Latest news with #Tweaker
USA Today
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
A begrudging review of LiAngelo Ball's follow-up track to 'Tweaker'
A begrudging review of LiAngelo Ball's follow-up track to 'Tweaker' It's still taking a second for me to get used to talking about LiAngelo Ball, well, really at all, let alone talking about him as a rapper and not a basketball player. But he's done it, folks! He's made the transition. The dude has a hit single, a record deal and an album on the way. Gelo Ball is a full-fledged rap artist. On Friday, he debuted a new single called "Law N Order." This is a big moment for Gelo. It's one thing to nail a single. But it's another thing to nail your follow-ups. This isn't the first single that followed "Tweaker." He dropped "Can you Please" with GloRilla earlier this month. The reaction was solid, but it didn't quite land like "Tweaker" did. So where does Law N Order land? Probably in about the same space. The beat is fantastic. Shoutout to ThomasM, who produced this banger. Similar to Tweaker, it sounds like a modern take on something you'd hear the Hot Boyz rapping on in the late 1990s and early aughts. You can't help but give it a foot tap when you hear it. What's unfortunate about it is Gelo is kind of dragging the beat down. His flow? Not great. The cadence is weird. It's also a very monotonous song. The energy isn't quite there. It's certainly not matching the ferocity of the beat. It's also hard to hear what he's saying on the hook. It's almost like he's putting on his best Brian Kelly impression with a fake southern accent. It's just not really working for me. Maybe it's the beat itself. Maybe it's because I know he's a kid from Chino Hills and he doesn't really sound like that. Who's to say? Regardless, I just don't think this works that well. This beat deserves so much better. Ultimately, the beat probably saves this song. Put it on some speakers and it almost doesn't matter what Ball is saying or what he sounds like — the people will get it popping. In the end, that's probably what matters.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
GELO Nets First Radio Chart No. 1 With ‘Tweaker' on Rhythmic Airplay
Basketball player-turned-rapper GELO earns his first No. 1 on a Billboard radio chart as 'Tweaker' shoots from No. 3 to rule the Rhythmic Airplay list dated March 29. The track, released on Born to Ball/Def Jam and promoted by REPUBLIC, extends the musical breakthrough season for the rapper, born LiAngelo Ball. The 26-year-old traveled an unusual route to Billboard's charts, having first generated attention through with his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo, for their on-court ability in high school. After graduating, LiAngelo played in international divisions and the NBA's G-League and Summer League series; his siblings are active players in the NBA. More from Billboard Watch GELO & GloRilla Make It Rain at the Strip Club for 'Can You Please' Video Playboi Carti Scores Second No. 1 on Billboard 200 With 'MUSIC' Selena Gomez Drops Narrated Version of 'I Said I Love You First' - Plus 'Stained,' an Unreleased Track From Eight Years Ago Back to his current gig – 'Tweaker' takes over Rhythmic Airplay as the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing rhythmic radio stations in the tracking week of March 14-20, according to Luminate. The single enjoyed a 7% increase in plays during the tracking week compared with the week prior. Knoxville, Tenn.'s WKHT-FM registered the most plays in the period, with Honolulu's KPHW-FM and Greenville, S.C.'s WHZT-FM landing in second and third place, respectively. As 'Tweaker' rises, GELO wraps, perhaps temporarily, a dominant stretch for Kendrick Lamar at the Rhythmic Airplay summit. Lamar ruled for the last seven weeks through a combination of three songs – 'TV Off,' featuring Lefty Gunplay, for four frames, and two SZA collaborations: 'Luther' (one week) and '30 for 30' (two weeks). The debut single for GELO, 'Tweaker' began generating attention in late December of 2024 after the rapper previewed a snippet on a livestream