#PSBPopCulture: Jay-Z and Dean Baquet, In Conversation – Nov. 30, 2017

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

There is a part at the 23-minute mark where Jay talks about rap being a young man’s game and living in the white hot space while you sit at the top. The choices you make while you’re in the hot seat determine how the game will view you forever after you depart.

LISTEN TO THE WHOLE INTERVIEW:

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

#iTunesSounds: Brent Faiyaz – “Sonder Son” – Nov. 20, 2017

Brent Faiyaz is a 22-year-old singer whose rise to the mainstream of RnB is directly tied to his performance singing the hook on the smash single “Crew” with Goldlink and Shy Glizzy. The song has been a mainstay on charts nationwide since the summer. Faiyaz has been recording with a 3-man group called “Sonder” thus the name of his solo project. The collective success of his music the past 18 months has propelled Faiyaz into a place where he was finally able to release his debut solo album “Sonder Son.”

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

The Baltimore, Maryland native is definitely one to keep an eye on. His sound reminds me of Donell Jones in his early years. My favorite three songs off of Sonder Son are:

Track 6: Stay Down
Track 8: Talk 2 U
Track 10: So Far Gone / Fast Life Bluez

LISTEN TO A FAIYAZ INTERVIEW ABOUT SONDER SON:

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

#PSBPopCulture: Jay-Z – 4:44 Tour Atlanta – Nov. 15, 2017

Jay-Z brought his 4:44 Tour to Atlanta on Tuesday night to a packed house at Philips Arena. He ran through a mix of the new songs off of his album mixed in with some of the No. 1 hits from his previous albums.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

MY TAKE ON HIS TOP THREE ALBUMS TO DATE & TIDAL (start at Minute 22):

VIDEO CLIPS FROM THE SHOW:

EC005039-1C7D-40A9-AB34-1AC819EFAA59

51834D8C-45FF-461A-B57D-20BC1BDBF735

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

#PSBSportsChop: Kobe Bryant – “All Access” – Nov. 13, 2017

It’s hard to mention future first ballot NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant‘s name without mentioning Michael Jordan and these days LeBron James in the same sentence. Like most of the greats, Bryant made a living off of out preparing his competition. Add that to his superior skill set and it’s easy to see why Kobe dropped a cool 60 in his last NBA game 18 months ago.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

I ran across an ESPN True Hoop article on Bryant during his final season in the league. He talks in great detail about the recovery it takes for him to play at a high level 20 years in. I immediately thought about the same principles for a player in the infant stages of their career such as a Ben Simmons or Jayson Tatum in this year’s rookie class and what Bryant’s regimen could do for their game.

FULL ARTICLE:

KOBE BRYANT ALL DAY PROCESS

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

#PSBSportsChop: Chris Paul – “Chapter 3” – Nov. 13, 2017

Since high school, Chris Paul was destined to be a star in the NBA. The former McDonald’s All-American has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, two Olympic gold medals, and led the NBA in assists four times and steals six times. He has also been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. The one thing Paul lacks from his resume is an NBA championship.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

ESPN collaborated with Paul to give us a three-part series on his decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers during free agency last summer for the Houston Rockets. This is another example of players taking their business models into their own hands. For a guy who doesn’t possess the pop culture following of a Steph Curry, LeBron James or Russell Westbrook, Paul has crafted himself a nice niche amongst the league’s elite discussion as he enters the backside of his playing career.

My favorite part of the documentary was his conversation with rap and business mogul, Jay-Z. As usual, Jay dropped a MEAN jewel on Paul early in the series regarding his decision to leave saying “if you aren’t going to be happy playing basketball, I don’t care how much money they give you. 150 million, 200 million that’s essentially that same payout. You’ll take the same (private) planes, wear the same sneakers.”

WATCH:

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.