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art September 18, 2019
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Meet the Chicago Trap Artist showing us gangsters have feelings too

Art is the purest form of human expression. It gives us the outlet we need to truly express our feelings. Whether it’s through fashion, dance, music, or visual arts, art helps us project the creativity that all of us possess, out into the world.

The true beauty of art lies in the story behind the creation. For Angel, co-owner of Trap Artist, he is proving through his art brand that no matter how gangster you are, you can still show your emotions.

“I’m building something that’s bigger than myself to help others that feel how I feel. You can change your mind, you can change the way you think to become who you really want to be.”

Growing up, Angel was a lonely soul. Little Village, one of Chicago, Illinois’ more prominent neighborhoods was his stomping grounds. Known for its strong Mexican Heritage, and for being a low-income neighborhood, there was not much opportunity for Angel growing up.

When Angel turned five-years-old, his life changed forever when his father abandoned him and his mother. This sent him spiraling down a road of depression.

“I didn’t have a father figure to look up to. In my family, there’s a lot of gang members so, those are my inspirations are my motivations you know? So I always had the wrong idea of who to follow or who to choose to be my leader because I never had one.”

Angel’s picture was looking grim. Coming from a long history of gang culture Angel knows he could end up dead or jail if he chose that route. Many of Angel’s family members, including his father, are Latin Kings.

“I just glorified that lifestyle. I use to think that would get me the girls, that would get me the money, that would get me anything. I lost a lot of friends growing up. It made me realize that I gotta start thinking with my head and find the motivation to do something. I wasn’t very in-tune with school, so I felt like I never had a purpose in life.”

Although Chicago’s south-side is riddled with crime, art still cuts through the landscape. As a youth, Angel was captivated by the graffiti he’d see while roaming the streets.

“I got into art the wrong way. I was into drawing little crowns on my notebook, doing the wrong stuff. I thought that was cool. I never had my own voice. You can still be gangster you can still be hard and still show your emotion and that’s what I want to represent.”

 

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Something new. Louis Vuitton X Trap Artist unoffical collab 💯❤💲 comment & like

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In Angel’s freshman year of high school, he took an art class. His teacher pushed him to be different after expressing to Angel that it’s easier to express yourself through art would be easier to express yourself through words.

“She always let me do my own thing and still push me. She always told me to try something different. So instead of drawing graffiti letters, she’d tell me to try painting. She pushed me to be different and that’s what helped develop my style.”

The only way to have success is by staying positive, is the TrapArtist motto. Angel is becoming the change that he wants to see in this world. Art helped deliver Angel from his long battle with depression.

“I live for art. I live for every single thing you see on that page. Like I can’t sleep at night. I need to share my message. I feel like I can use my art to help others and talk about problems that need to be said. We don’t do anything about people who feel depressed or anxious and that doesn’t help them accomplish their dreams or help them follow their actual course of action.”

Since taking his art seriously, Angel has been using his creativity to spread his message. It’s been a little over a year and there’s been some change since Angel’s Trap Artist Instagram opened up shop. It now has amassed over 9k followers.

 

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line based on this. Comment ur opinions lmk what u think of it please I love y’all 💜⚠️

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His “Sensitive Thugs” movement is giving people an outlet to communicate their emotions, even through the darkest of times. Now, Angel is trying to give back.

“I want to figure out a way to do charity events, where I sell my artwork and I want to give half the proceeds to get charities for school supplies and artwork supplies. It’s not even about me anymore. When I was 16, 17. I wanted to be a thug. I dead-ass didn’t see myself doing anything like this. Now I wake up trying to strive to be a better person and figure out how to change lives even if its one person at a time.”

Life is art. Every day, we often forget that we are living in someone else’s creation or living out someone’s expression. We forget that the parks, shopping centers, and schools we attend were all constructed in someone’s mind first. Then it manifests into something life-changing that we use, visit or see every day.

Athletes September 13, 2019
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There’s more to Ezekiel Elliott: The NFL’s richest runningback is also the most charitable

When a boy is transitioning into manhood, trouble seems to lurk around every corner. If there is any slip up along the journey, a second chance is hard to come by. But when you’ve been a superstar since high-school like Ezekiel Elliott, who is now in his fourth year in the NFL, it comes with the success.

Since becoming the Dallas Cowboys’ fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Zeke continues to live up to the hype. As a rookie, Elliott was crowned the NFL’s leading rusher in his first year in the league.

In 2018 Elliot found himself in a Deja Vu moment reclaiming his throne as the league’s top back, rushing for 1,434 yards while leading the league in touches (381). Zeke’s on-field dominance has been nothing short of impressive. However, has anyone ever stopped to think about how Elliott balances it all?

Since entering the league, domestic violence rumors has been the looming attack on Ezekiel Elliott’s character. Although the 2x All-Pro was never arrested or charged with domestic violence, in 2017 the NFL slapped Zeke with a 6 game suspension.

On the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, showed his support for his star running back when asked about the situation: “Absolutely nothing anywhere that indicates anything other than what they told us when we left training camp and that is that they have no cause there is just nothing. I know I would have heard about it. I would have the information if there were something. I know that.”

