Shaquille O’Neal
is apparently still fooling folks with goofy masks
4:01 PMShaquille O’Neal is arguably the most popular athlete/entertainer of his generation (Dwayne Johnson is his only comparison), and occasionally he busts out something so virally funny that it’s impossible not to like. This time, he’s teamed up with the ride-share company Lyft to execute that “riding undercover” bit, that is surprisingly effective with lesser-known players.
But come on, Shaq? Nobody on EARTH is getting into a car and just acting like they don’t know that he’s the driver if they look at him. He’s an insanely large human, has an extremely unique voice and is on TV constantly. I refuse to believe that there are people in Atlanta of all places who don’t recognize him.
That aside, this video is hilarious. The costumes alone are enough to do this justice, but O’Neal ad-lib skills are tremendous. A dashiki and an Afro wig? Yes, please. The best part of it is in the very beginning though. “My favorite Laker player is Kobe,” a woman says, laughing, to an obviously unmasked Shaq. Per usual, he takes it like a champ.
Street Art Sundays
Asheville
has an oasis of graffiti and street art
On our way out of town from a wedding last week in Asheville, North Carolina, we happened upon what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse with some rather well-executed pieces along a wall. As it turned out, various artists were painting what felt like two full city blocks of abandoned warehouses and old 18-wheelers with nothing but surface to paint.
Artists were out doing their thing. Some other people were practicing at the skate park on the grounds. As an enthusiast, the scene was a tad overwhelming. One guy on Twitter said it looked like a level on a Tony Hawk video game. Overall, it was an incredible thing to happen upon on the way out of town.
Asheville’s River Arts District is home to many a studio, but this grittier industrialized version of an effective canvas town was quite remarkable. In recent years, Asheville has thrown an event called “Burners and BBQ” as a way to help continue the artistic efforts there.
It really was quite remarkable in skill and scale.
Street Art Sundays
We The North
Especially when it comes to art
Trevor Wheatley is a Toronto-based artist who was very much so looking forward to what the Raptors were going to do against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That didn’t go so well, but this is dope.
Board on Saturday
Nakel Smith
is riding very clean with Adidas.
9:00 AMhttps://twitter.com/heshnigga/status/735177815499231232
They say his actual name. That’s the important part.
Ethiopia Skate
gives the globe a new visual backdrop for the sport
7:00 AMYou don’t typically think of Addis Ababa and skateboarding as “natural” partners, but thanks to Ethiopia Skate, they are. Their entire operation is pretty incredible, because while skateboarding is a full-blown industry, in East Africa we’re still in the infantile growth stages. Volunteers, donated equipment, the whole scene is still super grassroots.
From a style standpoint, what’s particularly fascinating is to watch people skate with a backdrop that’s so different from what we’re used to. Be it the United States, South America, Australia or Europe, the visual vocabulary of each place, while varied within themselves, is still somewhat similar. Africa presents a whole other landscape palette that is extremely appealing.
“We use skateboarding as a means of building confidence, encouraging individual creativity, and making community,” their mission statement says. “We vision that children from all backgrounds can come together to have access to skateboarding equipment and free skateboard facilities and this community can ensure that all members have the means of education and healthy living.”
It’s about more than just tricks or transportation. It’s about family.
Board on Saturday
Thrasher Magazine’s
OG tastemaker gets a deep dive
7:00 AMIf you read Thrasher, you know who editor Jake Phelps is. If you don’t, he’s basically one of the most hardcore humans on Earth. The mag has been around as long as I’ve been alive, and if you want to take a look back at what the skate world was like through the eyes of a truly pioneering person, check out this long form profile of Phelps from The California Sunday Magazine.
Zamunda
and its people would be proud of this tribute
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There are multiple scenes in Coming to America that could arguably be considered the best. But easily the most extravagant and gloriously black, is the wedding ceremony, in which Prince Akeem is set to meet the woman betrothed to him. Things go sideways quickly, but not before one of the best dance scenes in the history of film. We’re hoping for a similar one in Black Panther, by the way.
But a group of high schoolers in Michigan went next level for prom and recreated the scene from the 1988 classic Eddie Murphy film. The young lady is dressed as Imani Izzi and another as Prince Akeem. Shouts to big man who played the royal body guard. That adds a nice touch.