hosted by N3on. The single was officially released on Jan. 3 and erupted into a viral sensation, with several rappers praising the track while athletes and sports teams adopted it as a soundtrack for locker room anthems and other celebratory posts across social media. Thanks to the attention, the song clocked 12.4 million official U.S. streams in its first week and debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. (It ranks at No. 62 on the latest published chart, dated March 22). Elsewhere, 'Tweaker' holds at No. 7 on the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, where it reached a No. 6 best, after a 3% loss in plays for the tracking week. It likewise repeats at its No. 7 peak on the audience-based R&B/Hip-Airplay chart for a third consecutive week, despite slipping to 9.3 million in audience impressions, down 3%. Meanwhile, GELO's follow-up single, 'Can You Please?,' with GloRilla, is showing favorable momentum as it seeks its first radio charts. Although it remains below the cutoffs for this week's Rhythmic Airplay and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, the new cut soars 112% in plays and 75% in plays at the respective formats in the latest tracking week. All charts dated March 29 will update on on Tuesday, March 25. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
New York Times
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
LaVar Ball says sons ‘kept me rolling' amid health issues, leg amputation
LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of NBA stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball and rapper LiAngelo, recently opened up about the health issues that led to a portion of his leg being amputated to SLAM magazine. Ball said in the self-authored piece that an infection due to complications from diabetes led to him being hospitalized for over a month. Doctors performed three separate amputations on his right leg, starting with several toes, then his foot, before a final surgery to amputate just below the knee. Ball said he also required blood transfusions on four different occasions. Advertisement Ball said he questioned 'whether it was worth going through it sometimes' but said that his children were there for support. 'I'm the Big Baller. I'm hard to kill,' Ball wrote. 'But I must admit that my boys kept me rolling. Cause a couple of times, I was like, I can't do no more blood transfusions. I can't do no more operations. I'm just ready to shut it down. It's enough for me. But I'm here for a bigger purpose.' LaMelo, LaVar's youngest son, is averaging a career-high 25.4 points per game with the Charlotte Hornets, while Lonzo, the oldest brother, returned to the floor with the Chicago Bulls this year after missing two full seasons with injuries. LiAngelo, who played in the G-League and internationally from 2018 to 2024, began releasing music in January. His first single 'Tweaker' went viral and led to him performing at NBA All-Star Weekend in February. In January, LiAngelo signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings worth up to $13 million, per ESPN. Their father wrote that seeing the success of his children, along with the health struggles he's seen other people his age deal with, has helped keep him grounded and give him perspective. With his health in order, LaVar said he's looking to use his platform to encourage others to learn from him. 'The doctors said, Big Baller, you were very close to having to shut it down. But they were quick enough to give me the blood transfusions and keep that poison from going throughout my body,' LaVar wrote. 'So, now I'm telling folks, if you got diabetes, don't just be like, Oh, that's just diabetes. I still eat my sugar, but I pay attention to it and do it in moderation. Get your checkups, do what you're supposed to do. If you don't have insurance, go to urgent care. Because I'm going to tell you this, a little amputation and a little of this, it could all have been prevented. 'And I look at it like this, too: I got a lot of limbs to come off. I'm hard to kill. I got some bigger stuff that the Big Baller still gotta do.'