Through all the ups and downs that come with success, Zeke is still one of the NFL’s most lovable faces. With a smile that can light up the room, coupled with a heart full of gold, Elliott is constantly evolving as a leader in his community.

Over the summer, Zeke was on a mission to give back. In May, football phenom, Jaylon McKenzie of Belleville, Illinois was only 14-years-young when he was shot and killed at a party. McKenzie’s football career was a promising one. McKenzie was featured in Sports Illustrated’s’ “Six Teens Who Will Rule the Future in Sports.”

This hit too close to home for Zeke, who grew up 35 miles from Belleville, IL. After hearing the heartbreaking news, Elliott opted to pay for Jaylon McKenzie’s funeral expenses. In an interview with the Bellville-News Democrat, McKenzie’s mother, Sukeena Gunner, gave Elliott her thanks.

“For him to reach out to me was unbelievable. Jaylon loved Ezekiel Elliott. He talked about him all the time. When Ezekiel was playing, he would sit in front of the TV. His eyes were glued to the TV, watching him. Just for him to reach out to me and help me in this difficult time leaves me speechless.”

Elliott also hosted a youth football camp for the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club. Being able to inspire the youth first hand at the grassroots level of football is life-changing for him and all the kids involved.

 

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No better feeling than giving back to your city and giving the kids a special day where it all started Visuals by @gearyday

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Coming into the 2019 season, Elliott is now the highest-paid running back in the NFL. Inking a six-year $90 million contract extension with $50 million in guarantees to stay a Dallas Cowboys, at 24-years-old, Zeke now is back in the spotlight. Right after signing the deal, Elliott donated $100,00 to the Salvation Army.

TMZ Sports caught up with Elliot and talked about his lucrative donation. Zeke said,

“In my time here in Dallas, I’ve formed a really good relationship with the Salvation Army, and I wanted to pledge $100,000 to help them build their new facility to help support the people of need in Dallas.”

This isn’t the first time he delivered big for the Salvation army either. In 2018 he decided to match every $21 donated to the kettle he jumped into during his rookie year. He also matched another $21,000 with the Cowboys organization and helped spur another $250,000 of donations from the fanbase.

Successfully fighting off being painted as a villain by the media, Zeke’s true character is finally being cast into the limelight. Elliott has managed everything thrown his way with poise and grace. Coming from humble beginnings to being a multi-millionaire by 19-years-old, it comes with its obstacles.

Through it all, Ezekiel Elliott never forgot who he was as a person and is continuing to redefine who he is as a man.

Kulture April 12, 2019
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The Marathon Continues: Nipsey Hussle’s legacy will never be forgotten

“Having strong enemies is a blessing” was the last message Ermias Asghedom, aka Nipsey Hussle, shared with us moments before he was assassinated in front of his The Marathon Clothing Store on Crenshaw and Slauson.

Twelve days later on April 11, the world came together to celebrate the life and ascension of one of the most influential figures of his time, Neighborhood Nip. The service held at Staples Center, Nipsey’s procession went 25 miles through LA for his final Victory Lap ending at his store.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwJHTjylAIa/

At the Nipsey Hussle Celebration of Life Memorial Service, Nip’s older brother Samiel Asghedom, aka Blacc Sam, shared a story about the time when Hussle Man built their very first computer. Blacc Sam could not believe what he saw.

When Nip recorded his first song on that same computer, Blacc Sam was even more captivated. That was the very first moment he knew his brother was special.

At a young age, Nip was able to inspire others through his hard work. At a young age, he saw a want that he and his brother longed for.

When he and Sam wanted a computer, Nip stuck to his vision of them having a computer until it came to fruition. Although the process of building the computer took several weeks.

Perhaps it was his first introduction to the “marathon” life. When Hussle decided to put his all into the music, we can see why his voice motivates so many listeners. His words were always backed by his actions.

“They said it take patience to get rich //

But I always knew one day I would do it big, then I did”

That little glimpse into the childhood Ermias and Samiel show the early stages of Nip’s genius. In Nipsey Hussle’s 33-years of life, he taught us what the power of having faith, loyalty, dedication, and patience can do for our lives.

A man of principles, Nip was willing to live and die by his code of ethics. Regardless if you thought they were right or wrong.

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The transparency in Nip’s music is so complex yet, easily relatable to our lives. The combination of surviving as an active Crip and a legitimate businessman is a balancing act not too many can handle.

He always let us know this in his music. He laid out the blueprint on how to attain success with his own campaign The Marathon Continues.

Nipsey was after longevity, not for himself, but for his family and his community. Having a vision only he could see, Nip knew his purpose was bigger than the music.

The music was an outlet for Nip to let the world know that no matter where you come from, you can be GREAT. More specifically, Nip wanted to let the gang culture know that there’s a different route to make it out.

In his last Breakfast club interview, Nip elaborated more on his musical inspirations. “I wanted my message to impact gang culture. I wanted what I had to say to impact individuals like myself, young people that were in these areas controlled by gang banging,” he said.

