mixtape tour and 1

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The And1 mixtape tour brought streetball experience to the masses

• Author: Andy Erk

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When And1 first came onto the scene, it provided a life-changing opportunity for some of New York City’s greatest streetballers. Local legends Shane “Dribbling Machine” Woney, Wailyy “Main Event” Dixon, Anthony “Half Man, Half Amazing” Heyward, Dennis “Spyda” Chism and Robert “50” Martin would become known as the original six, players who shaped what streetball looked like for a mainstream audience and pushed And1 to the top.

And1 basketball has its roots laced tight on hundreds of outdoor battlegrounds, where the best come to prove themselves—Rucker Park, Dyckman, West 4th, Kingdom. New York City is the mecca of streetball and home to six basketball players who just wanted a shot. A shot at greatness, a shot at fame, better, a shot at being immortalized and proving they were more than what people thought, that they were the best non-NBA basketball players the world has ever known.

And1 streetball was intended to be as authentic as possible. At the same time, entertainment was entrenched deep into the streetball identity. The original six were out to take that identity to the masses and gain a chance for the next wave of streetball greats to play college, international, or even NBA basketball.

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Steve Grayson/Getty Images

“We didn't care about popularity, or TV, or money,” says The Dribbling Machine. “We just wanted to prove that New York City had some of the best talent not in the NBA. The goal was to open up door for guys to make it to the NBA, or make it overseas.”

But the And1 squad was not naive enough to believe that they didn’t have to put on a show to keep fans coming back. They realized their time in the spotlight was largely built upon entertainment value. For the original six, importance was placed on ensuring flash while keeping some form of traditional basketball alive.

“Entertainment basketball was just a facet of what we were bringing to the table,” says Half Amazing. “We were also real ball players. It wasn't just an entertaining thing from my perspective. I was out to show these cats that you could also be entertaining playing authentic basketball.”

Two major additions changed the game: Grayson “The Professor” Boucher and Phillip “Hot Sauce” Champion. Neither had the same basketball experience as the original six who built their fame by beating the best of the best in college, Europe, or the famed outdoor courts. For The Professor, making the And1 team was totally by chance.

“I only made my junior college team because my dad sold my coach his wedding ring,” says The Professor. “A bunch of guys got hurt, so it ended up I played that year, but it was only five minutes a game. If the game was close, I wouldn't even get in. That was the extent of my basketball career, pre-And1. 

“[I] actually went there just to watch the game because I was such a fan,” The Professor said. “I went in there and tried out and got the crowd excited with a few moves and they asked me to come inside and play against the And1 team. It just so happened that at that time they were having a nationwide contest looking for someone for the And1 team. I went through the process of elimination the whole summer. It was sort of a survivor-themed contest on ESPN and I ended up winning the contract in August of 2003.”

The addition of The Professor was more than just another roster move. It was a shift in the team’s culture. The And1 brand would never be the same again. The concern was no longer on keeping on-court credibility, or having the most talented players. And1 became about high-level sponsors and putting on the best show the world has seen. And what a show they would put on.

And1 gained popularity as players made entertainment a bigger part of the basketball equation. The ankle-breaking crossovers and jaw-dropping dunks became the magnet that drew a chorus of thousands of oohs and aahs that drowned out stadiums. The Professor became the king of the And1 circuit, the player crowds would beg to see. The stakes were raised even higher by crazy dunks such as Mr. 720’s literal 720 throwdown. His dunks felt fabricated, even for those playing with him.

“It was a delayed reaction, wow that was crazy,” Half Man, Half Amazing said. “Maybe 3-5 seconds later, I was like, 'did he just spin around twice?' Three seconds after I said it, the crowd reacted the same way. After that I just lost it. I lost it after that. To this day, until somebody can top that dunk, he is the greatest dunker on the planet. Everybody has dunked from the foul line in different forms or fashion. Nobody has ever done a 720, except Mr. 720.”

As And1 continued to impress on the court, off-the-court sponsors came running to get involved with the new global sensation. ESPN and Mountain Dew became involved with the And1 tour. ESPN would send And1 to every corner of the globe, from the U.S. to Asia. “We were rock stars,”  Dribbling Machine​ said. “​If you weren't an All-Star in the NBA, we were more popular than you.”  

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While And1 ascended to unimagined heights in public, behind closed doors, things started to go into disarray. The original six saw the beginning of the end.

And1 was always supposed to hold onto the gritty, Saturday afternoon basketball games that focused on winning, not flash. The crossovers didn’t matter. Only the score mattered. Basketball was valued.

“All we wanted to do was be heard, we could've taken what they had, taken a little piece of what we had and just put it together,” Half Man, Half Amazing said. “That is all we were every trying to do, was mix the two. Entertainment basketball and authentic basketball put together and you have that perfect storm. There is nothing like it.”

Player opinion was gone, traditional basketball was gone and big-money sponsors became more heavily involved in the selection of players, direction of the brand and the inner workings of And1. With heavy outside influence, it became easy for players to feel taken advantage of by those trying to make a quick buck.

“The original owners [took advantage of us], it was 100% they took advantage of the game,” Dribble Machine said, “the ideas we have, the knowledge, a lot of the stuff that you see like the hashtags and a lot of stuff like that.

“The first time I realized it, one night I came home, I used to like watching poker. I saw one of the old owners playing poker and he lost, I think, $400,000 or $700,000 on a pair of 7's. All I could do is laugh to myself and say, there goes our money.”

