With thousands taking to the streets on a daily basis, fighting to rise up against police brutality and systemic racism, the entire world appears to be watching the George Floyd protests unfold. And while the sight of police reacting with violent tactics-- sometimes unprovoked and often against unarmed citizens-- has become disturbingly commonplace, there do remain those who seek to conduct themselves differently. At least, we can only hope that to be the case.
EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP Getty Images
In Michigan, a Genesee County Sherrif by the name of Chris Swanson joined protestors in a powerful moment of solidarity, one that did not go unnoticed by those marching. While his actions, and those of his team who followed suit, went viral, it's easy to lose sight of those moments amidst all the chaos. It's also increasingly difficult to discern the authenticity behind them, with reports that some police have been kneeling as a means of lulling protestors into a false sense of security. Many have already taken to Twitter to debate the motivation behind these moments of perceived solidarity, and it didn't take long for a "photo-op" narrative to form.
Viral footage of police officers in Montreal, Canada kneeling initially sparked waves of optimism -- that is, until the protestors realized that they were only kneeling to put on their gas masks. Other footage has elicited a far more positive response, though many have questioned whether the gestures were simply attempts to save face in light of a worsening reputation. A perusal through Twitter reveals a healthy skepticism toward the police force, one that stands seemingly at odds with those witnessing the kneeling officers first-hand. Yet it does reveal an underlying problem, one of shattered trust -- for a movement meant to "serve and protect," a problem of such magnitude simply cannot be ignored.
Given everything that has transpired between police and the Black community, it's clear that there is much healing to be done. It's entirely possible these attempts to reconcile are sincere for some of the acting officers, and they should be respected for leading by example. Either way, this fight for racial equality and systemic change remains ongoing, with further protests set to continue throughout the week. Rest in peace George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the countless others who have lost their lives.
Justin Bieber Tries To Fact-Check Kehlani And Sparks A Debate
Justin Bieber had fans questioning whether or not he actually makes r&b.
Kehlani has cemented herself as one of the biggest r&b acts in the world and recently, she put out her album It Was Good Until It Wasn't, which is projected to sell quite well. It appears as though the singer is in for quite a battle in terms of the Billboard charts as she is very close to landing the number one spot. In fact, Kehlani recently shared a post from a fan page saying that if she hit number one, she would be the first female r&b artist to do so since Beyonce's Lemonade.
The artist also posted a call to action, urging her fans to stream the album as it could end up becoming the firs r&b album of 2020 to top the charts. While this is a nice challenge, Justin Bieber decided to chime in saying that his latest effort Changes, was actually r&b and that it already hit number one.
Bieber's comments ended up sparking a conversation on Twitter about what truly qualifies as r&b. Some felt that Bieber's comments were out of pocket due to the fact that he is mostly known for being a pop artist and that the r&b label would be disingenuous. Others were simply upset that Bieber would interfere in Kehlani's business for seemingly no reason.
Needless to say, the internet stays mad at everything.
Kendrick Perkins Offers New Take On LeBron Vs. MJ Debate
Kendrick Perkins is weighing in on the debate that will simply never go away.
Ever since LeBron James started winning championships, people have tried to compare his career to that of Michael Jordan's. After all, Jordan was the most dominant player of his time, and LeBron was the same in his own generation. However, Jordan has six championships and LeBron only has three. Their NBA Finals records are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum and these days, it has become very hard for pundits to give LeBron the edge over MJ.
Today, LeBron's former teammate and NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins weighed in on the debate saying it is much closer than people think. As he pointed out in the infographic below, James had better stats during his last three finals losses than Jordan had in his last three finals wins.
What Perkins is essentially pointing out here, is the fact that Jordan had way better teammates than LeBron had in Cleveland. This is certainly true as Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving could never really compare to the likes of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
Regardless of how you may feel about these players, the debate is never going to end. It's something we will deal with until the end of time and if another generational player comes along, we can only imagine what kind of depth they will be adding to this discourse.
Let us know what you think of Perkins' argument, in the comments below.
Safaree Or Jason Derulo? Twitter Debates Who Is Cornier
Safaree and Jason Derulo were involved in a social media face-off for the ages, with fans debating on which of the two is cornier.
When fans noticed Safaree Samuels in the Trending Topics on Twitter last night, they worried that he may have leaked another one of his nude photos. Upon checking out the trend, people were relieved to realize that that was not the case. Unfortunately for him, it was much worse.