“I didn’t want to preach to the choir, but I wanted to be able to say I came from this and it’s authentic and I’m not from the outside of this culture. Where ever I take it, I’m not different. I’m exactly the same. I’ve been through everything you’ve been through or you’re going to go through as somebody in that culture.”

Nipsey Hussle was the archangel that “The City of Angels” needed. Nip’s journey taught us to never fold under mental pressure. Similarly, he taught us to stay loyal to ourselves, our community, our families, and our visions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwI6d9qlevt/

He showed us how to be dedicated to our dreams and to give our hearts to whatever is aligned with our purpose. Additionally, your haters, your enemies, anybody who tries to stop you on your marathon toward success is your biggest propeller toward your goals.

That balance is needed to sustain growth. Blacc Sam shared a quote from Nip about the importance of staying solid until the end. “We gotta go. We don’t know if we gon go at 80, 60, 30 or 20, but the one thing is to make sure when you go, go the right way,” he said.

“You stand up for what you believe in. You put your money where your mouth is. You never fold, never let the pressure sway you from doing what you wanna do. Never let anything, the politics, stop you from coming around and staying around.”

Death is inevitable. Still, Nipsey Hussle Tha Great did that. Even in his darkest hour, Nip did not fold. Instead, he ascended to new heights. His earthly death gave new life to the seeds he planted during his lifetime. His death has united Los Angeles gang culture.

Nipsey’s spirit inspired the world to not sit back any longer and to unapologetically go after what you want. Nip showed us that the world really is ours. He put Crenshaw and Slauson on his back and now it is a hip-hop mecca.

At the Nipsey Hussle Celebration of Life Memorial Service, the mother of his child Lauren London shared a quote with the world that Nip always used to say.

“The game is gonna test you, never fold. Stay 10-toes down. It’s not on you, it’s in you and what’s in you, they can’t take away.”

Always remember to trust your process. The grind does not stop. The Marathon Continues. Long Live Nipsey Hussle Tha Great.

athlete January 17, 2019
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Why Jimmy Butler’s work ethic makes him one of the greatest in the game

Jay-Z said it best ‘Dark Knight feeling­­­­ die and be a hero; or, live long enough to see yourself become a villain.’ For professional athletes, this story rings true year in and year out. The fans will love you one minute and boo you the next.

For Jimmy Butler, there is no difference.

Going into the 2017-2018 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for all-star guard Jimmy Butler. Butler made an immediate impact with the Timberwolves. With the addition of Butler, Minnesota found themselves playing playoff basketball.

After successfully ending a twelve-year playoff drought in his first season with Minnesota, Butler proved to be the hero Timberwolves’ fans were asking for. On the other hand, multiple reports surfaced of Butler wanting out of Minnesota.

Being the Timberwolves saving grace last season, Jimmy Butler was being painted as the villain coming into the 2018-2019 season. Butler was feeling like an outsider inside of the Timberwolves organization.

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After not playing basketball all summer, in the Timberwolves’ first practice of the season, Butler let his teammates and front office know the deal. Expressing his discontent with his teammates, head coach Tom Thibodeau, and general manager Steve Layden, Butler made it known that the organization needs him to thrive.

In a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Butler discussed the brutally honest practice which ultimately led to him being traded. He said,

“I love the game. I love to win. That’s all I was doing out there doing, was competing…playing hard doing what I’m supposed to do on the basketball court.”

According to Jimmy Butler, KAT yelled out “Anybody can get this work,” which caused Butler to swiftly reply, “Do it to me.” In Jimmy Butler fashion, he squadded up with the T’Wolves third-string and beat KAT and the first string in a scrimmage just to prove a point.

Butler’s love for the game is almost like nothing we’ve ever seen before. We hear of the sacrifices Kobe Bryant has made during his playing days. However, we have never heard Bryant going a whole summer without television or internet to strictly focus on basketball. That’s a Jimmy Butler move.

The summer prior to Jimmy Butler winning Most Improved Player in the 2014-2015 season, Butler went off the grid. No T.V. No internet. It was just Butler and his friends with a house in Houston, hooping.

Butler explained his thought process behind the move to Sports Illustrator’s Ben Golliver.

“I wanted to be so good at the game that we didn’t have cable, we didn’t have the Internet. Whenever we got bored, all we would do is go to the gym. We’d eat, sleep and go to the gym. We’d go three times a day because we didn’t have anything else to do. We were sitting on the couch, looking at each other, saying, ‘What the hell are we going to do all day?’

Butler’s summertime grind is real. One could even say that the offseason is truly his season. In the summer of 2016, Jimmy Butler walked us through his daily routine in preparation for the season.

During that same summer, Butler worked with NBA skills trainer Chris Johnson described his workout sessions with the All-Star guard during an interview with Sports Illustrated writer Andrew Sharp. 

“I’ll get up at 5 in the morning. Typically my first workout is with Jimmy Butler. Jimmy gets up at 5:30. He’s gonna have his shake, he’s gonna have his breakfast, and then we’re on the floor by 7 a.m. We already have his entire day planned out. Two basketball workouts on the floor, and [in between] he’s going to get strength and conditioning, treatment, and we have his schedule for the week.”

