In this clip, Tony Yayo reacted to the controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving, and he explained that he was taught in media training to stay away from politics and religion. He added that there’s freedom of speech, but Tony added that you have to be careful not to disrespect people in the public eye. Vlad then explained how New York is unique, and Tony agreed, saying, “Everyone is tough.” Vlad went on to speak about how everyone takes the subway in New York, and they’re forced to be around one another. Tony explained that the best thing about New York is the melting pot of different backgrounds, and he spoke about growing up in Queens around all kinds of people.
On this episode of The Class of ’96, Bomani Jones looks at the life and career of Steve Nash. Barely recruited out of Canada, Nash landed a scholarship to Santa Clara University and became the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He went on to win two MVP trophies with the Phoenix Suns while guiding some of the most efficient offenses in league history.
On Tuesday, New Yorkers commuting through the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center subway station will find it transformed with vibrant portraits of Black, Asian and Pacific Islander people along with anti-discriminatory messages like “I did not make you sick” and “I am not your scapegoat.”
The series is the work of the neuroscientist turned artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya (pronounced PING-bodee-bak-ee-ah). In August, Ms. Phingbodhipakkiya was named a New York City Public Artist in Residence through a program that has partnered artists with city agencies since 2015. She is one of two artists currently embedded with the city’s Commission on Human Rights, which invested $220,000 in this campaign.
Ms. Phingbodhipakkiya’s “I Still Believe in Our City” series was created as a response to a grim statistic. From February to September, the Commission received more than 566 reports of discrimination, harassment and bias related to Covid-19 — 184 of which were anti-Asian in nature. It’s a troubling spike not just appearing in New York, but in Asian-American communities across the country.
“My goal with this art series was to turn these hurts into something beautiful and powerful,” Ms. Phingbodhipakkiya said in a phone interview. She added, “I really wanted to find a way to say, despite everything we have faced as Asian-Americans and New Yorkers, that I still believe in New York.”
From Nov. 3 to Dec. 2, the series of 45 pieces will be displayed in the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, a central hub that serves a diverse group of commuting New Yorkers. Ms. Phingbodhipakkiya said that it was also the site of a reported, Covid-related bias incident in March, when a 26-year-old Asian-American man reported he was spat on.
A description of that incident has been included in one of the pieces, alongside portraits of Asians and flowers that Ms. Phingbodhipakkiya said have symbolic meanings in Chinese and East Asian cultures. Other panels offer information and historical context about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and statistics about Asian-owned businesses.
The Notorious B.I.G. was made a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tonight during an induction ceremony broadcast on HBO. Biggie Smalls was inducted by Diddy, who signed the rapper to the then-fledgling Bad Boy Records in 1993, and was also honored by JAY-Z, Nas, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, in addition to his family: his mother Voletta Wallace, daughter Tyanna Wallace, and son C.J. Wallace.
“Big just wanted to be biggest, he wanted to be the best, he wanted to have influence and impact people in a positive way, and that clearly has been done all over the world,” Diddy said. “Nobody has come close to the way Biggie sounds, to the way he raps, to the frequency that he hits. Tonight we are inducting the greatest rapper of all time into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Notorious B.I.G. representing Brooklyn, New York, we up in here!”
Nas discussed how Biggie opened doors for New York rappers. “Rap music is all about who’s gonna be the king,” he said. “The West Coast, they was sellin’ millions of records, and before Big, I felt like there was only so far New York rap could go as far as sales. Biggie changed all of that.”
The segment closed with Biggie’s children—daughter Tyanna and son C.J. (who has previously worked as an actor and released his own music for the first time in August). “Our father was one of the founding fathers of hip-hop. He helped revolutionize what was a young art form for the Black community and the world,” C.J. said. “I’m honored to share his name and his dedication to Black music, creativity, self-expression, and Black freedom. I love you, Meemaw. Thanks for teaching us who Christopher Wallace was as a son, friend, poet, artist, and father. We love you Meemaw. We love you dad. Brooklyn, we did it!”
The Brooklyn Nets, led by owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, are pledging $50 million over 10 years to establish and support they hope will lead to economic mobility in the Black community.
The couple will lead a “five-point plan,” which will include continued support for its players pushing for social and economic equality and address wage gaps in communities of color, starting in Brooklyn. The plan will also address diversity within the Nets organization and the National Basketball Association league office.
“After George Floyd’s death, we felt like we needed to take a firm stand on racial injustice,” Clara Wu Tsai said in an interview with CNBC on Monday. “I wanted to state our beliefs on this issue — that racism is pervasive and needs to be addressed, and I wanted to lay out core principles that clarified our purpose as an organization.”
Protesters gathered outside a New York Police Department precinct in Brookyln, New York, to protest against police action on August 1 after an elderly Asian woman was robbed and set on fire.
The protest featured a speech from rapper and former gang member China Mac, who wore a shirt saying “proud af to be Asian” and told the crowd the incident “looked like a hate crime to me” and suggested the officers knew it was a hate crime.
Local media reported the 89-year-old was robbed after leaving her Bensonhurst home on July 14. Police told ABC7 there was no evidence she was specifically targeted and no derogatory remarks were made by the suspects.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert opens up about his rocky relationship with teammate Donovan Mitchell after giving him the coronavirus back in March. Gobert says their relationship was never perfect, but reiterates that they respect one another. He also details how he handled the backlash from the world after being one of the first athletes to test positive for COVID-19.
“I’m simply creating this GoFundMe as my commitment to my previous tweets. As of now 2625.8 BTC (bitcoin) is roughly equivalent to $24,632,630 USD (U.S. dollars). If we hit the target then I will allow the fan base to determine my next team decision and sign a one year contract at that destination. If we do not hit the target goal then I will be donating 100% of this campaign to charity. Fan engagement comes in all shapes and sizes, lets have fun folks!”
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