Love & Hip-Hop star Safaree has been part of the culture for years, but he hasn't exactly been a fan favorite in recent times. In fact, since Nicki Minaj kicked him to the curb, he's gotten clowned at every turn. Similarly, Jason Derulo has faced criticism for being... well... for being pretty corny. Both celebrities have been subjected to disses about their corniness and, once and for all, Twitter users joined to decide which one is worse between the two.
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After Jason Derulo was called out for his own corniness on the social network, people began arguing that Safaree should really be the butt of the joke instead. In the end, a unanimous decision was reached by the fans that both of them have clown-worthy tendencies and deserve their spots on the list. Sorry, guys.
If it were up to you, which one of these dudes be doing way too much? Or are they both deserving of a shared trophy?
Kanye Or Taylor?: Internet Debates Who The Real Snake Is
After Kanye West and Taylor Swift's full phone call in 2016 about his controversial "Famous" lyrics leaked, the Internet is arguing over who was really in the wrong.
When the full phone conversation between Kanye West and Taylor Swift from 2016, in which he told her about his plans to namedrop her in his then-unreleased song, "Famous," recently leaked, the Internet went into a frenzy. The extended footage of the call, filmed by Kim Kardashian, puts forward some new evidence in Taylor's favour, seemingly proving that she never lied about what Kanye did and didn't tell her about what would be included in the song.
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Way back then, Taylor inferred she was offended by Kanye rapping, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b*tch famous" on "Famous," and Kim proceeded to expose her for lying by releasing a snippet of the phone call, where Kanye can be heard giving Taylor a heads up about mentioning her in the song. Taylor always maintained that she was aware of the "sex" line but not the "b*tch" line, and this newfound clip seems to support that claim.
The leaked footage has got the Internet divided, with #KanyeWestIsOverParty trending on Twitter as a result. Swifties are purporting Taylor's innocence, Kanye fans are insisting that the clip proves nothing, and everyone else is attempting to approach the situation rationally. On the one hand, some feel that the full conversation proves that Taylor told the truth from the beginning: she was only ever told about the "sex" line.
However, this full-length clip still doesn't make a difference to others, who have decided to stand by Kanye.
Kamala Harris Joins DNC Push & Backs Joe Biden
Biden gains more allies.
After the man who was projected to lead the DNC in November had a slow start, he is back where everyone expected him to be. Joe Biden entered the Democratic race for the presidential nomination as a favorite, but a slow start in New Hampshire, Nevada, and Iowa almost doomed his campaign. Lo and behold, Biden captured South Carolina off the strength of Black voters, and rebounded during Super Tuesday to steal the lead back from Bernie Sanders. Biden was able to pick up momentum due to Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer backing out the race and endorsing him. Now, another DNC candidate is putting their endorsement behind the former Vice President.
"There is no one better prepared than Joe to steer our nation through these turbulent times, and restore truth, honor, and decency to the Oval Office," Kamala Harris said in a statement on Sunday. "He is kind and endlessly caring, and he truly listens to the American people." Kamala is the latest, after Mike Bloomberg, to throw her support behind Biden just months after she attacked him on the debate stage for being insensitive to Black issues. With the DNC seemingly forming around Biden, does Bernie stand a chance of winning the nomination?
Jim Jones And Iraq Veteran Spark Passionate "Rapper Vs. Soldier" Debate
After doubling down on his position that being a rapper is more dangerous than being a soldier, Jim Jones sparks a debate with an Iraq War Veteran.
On the heels of the controversial thesis that "being a rapper was more dangerous than being a soldier," Jim Jones found himself in a heated social media debate with an Iraq War veteran. In response, the Veteran slid into Jones' comments to voice his concern with Jones' position, explaining that it had disturbed him as both a soldier and a hip-hop fan. Citing the devastating loss of life his unit saw in 2004, the soldier maintained that there was "zero comparison to be made" between the two career paths.
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Never one to balk at a challenge, Jones actively doubled-down on his position with a passionate and emotionally motivated response. "Here are facts every n***a I grew up with is either dead or in jail so u wanna compare death tolls it won't add up. U went to army n met n***as u never knew or grew up wit. I grew up wit all these n***as all my life so it hit different."
"Yal was shootin at kids n innocent bystanders in the midst of shootin at the enemy," he continues. "We was kids shootin at kids n that mentality split over to success. Remember u knew who ur enemies were, we don't and everybody knows who we are because of our notoriety so how u protect urself from enemies you can't see? We all wear the same uniform, everyone is drippy. But ya'll had American uniforms on and the enemy had their uniform on. You had the church of goin to war. We didn't. We was at war when we was born."