Through all the ups and downs in Jimmy Butler’s young life, he has yet to fold. Last November, Butler landed into the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Since becoming a Sixer, not only has Butler been a walking bucket, the All-Star guard is giving all of himself to the world. Through his YouTube channel. Butler takes viewers through his life experience.

If someone were to Google the definition of hard work, he or she might find a picture of Jimmy Butler as the definition. Butler not only is dedicated to hard work, but he also embraces it. Even in Greece on while on vacation, he found time to get in two grueling workouts. One of which his butler battled through and won.

Butler knows he is an OG to the youth. Young basketball players look up to Jimmy Butler and he knows that. He still makes time to kick with the youth and give back wisdom.

Jimmy is making moves off the court too and has been recently been uploading some dope content on his YouTube channel. With six vlogs already uploaded, you can really see how dedicated and warm-hearted of a character Jimmy Buckets is.

In the media, we get the side of Butler that is seen as arrogant. We’ve heard the rumors of how he’s a bad teammate. For some reason, we find that hard to believe.

You’d never believe those rumors after seeing his personality effortlessly shine through. With everything Butler has had to endure in Minnesota, you know it feels more than good for him to blow out his former team by 42 points.

At 29-years-old, Jimmy has a lot of basketball in front of him, but judging by his work ethic, whatever he decides to put his hand in next, he will crush!

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have faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish.

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darius bazley November 1, 2018
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Super agent Rich Paul is disrupting basketball with his client Darius Bazley

Rich Paul is arguably the hardest working agent in sports. Not only does he represent some of basketball’s biggest stars in LeBron James, John Wall, Ben Simmons, and Anthony Davis; he is also the co-founder of Klutch Sports Group.

However, Paul’s heralded clientele is not why he is making waves in the game. It’s the disruptive business moves that allow him to maximize deals that best fit his clients, and the organizations his clients are dealing with.

Need proof? His latest move with high school prospect Darius Bazley, ESPN’s 13th ranked player in 2018, has set the basketball world on fire.

 

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Congrats @dariusbazley on his partnership with @newbalance!

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Back in March, Bazley de-committed from the Syracuse University basketball program. The Ohio-native opted out of the NCAA route to secure his bag early and go test the waters in the NBA’s G-League — or at least that’s what he initially thought.

The move would have made Bazley the first 5-star prospect in to enter the G-League but behind the scenes, Rich Paul had other plans for the 6-foot-8 forward.

Of course, with the G-League now offering contracts up to $125,000 to come hoop, this would’ve probably been the safest bet for Bazley and most top prospects looking to get paid straight out of high school.

But in an era where these kids are smarter and more well-informed than ever, Paul made the move of the year with Bazley and his family.

On October 25th, numerous reports surfaced on the announcing Bazley signed a very lucrative deal with the shoe company New Balance. Who was the maestro behind the groundbreaking deal? Of course, it was Rich Paul. Paul appeared on ESPN’s The Jump to further discuss the move. He said,

“The main thing for me was trying to find out the best way for Darius to spend his time since he was not going to college, and New Balance is a very fearless independent brand. And what they represent, aligned with who Darius Bazley is and what he wanted to do.”

What we also learned from Rich Paul’s appearance is that New Balance is ready to thrust themselves back into the basketball world.

 

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#BestJobEver

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Seeing the opportunity, Paul was able to come to the table with even more leverage while creating the deal. Bazley will be raking an in a smooth M. He continued,

“They are paying him a million dollars no matter what, which is great. Darius aligned with who they [New Balance] are as a company and they wanted to be able to tell his story and to tell it the right way.”

Bazley will be an intern at New Balance for three months starting in January of 2019. He will have the opportunity to learn the business surrounding the NBA with New Balance and tell his story with a brand that believes in him.

In the world of athlete-driven media, Bazley will be learning how to make himself more marketable. Rich Paul explained on ESPN,

“He’ll learn what goes into making a shoe, what goes into building a storyboard, why they picked a certain athlete that they pick… Roll out plan, how to execute it.. All those things, which for who he is, regardless of what happens in his life he has a head start. He’ll know more about the business around the game than anybody in his class.”

Knowledge is power. For the 18-year-old hooper, Bazley is equipped with Paul and New Balance to build his empire early. Of course, Paul reiterates that this move isn’t for everyone. But in the case of his client Darius Bazley, this is the path that he’s ready for.

Until the time for the NBA Draft next year, Darius will be learning from some of the best, while still focusing on his game and getting runs in on the regular.

Understanding how a business runs inside and out makes for a foundation that is virtually indestructible. Could we see more athlete’s following this trend?

basketball October 22, 2018
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#SpitGate: Did Rajon Rondo really spit in Chris Paul’s face, son?

It’s only week two of the 2018-2019 NBA season and the league is already too lit! Week one was filled with drama, with the most action coming out of LA. The atmosphere of Saturday night’s game between the Rockets and the Lakers had the feel of a Western Conference Finals.

The Staples Center was rocking as LeBron was finally making his new home debut. James Harden, Chris Paul, and the rest of the Rockets were only looking to crash the party. Behind Harden’s 36 pts and CP3’s 28 pts, the Rockets would defeat the Lake Show 124-115.

