herself and Kobe mimicking a nearby statue, simply captioned: “Happy Birthday Daddy” followed by a red heart emoji. Keeping Kobe’s legacy alive, as previously reported, in a heartfelt gesture that resonated deeply with fans across Los Angeles. Lakers star Luka Dončić has donated $5,000 to help restore a beloved mural honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, which was recently defaced with black spray paint. The mural, created by Los Angeles-based street artist Sloe Motions—whose real name is Louie Palsino—featured the powerful message “Mamba Forever” alongside a portrait of Kobe and GiGi. It had become a cherished local landmark and a symbol of resilience, legacy, and community healing following the Bryants’ tragic passing in 2020.

Ciara recently sat down with Associated Press to discuss her new album, CiCi— her first project in nearly six years. It works as a follow-up to her 2019 album, Beauty Marks. Released on August 22, CiCi is an expanded version of her 2023 EP of the same name and marks her first release as an independent artist. Back in 2017, the Grammy-winning artist founded her independent label, Beauty Marks Entertainment. “It’s time. Honestly, I’ve been working on this album for almost five years,” she tells the outlet. “I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, as they would say, into this project…” The singer also revealed to the outlet that while recording CiCi, she had given birth to two of her youngest children: Win Harris and Amora Princess. “I literally gave birth to two babies while I was making this project, too. So, a lot has happened,” she said. Source: Associated Press (AP) While Ciara did take a brief reprieve to raise her ever-growing family, the singer made it clear that she wasn’t just “chillin’” the last five years and had always “actively put out music on the project.” With a career spanning over two decades, Ciara noted that she still enjoys creating music after all these years; however, if she ever happens to “stop loving the process,” she’ll “stop.” The “Level Up” singer continued, ” I have so much passion for it and I just feel so fortunate that 21 years later, from my first album ‘Goodies’ to now, that I still have the same excitement I had as a little girl.” “Success to me is yes, putting out music. Being the best artist I can be, hopefully being known as one of the best to ever do it …” she adds. “But it’s not solely in that,” she said. “People lose themselves because they didn’t live. I don’t want to be that girl – I’m not going to be that girl.”

After working with the STARZ network for over a decade, 50 Cent might be headed out the door. In a now-deleted Instagram post, the rapper shared a screenshot, revealing the once-popular drama network’s ratings were at an all-time low. “It’s not that hard to say goodbye. Bye,” 50 Cent wrote in the post’s caption. According to the screenshot the rapper posted, STARZ has “reportedly lost 42.5M dollars.” They also lost over “410,000 subscribers” over the past three months. The low ratings are “partly due” to the network’s biggest shows, like BMF, “underperforming.” Complex reports that during an after-market analyst call, STARZ president and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch did, in fact, blame the network’s “underperformance” on BMF’s latest season. That said, the 50 Cent-produced series may not be completely at fault. Back in May, Lionsgate issued a public statement, revealing that the company officially cut ties with STARZ. This separation could’ve played a significant role in the declining viewership. Ooops 50 Cent responds to the rumors that STARZ is losing money & subscribers because of BMF #50cent #bmf #hiphopculture #jviewsdaily #follow pic.twitter.com/QbmqyiWzxf — JViews (@jviewsdaily) August 17, 2025 This wouldn’t be the first time the rapper’s revealed his frustrations with the network. Back in April, Fif took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “I have the number 1,2,3, and 4 top TV shows in African American and Latina households, and I hate that I did them with the wrong people. I’m not doing any BMF spin-offs or selling any other shows to STARZ. GLGGreenLightGang #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi.” On the bright side, back in 2023, Fif brokered a “non-exclusive broadcast direct deal” with FOX, per Variety. The deal will give the rapper the power to “develop scripted dramas, live-action comedies and animated series.” He will do so through his production company, G-Unit Film & Television. “Whether it’s music, film or television, Curtis always delivers premium entertainment that captivates millions of fans across the globe,” said Michael Thorn, Fox Entertainment‘s president of scripted programming, in a statement around that time. “He is the rare multi-hyphenate with a deft hand at storytelling, no matter the format or medium. We’re looking forward to developing new and exciting series for Fox with him and his team.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have cut ties with rookie safety Shilo Sanders less than 24 hours after he was ejected from a preseason game for throwing a punch at a Buffalo Bills player. The altercation occurred on Saturday, August 23, 2025, during Tampa Bay’s preseason finale against the Bills. Sanders, the 25-year-old son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, threw a punch at tight end Zach Davidson after a heated exchange at the line of scrimmage. The punch led to an immediate ejection and quickly drew criticism from Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, who labeled the act “inexcusable.” Footage from the game showed Davidson’s fingers caught in Sanders’ facemask just before the scuffle, but the rookie’s retaliation sealed his fate in what was already a tight roster battle. On Sunday morning, August 24, the Buccaneers officially announced that Sanders had been waived as the team worked to finalize its 53-man roster ahead of the regular season. The move ended his brief stint in Tampa Bay, where he had signed earlier this year as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Preme Sports (@nflpreme) Sanders’ agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, expressed hope that another team might claim him off waivers, emphasizing his potential despite the setback. Before joining the Buccaneers, Sanders played college football at both South Carolina and Colorado, following his father’s coaching path. Known for his physicality and coverage skills, he entered the NFL with aspirations of carving out a role on special teams and as a depth safety.