USA Today
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
LaVar Ball opens up about condition that led to amputation: 'Don't feel sorry for me'
LaVar Ball opens up about condition that led to amputation: 'Don't feel sorry for me' LaVar Ball, the CEO of Big Baller Brand and father of Lonzo Ball, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, is opening up about the serious medical condition that led to his right foot being amputated. Ball revealed to Slam magazine that he was hospitalized for more than a month with life-threatening complications of diabetes, which ultimately led to the amputation of his root and several blood transfusions. Ball said his hospital stay coincided with LiAngelo Ball's song "Tweaker" going viral in January: "Funny how life works sometimes." "I had an infection on my foot that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes," Ball, 57, said in his first interview since the operation. "I ended up having to get my leg amputated. First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, 'We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery.'Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. Not one, not two, not three, four different times." LAVAR BALL makes first public comments since having foot amputated TMZ first reported the news by circulating an image of Ball using a wheelchair with a bandage over his right leg. Ball later confirmed the procedure in a TikTok video posted on @primbyontwitch's account. "Everyone heard what happened. And y'all can take my foot, but you know what you can't take? That Primby account," Ball said. Despite appearing to be in good spirits in the social media video, Ball said his medical condition greatly impacted his mental health and had him questioning if "it was worth going through." "I'm the Big Baller. I'm hard to kill," Ball said, highlighting his larger-than-life personality that made him a mainstay in the headlines. "But I must admit that my boys kept me rolling. Cause a couple of times, I was like,'I can't do no more blood transfusions. I can't do no more operations. I'm just ready to shut it down. It's enough for me.' But I'm here for a bigger purpose." LaVar Ball: 'Don't feel sorry for me' Ball credited his three sons – Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, 27, rapper LiAngelo Ball, 26, and Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, 23 – for providing him the motivation to "keep going" and look for the silver lining. "My foot is gone, but my brain is still here," Ball said. "I might not be able to move as fast as I did and do other things like that, but what's the next step? Do I keep talking about the brand? Still keep talking about shoes? Still go out to meet people? It makes me feel way better in looking at the outcome to go forward because I still want to be on this journey." The Ball brothers and their outspoken dad burst onto the scene in 2016 when Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo led Chino Hills High School to a perfect 35-0 record, a state championship and No. 1 overall ranking in the nation. Ball parlayed the family's fame into the sports apparel company Big Baller Brand, which he co-founded in 2016. "Seeing what my boys are doing out there, they're like,'Dad you're the toughest dude I know.' That made me keep going," Ball said. "As long as I can smile and see my boys, I'm good. But this whole experience made me realize, (you're) lucky that you have family to get you through some stuff. But don't feel sorry for me." Ball is not the only member of the family who has dealt with medical adversity. Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, was sidelined nearly three years with a recurring left knee injury that required three surgeries. He returned to the court for the Bulls in October after last playing for the team on Jan. 14, 2022. Tina Ball, mother of the Ball brothers, suffered a stroke in February 2017. "I just deal with it. Whatever it is," Ball told ESPN at the time. "Things are gonna happen in life. Either you are gonna help do something about it or you just gonna let it happen and destroy you." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LaVar Ball says he's 'hard to kill,' recounts foot amputation, health scare, sons' success
Approximately one month after having his right foot amputated, LaVar Ball provided details of what caused the serious medical issue and the process of having his foot removed. Ball explained that not taking proper care of his diabetes led to the amputation in a first-person account for SLAM magazine. What began as an infection began spreading from his toes to his foot and eventually required the removal of a part of his lower leg. "First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery," Ball described. "Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. Not one, not two, not three, four different times." Lavar Ball reportedly had his foot amputated after suffering a serious medical issue. 💔🙏🏽 — Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) February 19, 2025 Despite the perilous development, Ball appeared to be maintain his swaggering demeanor in his first public appearance since the procedure. He was a bit more humble and reflective in his column, admitting that the ordeal of surgeries and transfusions left him feeling like he wanted to "shut it down." Ultimately, Ball says his family — and the success of his sons — inspired him to continue with treatment. Most of this was happening as LiAngelo Ball's song "Tweaker" became a huge hit, in addition to LaMelo Ball's ascendance to stardom with the Charlotte Hornets and Lonzo Ball's comeback from a serious knee injury. LaMelo's IG Story with LaVar Ball: "I love u pops" — (@Ballislife) February 20, 2025 However, Ball also used his platform to inform and warn readers not to neglect health concerns as he did. "So, now I'm telling folks, if you got diabetes, don't just be like, 'Oh, that's just diabetes,'" he said. "I still eat my sugar, but I pay attention to it and do it in moderation. Get your checkups, do what you're supposed to do. If you don't have insurance, go to urgent care." "[...] I realized through this process that if you stop trying to waste time feeling sorry for yourself and figure out what the next step is, then you'd be able to better deal with any life challenge," Ball added. "I look at it like this, 'OK, my foot is gone, but my brain is still here.' So, I might not be able to move as fast as I did and do other things like that, but what's the next step?" Ball also said he realized that people his age (57) are dying from cancer. By comparison, his condition seems less dire in his view, especially when he's able to enjoy the success of his sons and his Big Baller Brand. "For me, it's all about Triple B's, the brand," he said, reminding readers that little has changed for him despite recent medical issues.