James Harden was having his way against the Lakers the entire evening. With Ingram guarding Harden for the majority of the night, frustration started to set in for the third year player.

With 4:13 left in the 4th quarter, tempers started to flare. When Ingram was charged with a foul after Harden’s lay-up attempt, Ingram gave Harden and emphatic push. Ingram followed up the push by getting in Harden’s face and letting Harden know he can get the hands.

While both Lakers and Rockets teammates were trying to separate Ingram and Harden, Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo found themselves face to face.

While exchanging words, Rondo went full Daffy Duck and got saliva on Paul’s face.

Feeling the disrespect, CP3 mushed Rondo’s face with his fist while mouthing to Rondo “Don’t you ever spit on me.”

Ready for the smoke, Rondo quickly countered with a left jab catching CP3 in his right eye.

It was pandemonium from then on. Brandon Ingram even came back for more as he was caught throwing a punch.

On Sunday, the NBA wrapped up its investigation. The NBA ruled that Rondo did indeed spit on CP3’s face. As result, Rondo will serve three-game suspension while Chris Paul received a two-game suspension. Brandon Ingram will serve a four-game suspension as he was seen as the instigator.

Nevertheless, after being viewed as a soft, watered down league, it’s refreshing to see the aggressiveness returning to the NBA. Like Famouslos32 said, “this posed to have been worse.”

Spitting on someone is one of the ultimate signs of disrespect. So the NBA is lucky this didn’t turn into another episode of Malice at The Palace brawl in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers.

The young Lakers’ squad is letting the league know that they are no pushovers.

Maybe King James has this young team feeling invincible. Even Nipsey Hussle looked like he was ready to squabble on the sideline!

Floyd Mayweather and Travis Scott was feeling the adrenaline too!

The real question is, was Ingram in the right to wild out on Harden like he did? Harden is virtually unguardable and can get to the basket at will. However, his dribble penetration game has always been a topic of debate amongst hoopers.

The debate is whether or not Harden commits offensive fouls while driving to basket. Another is if a foul call is even warranted when a defender attempts to contest a Harden layup. Yes, Brandon Ingram was getting cooked by Harden all night. To keep it 100, not a single Laker defender could slow down Harden Saturday night.

It has to be demoralizing trying to guard an offensive player who can get to the free throw line whenever he wants. Will James Harden see less trips to the free throw line after this game? It will be interesting to see.

fortnite October 12, 2018
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A look into how the Twitch community is making wild bread from streaming

As kids, before it was even close to being a real thing, we dreamed of being able to have a career playing video games. Long before streaming, friends would gather at each other’s houses to compete, though most of our parents couldn’t understand.

Being able to talk trash and own bragging rights over your opponent is what we lived for. Then when it became possible to compete online against your friends, online gaming became the new wave. Now our adolescent dreams have become the reality we live in thanks to Twitch.

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Twitch, one of the largest streaming platforms in the world, is changing lives. With streamers making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month off of video games alone, the streaming platform giant is leading the charge in eSports. It has been a busy 2018 for Twitch, which is quickly becoming the one-stop shop for all eSports competition.

Earlier this year, Twitch inked multi-year deals with G2 ESPORTS and Clutch Gaming becoming the exclusive streaming partner of both eSports companies.

In April, the streaming service inked a multi-year partnership deal with NBA 2K to live stream every NBA 2K League game and tournament. Recently this past August, the Inaugural 2K League came to a close crowning Knicks Gaming as the first ever 2K League champions.

With these partnerships intact, eSports fanatics can further immerse themselves deeper into their favorite video games. Now fans can watch their favorite streamers going ham in their respective games while getting a full analysis, updates, and commentary.

If a gamer just so happens to believe that they are the GOAT at a game and looking to make a living from playing it, creating a Twitch account is a major key.

After watching DisguisedToast’s low-key in-depth video breaking down how much the top streamers on Twitch really make, donations, sponsorships, advertisements, and subscribers has these content creators rolling in dough.

Donations are a great way for your Twitch stream to bring in revenue. Viewers can give directly to their favorite steamers — potentially being you.

It’s nothing out of the ordinary for streamers to offer incentives when asking donations. Incentives can be anything from free merchandise to private access to their Snapchat account. Hell dudes are even donating money to random hot girls just because!

If a streamer’s Twitch channel is really poppin’ off video game companies will sponsor a streamer’s live stream, tweets, an Instagram post, live appearances and more. Let’s look at DisguisedToast.

He mentioned that the hourly rate for sponsored live streams is 1 cent per viewer. DisguisedToast Twitch channel has a little over 800,000 followers.

When he is doing a paid sponsorship, his channel consistently averages 10,000 viewers during his streams. Depending on how long he decides to stream, DisguisedToast can make anywhere between $1,000 – $10,000 bands!

Winning Video Game GIF by Lil Yachty - Find & Share on GIPHY

We have a love/hate relationship when it comes to advertisements. Yes, they are one of the many highlights of the Super Bowl, but such a nag when your favorite TV show is on. But for a Twitch streamer, ads can be their best friend or their worst enemy.

