Shaun King is one of the most unapologetic activists in the world. He is loud in his effort to combat injustice, calling out white privilege and collecting funds for the families of people affected by police brutality, racist attacks, and more. Most recently, Shaun King was fighting for justice after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, sharing his story on social media and urging people to stay woke. He also posted about George Floyd, the man that was killed by Minneapolis Police this week.
This week, a startling article was published The Daily Beast, questioning where the money he raises actually goes. After people read through and did additional research, the supposed truth about King became public knowledge and, as a result, he is being canceled on Twitter.
People are beginning to share their own horror stories about the activist, calling him out and urging him to respond to this scandal.
As of now, King said that he would soon be addressing the article, noting that he was on the way to be with his mother, who just had emergency surgery.
"So much blatant misinformation," he wrote. "I'll reply when I can."
What do you think of this developing situation? Check out some of the tweets below.
Epic Games Cancels Fortnite’s 2020 World Cup For COVID-19 Pandemic
The 2020 Fortnite World Cup has been canceled by Epic Games, citing coronavirus concerns.
Epic Games is canceling the 2020 Fortnite World Cup, citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. All other Fortnite competitions in 2020 will be hosted online rather than in-person as well.
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“For the rest of 2020, all Fortnite competitions will be held online. Due to the limitations of cross-region online competition, there will not be a Fortnite World Cup in 2020,” Epic said on Twitter, Thursday. “We don’t know when a return to large, global, in-person events will be practical, but we’re hopeful to be able to put on some form of Fortnite World Cup in 2021.”
The 2020 Fortnite World Cup had not yet been scheduled, but it was presumed to be hosted over the summer.
Competitive Fortnite players will still have an opportunity to compete for earnings, as the company is hosting Cash Cups and other smaller competitive events.
“We’ve heard the feedback. We are bringing back official broadcasts starting with the FNCS Invitational this weekend! Tune in for all of the action and more competitive news,” Epic continued. The first event can be stream on May 2 at 1:00 PM ET here.
Fortnite has seen steady success hosting live events. Most recently, Travis Scott debuted a new song featuring Kid Cudi during a virtual concert in-game. The event drew 12 million viewers.
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Adam Silver Provides Latest Update On NBA Season’s Future
Adam Silver’s latest update on the future of the 2019-20 NBA season is still vague.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver provided ESPN with an update on if and when the league may resume activity, Friday. His update is bad news for NBA fans.
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“Based on the reports that we got from varied outside officials, current public health officials … we are not in a position to make any decisions,” Silver said. “And it’s unclear when we will be.”
Silver says he intends to resume the season at some point to avoid a complete cancelation. As for now, the league is monitoring the availability of testing, the number of new infections, and updates on a potential vaccine.
“There is a lot of data that all has to be melded together to help make these decisions,” Silver said. “That is part of the uncertainty. We are not even at the point where we can say if only A, B and C were met, then there is a clear path.
“I think there is still too much uncertainty at this point to say precisely how we move forward. I’ll add that the underlying principle remains the health and well-being of NBA players and everyone involved. We begin with that as paramount.”
Silver also says the number of players who have tested positive for COVID-19 is higher than initial reports; however, he did not expand for privacy reasons.
“We are looking at all those things right now,” Silver said. “I’d say that in terms of bubble-like concepts, many of them have been proposed to us and we’ve only listened. We are not seriously engaged yet in that type of environment because I can’t answer what precisely would we need to see in order to feel that that environment provided the needed health and safety for our players and everyone involved.
“I know it’s frustrating — it is for me and everyone involved that I am not in position to be able to answer the question. … There is still enormous uncertainty around the virus as well. Now there is a lot that is changing quickly and we may be in a very different position some number of weeks from now. But it is why I initially announced at the beginning of April that I felt with confidence we would not be able to make any decisions in the month of April. I should clarify that I didn’t mean to suggest that on May 1 I would be in a position.”
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Comic-Con Makes Unprecedented Move Due To Coronavirus
In the 50 years of Comic-Con, this is the first time it has ever been canceled.