This is an A+ on every level. No word on whether or not she later carried out the character’s famously ridiculous antics on the dance floor with her classmates.
Politics
Obama’s speech on race
The day the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was put in the rearview
2:20 PMThere was a time when it was believed that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright would torpedo then-Sen. Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign.
Now, FiveThirtyEight gives a week in 2008 the June 17th, 1994-style treatment in a podcast called “Inside The Five-Day Stretch When Obama Found His Voice On Race,” delving into what happened when the controversial pastor’s old sermons hit the media and his campaign team was forced to deal with it. In retrospect, some of the questions Obama dealt with felt more like a court deposition than an interview. Obama defended Wright as a churchgoer and the man who married him and Michelle.
He couldn’t disavow Wright entirely, so he did what he knew best. He made a speech, which he wrote himself. Without the usual trappings of politics. He bet on himself to simply nail it. This deep dive featuring many of the characters involved — David Axelrod (Obama’s chief campaign strategist), Jon Favreau (speechwriter), Valerie Jarrett (White House senior adviser) to name a few — is a detailed look into what happened on the ground in those moments.
Presented in chronological order of news coverage, with commentary from various characters close to the story, this project offers analysis and chalk talk of the moment that turned his campaign around. The show continues to discuss Obama’s growth and public progression as a person willing to discuss race as a public figure, and his blackness in itself.
The rest is history.
All Day Podcast
All Day Podcast
We talked with Annie Apple, which makes it a win
11:20 AMWhen this blog launched, I mentioned there’d be accompanying content. Well, that day is here. After hosting The Undefeated on ESPN Radio special a couple weekends back, senior style writer Jill Hudson, staff writer Justin Tinsley and I are launching a podcast. You can also listen or download here.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | Embed
This week, we talked about Mike Wilbon’s story on analytics, had a chat with Annie Apple, mother of New York Giants first-round draft pick Eli Apple, who is incredible on Twitter. We also discussed Freddie Gray, Bill Cosby and the Bad Boy Reunion Tour.
Enjoy.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 5/27/16
Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian are done for real
9:00 AMHey, guess what? We taped our first podcast Thursday. If you missed us a couple weekends ago on ESPN Radio, all good! Now you can hear Jill Hudson, Justin Tinsley and myself every week just by clicking here. Should be fun!
Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian’s relationship has been a tested one. They famously got together, then very famously crumbled when Odom’s drug abuse problems got so bad that he nearly died after a bender in Nevada. He was found unconscious in a brothel, which tends to be a problem as far as marriages go. But to her credit she stuck by him, officially, even though she dated others in the meantime because he had issues, obviously. Well, now, she’s trying to end it for real. They have a prenuptial agreement, if you were wondering.
New details have emerged in the shooting incident at a T.I. concert in New York. The NYPD has released a surveillance video from the scene, and it strongly appears that rapper Troy Ave is involved. As in, it looks like he was the one doing the shooting. One person died and he shot himself in the leg, by the way. As important, this is such a bad look on the ground for NYC hip-hop. The police have been looking for any reason they can find to shut down live shows there and this only helps their cause. ABC’s News’ Meghan Keneally, Aaron Katersky and David Caplan report.
We told you Thursday about the 6-year-old trying to spell his way to fame. Alas, he wasn’t the one who made it to the top. The two who did however end up winning the title engaged in a pretty epic battle. And at one point, some VERY serious shade was thrown right there on stage. Let’s just say that if someone were clapping in my face at that age, best believe I would most definitely be clapping back. I hope these two end up being friends for life. Anyways, did you ever wonder how they pick the words for the spelling bee? FiveThirtyEight’s Oliver Roeder explains.
Ray Rice will probably never play in the NFL again. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have some level of impact in the league. Two years ago, when a video of him punching his then-fiancee while in an elevator went public, Rice was effectively blackballed from the league. He did gain some cash from a wrongful termination lawsuit, but it was clear that regardless of his production no one was going to give the running back another chance. Now, however, he’s back with the Ravens, albeit in a different role. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley details Rice’s latest endeavor.
Free Food
Coffee Break: If you care about media, you should care about the battle currently being waged at Gawker Media. Nick Denton’s company is currently the subject of one man’s personal crusade, which some might call turnabout and thus, fair play. Alas, some see it differently. Particularly those who are in the media, who run their own sites.