Streamers have full discretion when they run ads. There is even an ad button that allows streamers to control how frequently they want to run ads. Every time an ad plays, a streamer gets a little chunk of change and that change adds up.

Subscriptions are another great way for streamers to keep viewers coming back for more. When a viewer subscribes to a streamers Twitch channel, they will be notified when their favorite streamers make a move. Viewers can subscribe to their favorite streamer’s channel for as little as $4.99 per month.

Amazon and Twitch are making subscriptions easier for viewers and streamers. Each month Amazon Prime offers its members $4.99 credit to subscribe to one new Twitch streamer. The viewer gets a free subscription and the streamer still gets paid. Twitch’s top streamer, Ninja, is making over $423 thousand a month just off Twitch subscribers alone. Bananas, right?

Twitch provides four solid avenues for streamers to stack up their bread. But before you go flexing on Instagram with your bands, Twitch has to get their cut. Twitch takes 50% of a streamers revenue unless they are a top-tier partner. Sick!

If a streamer is listed as a top-tier partner, Twitch only takes 30% of a streamer’s revenue.

Content creators who are top-tier partners averaging over 10,000 viewers per stream. However, with four different revenue streams, content creators can create Hulu and Netflix like business models to maximize their profits. 

As long as video games are being played, except for Twitch to always be in the mix. Their ability to provide the best online streaming experience for viewers and creators is why this media giant will continue to thrive.

football October 4, 2018
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How NFL players building their brands off the field are cashing out

In the 1990’s, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons Jerry Glanville coined the phrase ‘Not For Long’, referring to the National Football League.

Glanville spewed this statement as he was berating a first-year NFL official who was recently promoted from the college ranks. Now, with the NFL’s next man up mentality, the ‘Not For Long’ phrase has taken on a new life of its own.

Unless you are sure-fire Hall of Fame talent like quarterback Tom Brady, or kicker Sebastian Janikowski who are both in their 19th seasons, a player’s longevity is short-lived.

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The Statistics Portal shows that an average NFL career lasts only a little over three years. Even though the NFL reached $14 billion in league-wide revenue, The Statistics Portal also reported that the average player salary was around $2.5 million.

Even though the NFL known as being the cash cow,  they are also well-known for being cheap when it comes to paying players. NFL contracts do not come fully guaranteed. This is the reason why some players hold out.

Players want to be paid what they are worth. Le’Veon Bell, the versatile playmaker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, received heavy backlash from fans and teammates alike when he initially decided to hold out this season.

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Bell is doing so in hopes of a more lucrative deal. Seattle Seahawks defensive back Earl Thomas initially was going to hold out this season as well. After deliberating, he decided to rejoin the team, hoping to drive up his market value on the field.

Unfortunately, in the Seahawks’ fourth week of NFL action, Thomas suffered a season-ending injury. After breaking his left leg, Thomas’ was carted off the field, giving the middle finger toward the Seahawks’ sideline.

The future Hall of Famer’s chances for a huge payday is now looking bleak. Bell spoke out in favor of his decision and in Earl Thomas’ defense.

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The business acumen of the NFL player is changing. Players entering the league understand that their time in the NFL can be short. If they get injured, it is nothing for an organization to find a replacement.

Also, players also know that the NFL has alligator arms when it comes to reaching in their deep pockets to pay them. Now NFL players are stepping up their hustle and finding different ways to generate revenue. Besides endorsement deals, athlete’s are using their own likeness to bring in the green. Over the last decade, we have seen a rise in athlete driven media.

There has been a growing distrust between athletes and media outlets. This is due in large part to athlete’s believing that the media doesn’t tell the full story, wanting to add their own spin for more views.

Nevertheless, we are starting to see more NFL players who are entering the league more focused on their brand. Athletes like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Derrius Guice, Tyreek Hill, Jamal Adams, and more have created YouTube channels so fans can view them as people first instead of just football players.

Brand awareness is the key to making your money stretch in the NFL. Athletes having their own platforms in place will allow fans to be exposed to a different side of their favorite players.

Take a look at Smith-Schuster for example. Earlier this year, Smith-Schuster captured the hearts of the Gen-Z population with his affinity for Fortnite. With his growing popularity of Fortnite content, he was able to partner with FaZe Clan.

Teaming up with one of the best eSports organizations in the world allowed the Steelers receiver to sell his own merchandise.

His infectious personality captured through his YouTube channel, JuJuTV, has positioned Smith-Schuster as one of the most likable athletes of the Gen-Z crowd. He’s been featured in Pizza Hut and Madden 19 commercials trying to find his next touchdown celebration.

His hard work both on and off the field continues to speak for itself. Over the summer Smith-Schuster inked a six-figure sponsorship deal with the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, HyperX. Expect to see Smith-Schuster in HyperX headgear and apparel during live-streams, marketing campaigns and fan events.

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While the younger faces of the NFL are continuing to make strides in athlete driven media, the OG’s like Marshawn Lynch and Tom Brady have used their platforms to take their content to another level. With the successes of Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Mode and Tom Brady’s TB12 Sports, they are not just inking endorsement deals. They are growing empires.

