Usually the only thing worse than kissing your sister would be a sporting event ending in a tie. Someone wins and someone loses, that’s just the way is supposed to be. However, after yesterday’s 1-1 draw with England, Team USA has to feel quite fortunate with the results. After an early Steven Gerrard goal, thanks in part to some beautiful ball movement, America was behind the proverbial eight ball to an England team that many expected to win. Digging deep, the Americans kept attacking and were rewarded for their efforts when Robert Green let Clint Dempsey’s strike literally go right through his fingertips (God was obviously back & paying attention) in the 40th minute.

Day Two Recap

– Nigeria put up a strong defensive effort against an unrelenting Argentinian offensive front. Gabriel Heinze’s goal in the sixth minute, but Nigerian keeper Enyeama who put up a valiant effort. Although they struggled in just qualifying for the event, Argentina could be dangerous if they can manage to find the back of the net.

– South Korea easily dispatched Greece 2-0 thanks largel to Lee Jung-Soo’s point blank goal off a corner kick the seventh minute, which sucked all the life out of an over-matched Greece team.

As a thanks for a donation, McGruder* sent over a candy bar on behalf of the Young Reezy Fun-Raiser Corporation. As a “for profit” group, a portion of the proceeds go towards “keeping gangs and guns away from animals.” Read the rest of this entry »

Young Cole invokes a playful but structured flow for this Tapemasters Inc. mixtape appearance. Read the rest of this entry »

Atheana Ritchie

Banned Music: 20 Artists Censors Tried To Silence [Billboard]

Minority Births Drive Growth in U.S. Diversity [ABC News]

Memphis Outraged at VH1 Hip-Hop Honors Omission [The Boombox]

DJ Neil Armstrong In New Zealand [Hypebeast]

Behind The Scenes: Black Men Magazine Swimsuit Casting [Hip-Hop Honey] Read the rest of this entry »

The task of recapping the week fell on me. But since I’ve been virtually out of pocket all week, I can’t claim to have a full pulse on what all took place. The answer? Lean on one of site’s strengths — our readers, one of the integral parts of keeping the Fresh respectable. And more specifically, I simply took a trip back through the week’s posts and searched the stories that garnered the most chatter this week from you all.

Honorable Mention – 32 comments for Rolling Stone’s revised list of the “500 Greatest Songs.”

5. 34 responses to Em’s Recovery efforts and the changes we all go through.

4. 37 responses to the reminder to buy Thank Me Later.

3. 38 commenters weighed on whether or not Jive’s attempting to keep Outkast apart. The open thread for Game Four of the NBA Finals also grabbed 38 comments too. Read the rest of this entry »

On paper, England should win in a few hours. Badly. By at least five goals. With the exception of goalkeeper Tim Howard — who would start for England — not a single member of the US roster would make the England squad. Not even beloved Landycakes. Read the rest of this entry »

Inspired by ‘Ye and Rawse’s recent coke revelations on record, our friends @ Complex compiled a list of lyrical reference to coke abuse. Yes, there’s nothing like going numb, catching a drain and writing rhymes. With several artists included, Memphis has obviously been ahead of the curve on mentioning the Bolivian marching powder in their rhymes. Pretty solid list even though I think B.G.’s reference to his drug of choice may have been misinterpreted and his N.O. cohort Soulja Slim was omitted. Lord knows both those two have indulged in their fair share of nose candy. Read the rest of this entry »

Cementing the notion that all things comes in threes, we’ve got another André 3000 sighting. Perhaps BET’s banning of her video (despite the puzzling fact they rarely even play videos) was a blessing in disguise, as this light and airy remix is perfect for Saturday morning skate jams, backyard gatherings & more importantly radio spins. Taking full advantage of the whimsical backdrop, Three Stacks is playful in both his word play & delivery, while taking his crack at young CiCi. Happy hunting Mr. Benjamin & I wish you much success if it’ll get you to stick around for awhile. Read the rest of this entry »

With only a few shorts weeks until /\/\/\Y/\ hits stores, M.I.A. is “Steppin’ Up” and debuting another chune from the album. As an extra, there’s Jay-Z’s added appearance to the original single “XXXO.” Read the rest of this entry »

Atheana Ritchie

What If Bynum Can’t Go? [ESPN]

How To Build Your Own Computer [Uproxx]

Nerdy Money: The 10 Geekiest Home Theaters [Complex]

Michael Bay Screening Causes Hate Crimes & Chicken Madness [FilmDrunk]

Diddy Speaks On Lil’ Kim Jabs [Rap Radar] Read the rest of this entry »

Miss a couple of days online and you miss a multitude of music. Thankfully, most of it is disposable and didn’t matter much anyways. Yet, this Ode To Illmatic should be different than the average fodder that passes through the inbox. And it’s only fitting that Fashawn create a “thank you” for the man and album who we’ve compared him to previously. Read the rest of this entry »

New Mike? Yes, please & thanks. Continuing his tear, Killer tries his hand @ Banks’ auto tune, rearranging it to speak on a bad a## chick and adds in a double-time flow near the end just to serve notice that’s he’s not to be taken likely folks, no pun intended. Read the rest of this entry »

Kurupt has been handling microphones for longer than most Hip-Hop listeners have been handling responsibilities. With a catalogue deeper and more substantial than just about any other artist in the game, his name still doesn’t ring as loud as it should amongst most Hip-Hop circles. It truly is a shame, but like most pioneers in rap, his legacy is disregarded by most of the new generation of enthusiasts. Read the rest of this entry »

For the past three days, I’ve been hunkered down in Manhattan, immersed in Nike Basketball’s media event to announce their creation of the World Basketball Festival in partnership with USA Basketball. From new sneakers, to plans to takeover NYC hoops this summer (sorry LBJ), the partnership’s ultimate goal is to use the sport to foster a global impact on communities.

Once I get situated, I’ll share a full disclosure of all that I saw and heard. Until then, check the full press release by clicking here. Read the rest of this entry »

The world keeps turning and ‘Twan’s date with destiny marches closer and closer – even if Jive isn’t trying to play fair. The next clip in Big Boi’s mini series finds us at Savannah High School. On what they originally thought to be pep rally, the students were pleasantly surprised to see one of their most famous alumni come chop it up. Read the rest of this entry »