Snack Time: We’re coming up on Memorial Day weekend, which means A) Daily Dose will be off on Monday and B) there will be cookouts. Here’s a list of things that you better not do at someone else’s function. You’ve been warned.
Dessert: Let’s end on a good note. This should make you laugh. Holiday advice: Safety first this weekend, folks.
Music
Gucci Mane
is out of jail in time for the long weekend
5:15 PMWhen a rumor first crossed my desk that Gucci Mane was out of jail, I was stunned. Gucci’s relationship with the law is not one that typically keeps him a free man, so pardon us for not keeping track of his release dates. But forget all that, GUCCI HOME. According to TMZ, a judge let him out because of a mix-up on time already served. Something that only happens to Gucci.
There are people who look at him as the man with the ice cream tattoo on his face. Others who see him only as a guy who makes ratchet music from Atlanta. But to anyone really out here doing it for the culture, you understand that Gucci is the tree from which all branches grow when it comes to trap music. He has a tireless work ethic and has ushered so much young talent to the forefront in the South that it’s not absurd to compare him to Berry Gordy.
All that said, it’s time to rep Big Guwop.
Gucci mane is out! The streets are crying for joy
— THE GREY GORILLA (@RAMIREZ_187) May 26, 2016
— Four Pins (@Four_Pins) May 26, 2016
You can bet he’s headed to the studio right now.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 5/26/16
Another tragic night at a T.I. show, this time in NYC
8:35 AMIt’s sad news to wake up to, but someone was killed at a T.I. concert in New York City Thursday night. Don’t forget that the Atlanta rapper’s homey, Philant Johnson, was killed at a concert in Cincinnati 10 years ago. Nearly to the week.
There is no opponent harder to topple for Donald Trump than President Barack Obama. But he’s not exactly facing him in a head-to-head matchup. So, Trump’s usual tactics don’t quite apply the same way competition-wise because he’s dealing with a sitting president. Conversely, whenever Obama says something about Trump it carries a ton of weight, particularly when he’s making references to things he’s heard in his dealings with world leaders, since, you know, he’s the commander in chief. ABC News’ Arlette Saenz has the details.
National parks are American treasures. That’s how many feel, despite the fact that the National Park Service is constantly dealing with myriad issues, to the point that it’s considering selling naming rights to corporate America. Sort of. As someone that grew up in D.C., I’ve got huge respect for the NPS and what it does. As it turns out, national parks as popular as they’ve ever been. Which unfortunately probably means the likelihood of a bunch of idiots messing it up for everyone is a possibility. Anyway, FiveThirtyEight’s Andrew Flowers explains.
There are few things I have more respect for than kids in a spelling bee. The “twitching freaks” as they were once called by Tony Kornheiser are not only incredibly smart, but incredibly bold, too. This is the part where I tell you that I got third place at the National Press Club spelling bee, after competing as a favor to a friend. That aside, these things are beyond intense, even for grown adults, nevermind preteens. Oh, did I say preteens? Because there’s A 6-YEAR-OLD in this year’s field, kiddos. ABC’s Enjoli Francis tells this wonderful story.
You remember Rougned Odor? Of course you do. He’s the guy that one-pieced the Toronto Blue Jays’ Joey Bautista so viciously that his helmet and sunglasses flew off at the same time. Yeah, that guy. Well, you need to know that he’s not just all hands. What he’s trying to do now is regain his reputation in Major League Baseball as a Venezuelan player. In the bigs, it’s not easy. Once you lose your credibility, it’s hard to regain it, particularly among players. ESPN’s Calvin Watkins profiles the Texas Rangers’ second baseman from Maracaibo.
Free Food
Coffee Break: You’ve got to love artists that stand up for what they believe in. Yesterday, The Weeknd and rapper Belly said that they refused to take the stage on Jimmy Kimmel Live! because Donald Trump was scheduled to appear. And it wasn’t just a blanket walk off. The man with the unmistakable haircut had some eloquent words to say about it, too.
Snack Time: If you’ve ever been within, say, arm’s length of a lion that wasn’t in a cage, you understand their beauty. At their most serene, they are genuinely glorious cats. But if you woke up to one licking your tent, what would you do?
Dessert: You’re not going to see anything more inspirational than this video, today. I promise.