Even Tom Brady, who many have crowned as the GOAT, is establishing his brand outside of football. With the recent success of the TB12 Center, a place for nutritional wellness and athlete development, Brady has no worries while he is playing on the field.

He knows he has an identity outside of football that will still keep the checks rolling in. Not to mention, he launched his own content platform, Religion of Sports!

Brady even has a mobile app of TB12 so those who can’t make to the gym can still follow along with specialized workouts. His hustle does not stop there. TB12 even teamed up with The Purple Carrot and developed TB12 Performance Meals for those wanting a change in eating habits. Marshawn Lynch continues to stay relevant with the culture. His pure heart for the game and for humanity is why we love ‘Beast Mode’.

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In 2016, during a segment on Ian Rapoport’s The Ian & Puck Show, the NFL Network reporter suggested that Lynch had not spent a dime of the NFL money from his player salary. At the time, Lynch had amassed over $49.7 million in career earnings.

Essentially, one could say he living off his many endorsement deals. Pepsi, NIKE, Progressive… the list goes on. In 2017, Marshawn Lynch teamed up with the Bleacher Report to launch his show No Script, which can be seen on Facebook Watch. The show gives viewers a chance to get to know Lynch beyond the gridiron.

You see him in a more playful light who is tune with his community. He’s captured living out his dreams while still giving back to the community.

To keep the grind going, Beast Mode also has his own clothing line. Coined Beast Mode Apparel, Lynch has his retail stores located in Seattle, WA, Oakland, CA, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Even though the career in the NFL is not a lengthy one, it is still imperative that players position themselves to win on and one the field. But while you’re under the shield that is the NFL, secure your bags while you can.

Flemlo Raps youtube
athlete September 24, 2018
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How ex-athlete Flemlo Raps made the most fire football channel on YouTube

Life is a journey. You never know which road your passion is going to take you. But if you continuously put the work in, you will realize that all the roads you have traveled are really just lanes on one big highway.

For content creator Flemlo Raps, his competitive drive and passion has him now cruising down the road toward success. However, it did not come easy.

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When its checkout time…u haven’t finished editing your video and decide to finish in the lobby

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During his senior year of high school, Flemlo put in the work on and off the football field and the basketball court. Flemlo Raps’ hard work garnered him a scholarship to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he would go on to play football.

While at Southern, he quickly became popular amongst his teammates for his skill set as a rapper. On the football field, he possessed all the talent in the world, but after being redshirted his freshman year, his work ethic on the field took a drop off.

After having a dispute with his coach, he decided to walk away from Southern University and never looked back. Once he left school, Flemlo took on a commission sales job at Conn’s. While working there for close to six years, Flemlo Raps saw something on YouTube that piqued his interest.

In an interview with Kulture Hub, Flemo explains his life-changing epiphany that would inspire his next move.

 “I was doing real good [at commission sales], but I didn’t have any freetime and you know it wasn’t fulfilling for me. So I just started to want to transition into something else. I used to watch YouTube. I used to watch a lot of Call of Duty videos… and one day one of the cats I was watching did like a house tour. ‘I was like house tour? What is this?’ Then I realized cats was like actually making a living doing this.”

Motivated, Flemlo Raps started doing his research. He knew he was on to something once he started to educate himself more explaining,

“I started watching ‘How to grow on YouTube’ videos and boom made me a plan, like a three year plan and I started building while I was working.”

2015 marked the beginning of Flemlo Raps’ journey as a YouTube content creator. He would start each day out by making videos before clocking into work. With his real-life experience, being a former athlete himself, he’s able to shed light on stories not a lot of people know about.

Flemo explained the process of building his YouTube channel while working.

“I would get up at like 5[am] everyday. I would get my video done. Then I would have to go to work at 10[am]. Work from 10 to uh, we close about 7[pm] at that store and just do that everyday. I was dropping one video per day.”

NCAA Football 2014 was Flemlo Raps’ main source of content. He explained he started his humble beginnings on YouTube covering the popular game.

“Basically what would happen is, I’m doing NCAA so I just played you know what I mean? I’d play like four games. So I got my content. So now all I’d have to do is just wake up and edit. I’ll send the upload up and then once I’d get to work, I would do my title, my thumbnails and all that stuff on my phone. And then I’d just schedule it to drop at midnight.”

With his job no longer fulfilling his purpose in life, Flemlo Raps knew it was time to leave his job and follow his new passion. Flemlo said,

“After doing that for while [commission sales], it was just hard man. The calling for me was so strong. I didn’t know when I was gonna go full time. I went full time with 5,000 subscribers.”

Loyal to the grind, Flemlo Raps turned himself into a content-creating machine. He quit his sales job and put all his energy toward this craft.

“The variable I knew was gonna be my hard work. So that’s when I started doing three videos a day because it was like I wanted to fill up every second I had because I couldn’t fail. I had a kid at that point and girlfriend you know what I mean?”

After amassing over 70,000 subscribers from his gaming content alone, Flemlo Raps decided to to leave the gaming content alone because of its short shelf-life.