Comic-Con is always one of the biggest events in the entire world and every year, it invites pop culture fans from around the globe to embark on a quest to meet their favorite actors from some of their favorite shows. People get dressed up as different characters from comic books, movies, tv shows, and even cartoons and anime. There are Comic-Con events all over the world however the most popular one takes place in San Diego.
Due to recent measures enacted by the state of California to curb the spread of COVID-19, the organizers of Comic-Con have been forced to make an unprecedented decision in the event’s 50-year history. Yes, that’s right, Comic-Con has been canceled.
Paul Butterfield/Getty Images
Per Comic-Con:
“Recognizing that countless attendees save and plan for its conventions each year, and how many exhibitors and stakeholders rely upon its events for a major portion of their livelihood, they had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer. […] “Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year.”
While this will certainly be disappointing for many people, it is ultimately the right decision when you consider everything that is happening in the world right now. Hopefully, the event will be back in 2021.
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Nicki Minaj Stans Seek To Cancel Doja Cat With Twitter Tirade
Nicki Minaj's Barbz relentlessly tried to get Doja Cat canceled and it didn't work.
Doja Cat has been rising up the ranks as far as artists go, these days. Her quirky personality has made her a favorite amongst fans and when you mix this with her good music, you get a very likable entertainer. Of course, because she is a female artist, fans are quick to compare her to other women in hip-hop, which isn't always fair.
Recently, a drawing was made of Doja, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion on a Rolling Stone cover together. This drawing drew the ire of Barbz who didn't take too kindly to Doja Cat's inclusion. At one point, a Doja Cat fan responded to one of the Barbz which led Doja Cat to say "Stop responding to them they’re twitter gangsters and they have nothing kind to say about you or anyone. they live and breathe being fuckin immature."
Of course, Nicki's stans were livid over this whole thing and immediately started the hashtag, "DojaCatIsOverParty." The strength of the Barbz is unmatched as the hashtag eventually began trending on Twitter. Doja Cat's fans were right there to put a stop to it though, as they lamented over the fact that the artist was being canceled for absolutely no reason.
Eventually, the Barbz were overshadowed by Doja's fans who completely took the hashtag and used it as a means to stop Nicki stans and their gifs, in their tracks. Needless to say, cancel culture doesn't work so well when there isn't a cancelable offense to hit one with.
Concert Industry To Lose Upwards Of $9 Billion, New Study Finds
A new study shows the concert industry could lose upwards of $9 billion dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.
One of the businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak is the concert industry. Without the ability to gather in large groups, effectively all concerts have been canceled. A new study from Pollstar shows that loses could reach upwards of $9 billion for the concert industry if things don’t return to normal, fast.
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“Estimating what might have been lost obviously depends on when the business rebounds,” the study reads, “but if the rest of the year is dark – which is a worst-case scenario and certainly not expected – the potential $12.2 billion yearly estimate minus the grosses from all the shows completed before cancellations and postponements places potential losses for the remainder of the year right at $8.9 billion.”
Total losses could be “much less, about $2.3 billion, if touring is possible as early as late-May,” the study continues. “And if quarantines continue through the summer, say, late-August, industry losses could total about $5.2 billion in just missed ticket sales alone.”
As of now, there is no definite answer as to when the world will return to business as usual. President Trump hopes by the end of April, while other suggest this could go on for as long as a year. Either way, the concert industry will struggle throughout.
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NBA To Schedule A H-O-R-S-E Competition On ESPN: Report
The NBA season may not return, but the league is trying to set up a H-O-R-S-E competition with its best players to air on ESPN.
The NBA is planning a H-O-R-S-E that will involve several "high-profile players" who will complete from separate locations, to stay in line with social distancing.
Stacy Revere / Getty Images
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the story on Twitter, Saturday.
"The NBA and ESPN are working on televising a H-O-R-S-E competition involving several high-profile players, sources say," Woj wrote. "Players would shoot in isolation – presumably in home gyms – and match shots against competitors. Details are still being finalized."
