culture
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‘Thank God’: Don’t Say It If You Don’t Mean It
“First, I want to thank God … ” For decades, those words have been uttered by black performers from gospel artists to gangsta rappers on every awards-show stage, whether their lyrics encourage optimistic praise or are phrases that need to be bleeped. But Sunday night, Jay Z stopped himself short, almost correcting himself, to change…
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Kendrick Lamar on Macklemore Win, Grammy Snub: ‘Everything Happens for a Reason’
Kendrick Lamar doesn’t appear to be too fazed by what many see as a blatant snub by the Grammys: The rapper left with zero trophies despite seven nominations. Instead, taking a more diplomatic approach, Lamar praised Macklemore, who made all but a clean sweep in the rap categories—winning best rap album for The Heist as…
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Pastor Follows Up SOTU Address With ‘God’s State of the Union,’ Says Obama Follows Satan
Shortly after President Barack Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, Steven Andrew decided to upload his own message—“God’s State of the Union: Restoring God’s Blessings”—to counter Obama’s, the Raw Story reports. In the address, the USA Christian Ministries pastor slammed the president for promoting “homosexual sin,” citing it as evidence…
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Jonathan Martin: ‘I Felt Trapped’ in Dolphins Locker Room
Football player Jonathan Martin, who left the Miami Dolphins mid-season amid allegations of bullying and racism, sat down for his first interview since the scandal broke. Martin told NBC Nightly News, which aired the episode Tuesday evening, that the persistence of vulgar language and the climate the lockerroom made him feel trapped, forcing him to…
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7-Year-Old Girl Beaten Unconscious by Classmates in Maryland
A 7-year-old girl suffered a mild concussion after she was beaten unconscious by four boys at Thomas Claggett Elementary School in District Heights, Md., on Tuesday, Fox 5 reports. The incident occurred during a recess in the school’s gym, into which 75 students were allegedly crammed, with only about five teachers supervising the crowd. The…
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Kanye West Pays Teen $250,000 to Settle Alleged Beating
The teen who allegedly called Kim Kardashian everything but a child of God and then received a reported ungodly beat-down from Yeezus has settled with the rapper out of court and received a massive six-figure payday, New York’s Daily News reports. The unidentified 18-year-old, who was alleged to have called Kim “a slut” and a…
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College Athletes Look to Form Union
Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter had strong words for the NCAA, the governing body of collegiate sports, during a news conference on Tuesday in which he called the group “a dictatorship” while unveiling a proposal for college athletes to unionize, issuing the latest blow in the growing national debate over whether college players should be compensated,…
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Prince Seeks $1,000,000 Each From 22 Fans for Illegally Posting Live Shows
His purple majesty, Prince, who is notorious for controlling his musical image, is now suing 22 fans who he claims have illegally posted his live shows online, making them available for download, the New York Daily News reports. According to the Daily News, Prince Rogers Nelson filed a lawsuit in Northern District of California earlier…
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Missouri Death Row Inmate’s Life Spared on Eve of Execution
A 56-year-old Missouri death row inmate’s life was spared on the eve of his execution, the Associated Press reports. Herbert Smulls received word that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito had signed the order that was sent out Tuesday night after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech. Smulls’ lawyers had been making last-minute…
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Against the Odds, Demaryius Thomas Made His Way to Football Greatness
They say some people are born into their destiny. They step into the world that their parents create and build their reality. For Demaryius Thomas, reality consisted of being born to a 15-year-old mother and an absent father who joined the Army after high school. Thomas’ early life was the stuff rappers rhyme about and…