Though Jones only shared that part of the debate on his page, the soldier -- IG handled as Mez -- actually shared a response on his own IG. Explaining that a sense of honor and duty drove his decision to fight in Iraq after the September 11th, 2001 attacks hit New York City, he reiterates that many people shared the same mentality. "You want to compare a lifestyle choice in comparison to somebody that not only subjects themselves to danger protecting their loved ones, but people they don't even know," maintains Mez. "When you get into the rap game you're doing it for what? Money. Not every single rapper, but you know who those rappers are -- those are the ones who don't get caught in the mainstream rap."
"I'm not going to make it a blanket statement," concludes Mez. "But one of the motivating facts is the opportunity to make money. When they make money they start feeding the people underneath them and putting it out there. Trying to make some change, I completely support that and understand that. But at the same time, it's a lifestyle choice. There's a lot that comes with that -- don't blame me or the military for that....If you're trying to make a difference in that lifestyle go ahead and do so, but you don't have to insult a whole group of people in doing so. Especially military women and men, who go out there and fight for the country for the sake of us. Especially after 9/11 -- we were directly attacked and we made the decision to fight for our country."
Mez made it a point to tag The Breakfast Club hosts, imploring Jones to meet him in the middle for a live discussion. At this rate, perhaps it would be for the best; common ground isn't as far as they might think. Where do you stand on this matter?
Mark Wahlberg & Dr. Oz Go Public With Their Feud On Importance Of Eating Breakfast
Who you got?
Mark Wahlberg didn’t get as buff and fit as he is by not putting in crazy amounts of effort into his meal and work out plans. The Fighter actor has preached in the past about his 4 AM workouts and meal plans and despite all of his knowledge on staying healthy Dr. Oz does not agree with Mark on how breakfast is a very important meal of the day. Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has his own show on health, claims that intermittent fasting is one of the healthiest things one can do for their body but Mark’s calling bullshit and the duo have now taken it to Instagram.
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images“Listen, we got beef now. You don’t want this smoke, trust me,” Mark said in a video on Instagram. “If you wanna challenge me, I’ll come hung over, eat a big steak, and you can do your little 20 push-ups with one leg, your assisted pull-up, I’m telling you you’ll need a defibrillator when I’m done with you.”
Dr. Oz followed up with a video of his own that sees him doing push ups. “I watched your video and heard the taunting … I would eat normally but I skip breakfast, I skip lunch. I feel stronger than ever because I’m intermittent fasting, which you should learn more about,” he said between push-ups. “The ball’s in your court, my friend. Anytime, anywhere … By the way, those pull-ups, they were real.”
Mark then followed up with another video telling the doc to grab his defibrillator because he’s going to need it after they go head to head but Dr. Oz came through with the last word.
“Hey Mark, I gotta say nice muscles but I still haven’t seen you work out yet,” he said. “You keep talking about defibrillators. I’m sure you played with one in a movie once, but I’m here in the hospital and I actually play with real devices that save real lives … when you work out with that full stomach of yours, I’m going to be defibrillating you.”
Cardi B Appears To Be Considering A Political Career
The first congresswoman to ever twerk?
Cardi B might be divisive in certain circles, but the entertainer has effectively managed to elevate herself to a superstar within a matter of years. Through a multifaceted attack spanning across music, social media, and even film, Cardi's presence has become damn near-ubiquitous, her experiencing growing by the day. She's even become a key player in the Bernie Sanders campaign, serving as a famous face with whom he can springboard platforms and ideas.
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Since linking up with Bernie, Cardi has expressed an increased interest in the world of politics, offering her take on a variety of different topics. Most recently, she voiced displeasure with the way the U.S. Government handled the targeted killing of Iranian General Quasem Solemani. Today, Cardi took to Twitter to muse upon a potential career change, one that would require a journey into the world of academia.
"I think I want to be a politician," she writes, Twitter. "I really love government even tho I don’t agree with Goverment. I do feel like if I go back to school and focus up I can be part of Congress. I deadass have sooo much ideas that make sense. I just need a couple of years of school and I can shake the table." Naturally, her bold declaration spawned no shortage of challenges and support -- essentially, an early taste of politics. Do you think Cardi has what it takes to infiltrate congress?