It is appearing more and more likely that the NBA 2019/20 season will not return and effectively be canceled. ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained where the league is at on Sportscenter, Friday.
"It is clear that the NBA is angling to set up a deal that enables them to shut the season down," Windhorst said Friday on SportsCenter. "They don’t have to do that yet. The way they’re negotiating, they’re leaving an option either way. But they’re not having talks about how to restart the league. They’re having financial talks [regarding player salaries] about what would happen if the season shuts down. I think there’s a significant amount of pessimism."
As for the NFL, President Donald Trump told sports commissioners, Saturday, that he expects the league will be able to run as scheduled.
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Adam Silver Admits NBA Season Could Be Canceled
The NBA has suspended its season for at least 30 days.
Over the past 48 hours, the NBA has been through a lot. It all started on Wednesday night when Rudy Gobert was officially diagnosed with the Coronavirus. From there, the NBA took swift action and decided to suspend the season entirely. Just yesterday, Donovan Mitchell tested positive for the virus which isn't surprising when you consider how he is teammates with Gobert. The virus has the NBA on high alert and for now, they will be out of commission for at least 30 days.
Yesterday, Adam Silver was on Inside the NBA where he spoke to the panel about the shutdown and whether or not the NBA will come back at all this season. As Silver explained, they aren't ruling out any options and for now, cancelation of the entire season could very well be a possibility. However, Silver is optimistic that the virus will start to improve once the warmer weather gets here.
This should be concerning news for NBA fans who wanted to see the season play out as planned. As of right now, there is nothing the league can do which makes the situation all that much more frustrating. Over the next few weeks, leagues around the world will have a better understanding of what course of action makes the most sense for not just their league but humanity as a whole.
Stay tuned for updates on this story as we will be sure to bring them to you.
ESPN Cancels "High Noon" For Poor Ratings, Fans React
"High Noon" was pegged as one of the few shows that offered nuanced opinions.
When ESPN revealed that they would be doing a show with Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre called "High Noon," sports fans were pretty excited. Well, at least those who enjoy thoughtful and nuanced conversations. Regardless of how you feel about their opinions, Jones and Torre are considered to be two of the smartest men in sports media and the prospect of them coming together was exciting. Unfortunately, ESPN felt as though not enough people were watching. After a 3% rating decline in Q1 of this year, ESPN announced yesterday that "High Noon" would run all the way through March and would be canceled immediately after.
The news led to a swift reaction on social media as many tried to make sense of it all. There were quite a few people who were happy about the cancelation as they claimed that Bomani and Torre simply weren't interesting enough to watch for 30 minutes. Others were devastated by the cancelation and said that their fate was the result of a culture that promotes hot takes and uninformed opinions over nuanced debates. Not to mention, "High Noon" was given a timeslot that is practically impossible to succeed in.
Check out some of the reactions to the news, below.
Rhymesayers Call Off Twin Cities’ Soundset Festival 2020
Rhymesayers 25th concert will take place later this year.
Rhymesayers Entertainment has made major strides as an independent label, especially when it comes down to putting on for Twin Cities hip-hop. Although the local scene hasn’t grown in prominence in the way a New York, Atlanta or an L.A. is, their independent grind has continuously put a spotlight on otherwise underground talent.
Since 2008, the label has sponsored the annual Soundset hip-hop festival in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. As it grew over the past twelve years, some of rap’s biggest names have hit the stage such as Lil Wayne, Pusha T, DaBaby, DMX, Gucci Mane, Travis Scott, and of course, Atmosphere, among many other names. However, it looks like after 12 years, they’re taking a break in 2020.
“Following twelve successful years, we are officially announcing that Soundset will not take place in 2020. We made the difficult decision to take this year off in order to assess what Soundset will become in the new decade.” a letter on their website reads. “Soundset has brought a diverse lineup of national and local Twin Cities artists together for a one-day celebration that represents Hip Hop culture in Minnesota.”
It continues, “We sincerely appreciate the artists, the partners, the crew, and most importantly, the fans who continue to make everything we do possible.”
The letter adds that they’ll be focusing on the Rhymesayers 25th anniversary set later this year.