Instead, Flemlo Raps shifted his focus to human interest stories, sparking his most famous series: What Happened To football series.

“I felt like I had a unique perspective I mean, I look at things a little bit different. I just wanted to humanize a lot these guys. Especially the guys who have alcohol issues or drug issues and stuff like that, the way they get talked about in the media, they never look at it from the human side of it. And addiction. that’s a disease. It’s not like they can just decide. So I kinda just wanted to tell their story from a different perspective. You don’t really get to hear the whole story.”

Flemlo Raps has chronicled the real struggles of NFL players like Titus Young, Malcolm Kelly, Josh Gordon, Trent Richardson and players from the NETFLIX Original series Last Chance U.

He even got a shout out in the credits for the third season of Last Chance U giving him even more motivation to continue on creating the content he’s been making.

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Now with 254K subscribers on YouTube, Flemolo Raps is becoming a staple in the YouTube world. With how strategic Flemlo Raps is with his approach and how competitive his drive is, Flemlo is not surprised one bit by his success.

“I’m not trying to say this in an arrogant way, but I 100% believe in myself. I would have never quit my job at 5,000 subs if I didn’t think I was going to get to this point. So I expected to get hear, I didn’t know how long it was gon’ take, but I just knew I was gonna do everything in my power to make it happen. You don’t know how good you are objectively until the people decide.”

Flemlo even gives advice for future content creators who seeking to go full-time with their grind. Peep the facts Flemlo spits below:

“Social media and the internet is your best friend. I’m a guy who before I had a YouTube channel, I didn’t even have a Twitter page. I didn’t have an Instagram, none of that. But, today you can reach so many people, especially if you had any notoriety from where you’re coming from, you can make it happen. If you want to do something creative that is, do your research. Think about what you’re good, like what are your strengths, and then find which platform best fits your style. Focus on a niche when you start and then you can branch out.”

2k September 14, 2018
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How you’ll lose more bread than ever in NBA 2K19 with virtual currency

The deluxe version NBA 2K19 dropped earlier this month, officially kicking off 2KSZN.

With LeBron James gracing the cover for NBA 2K’s 20th Anniversary, this year’s installment is groundbreaking for more than one reason.

With this release, NBA 2K19 is bringing you new game modes for story mode featuring ‘The Way Back’ where you go undrafted and have to grind your way into the league. Its gameplay has also improved defensively, giving players more turnover opportunities so your opponent isn’t repeatedly posterizing you at the rim.

 

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NBA 2K19 also incorporates celebrities into the mix adding Michael Rapaport, Anthony Mackie from The Avengers, and Aldis Hodge from Straight Outta Compton — the story mode is way too lit. Couple this with a handpicked Travis Scott playlist, NBA 2K19 will be a game you’re going to have a hard time putting down.

With how innovative NBA 2K19 is I hope you pre-ordered the deluxe version because those who did will receive 100,000 Virtual Currency (VC). This will come in handy for those MyPlayer and ‘The Neighborhood’ lovers who want to boost their virtual player’s ratings from the jump. However, this does lead to an interesting debate in regards to VC.

Over the years, NBA 2K fans have been complaining about how long it takes to accumulate VC for their virtual player. As a result, this has left gamers with no other choice but to directly buy VC through 2K after initially purchasing the game. Nevertheless, microtransactions as such have always been a part of the game, but have always been cooked.

2K Games has taken heed and plans on being more cost-effective in this year’s edition of NBA 2K19. Even though VC can be earned by playing offline against your friends, in head to head online competition, in ‘The Neighborhood’ and in MyCareer modes, without purchasing VC, saving it up isn’t an easy task.

VG24/7 sat down with senior producer Rob Jones and he had this to say about VC.

“Every game, at some point, in some way has currency and they’re trying to get additional revenue from each player that plays the game. We know nowadays that most people don’t have the patience to work their way to the top.

They just wanna be there right away. So, you know, we look at it as, ‘oh it’s an opportunity for us to allow you to skip the grind’, but then if the grind is too long, like some people felt last year, they’re gonna sit there and they’re gonna go ‘well, you knew the grind was too long to begin with.’”

Like anything in life, if you cheat the game, it’s going to cost you. At the end of the day 2K Games knows fans just want to hit ‘The Neighborhood’ and ball out on NBA 2K19’s open world. In hopes of finding a solution, 2K plans on gifting gamers more by so they don’t feel like their only hope is to purchase VC.

When speaking with VG24/7 Rob Jones explains how they’re resolving this issue.

“So we’re hoping that by rewarding you more that, A: you won’t need to go in and get as many things [VC] and B: you won’t feel like you know, ‘oh this is how they’re getting me.’ You can now participate in other things to get what you want.”

But if you are really nice at 2K, you shouldn’t need to trick off your money on VC.

If you are trash at 2K, grind it out and stack your VC. It’s imperative to hone your skills in the game with your virtual player and other teams so when you play against an opponent, you’ll have a high chance of winning.

There’s no point wasting your money to max out your player and still be garbage because you haven’t mastered the art of 2K.