The original six had reached their breaking point. They decided to step away from the brand they had worked so hard to help build after experiencing the highs, lows and ultimate let down. It was time for a change.

After struggling with And1 for too long, Half Man, Half Amazing took to being an extra in movies. Movies offered an escape from basketball, but kept Half Man, Half Amazing in the spotlight. ​

​​Random people step up to take Spiderman one-on-one at the courts. The people are clueless, believing the one behind the mask is a joke of a basketball player. Two minutes later they find themselves lost as Spiderman puts together a mix of dribbling moves that leave them on the floor. The Professor had found his niche as a YouTube content creator through a variety of spoofs on basketball courts across the country.

“In 2013 a friend of mine came up with the Spiderman basketball idea, the guy [who came up with it] Set Free co-produces with me, it was for a prank,” The Professor said. “We did it as a prank and then next you thing you know it was 20 million views in a week. We thought it would be innovative and now it has lasted for more than three years.”

Three years later and The Professor still finds himself creating YouTube videos. His videos have stretched from Spiderman to Star Wars. The Professor finds himself in an odd space as part basketball player, part YouTube celebrity. 

After struggling with And1, The Dribbling Machine and Spyda are trying to find a way to make a lasting impact back on the streetball scene. As they say, the intent is to reinvent the wheel.

“And1 really needs to be back out there because it changed lives,” The Dribbling Machine said. “It was bigger than basketball. I still hear it today, people telling me, man, 'If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have went to college. If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have got out of that gang. If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have worked hard to take care of my family.'”

The impact of And1 and streetball has been so far reaching that Spyda is attempting to bring the original six back together for a reunion. 

“I’m doing transitional housing and I’m working a project right now to bring back streetball,” Spyda said. “I’m open to working with any brand, even And1, Nike, Reebok to bring back the streetball, to help out the community. If you go and do your numbers, when we were touring and playing, there was not a lot of dropout in schools. Guys were more active, women were more active, people were more active in getting in the gym and playing ball. Even if it was just getting in there dribilling and working on moves, it kept people off the streets. It was definitely an educational movement for the community, to keep people from getting in so much trouble.”

Here are the biggest off-season moves in NBA history

Biggest off-season moves in NBA history

Wilt chamberlain, 1968.

George Long

Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Lakers only one year after winning the Finals with the Warriors. At times, Wilt struggled to fit in with Los Angeles. But in 1972, Chamberlain relinquished some of his offensive game to focus more on defense and rebounding, helping lead the Lakers to a championship—and his only Finals MVP award—in the process.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1975

John G. Zimmerman

The Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his skyhook from Milwaukee in 1975, and he dominated the league while in Hollywood. Kareem won five titles with the Lakers, including a Finals MVP win in 1985, 14 years after his first Finals MVP with the Bucks. Kareem also won three regular season MVPs with the Lakers, and later coached for the franchise as well.

Moses Malone, 1982

Manny Millan

The Houston Rackets traded Moses Malone, who was coming off an MVP season, to the 76ers. Malone quickly formed an unstoppable duo with Julius Erving, and the two led Philly to an NBA Finals in in 1983. Malone won MVP during the regular season, making him the only player to win the award two straight years with different teams.

Shaquille O’Neal, 1996

Peter Read Miller; John W. McDonough

Shaquille O’Neal left the team that drafted him, the Orlando Magic , for the Lakers in the summer of 1996, signing a seven-year, $120 million deal with Los Angeles. Shaq would win three championships with L.A., forming an a legendary—but combustible—combination with Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant.

Tracy McGrady, 2000

Tracy McGrady joined the Magic to play with Grant Hill, but was thrust into a larger role as Hill dealt with numerous injuries. McGrady responded by becoming one of the best scorers in the league, leading the NBA in points per game twice while in Orlando. McGrady’s run was short lived, however, as he was traded to Houston in 2004.

Steve Nash, 2004

John W. McDonough

The Suns signed Steve Nash to a six-year, $63 million deal in 2004. Nash was 30 at the time, but took his game to another level in Phoenix. The point guard won MVP in his first two years in the desert, but despite his individual success, Nash could never lift the team past the conference finals.

Kevin Garnett, 2007

After years of falling short with the Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett was traded to the Celtics in July 2007. Garnett, along with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, immediately turned the Celtics back into one of the NBA’s premier franchises. Boston won the Finals in KG’s first season, and almost won a couple more if not for ill-timed injuries.

Chris Bosh, 2010

Greg Nelson

Chris Bosh joined the Heat along with LeBron James, and quickly became an integral part of Miami’s success. Bosh played a key role in the Heat’s run to four straight NBA Finals—most notably picking up an offensive rebound and assist before the Ray Allen’s three in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals.

LeBron James, 2010

Walter Iooss Jr.; Jeffery A. Salter

LeBron James, angering many with a TV special to announce his decision, chose to leave Cleveland for Miami in July 2010. LeBron made the Finals in all four of his seasons with the Heat, capturing two championships and two Finals MVPs in the process. James reached new levels of efficiency in Miami, cementing his legacy as one of the game’s greatest players.

Chris Paul, 2011

Chris Paul joined the Clippers in 2011 to form a Lob City-connection with Blake Griffin and lift the Clippers back to relevancy. Los Angeles became one of the top teams year-in and year-out with Paul at the helm, but has struggled in the playoffs against West rivals. As of 2016, Paul has yet to play in a conference finals.

Dwight Howard, 2012

Peter Read Miller

Dwight Howard, like Shaquille O'Neal 16 years before him, left the Magic for the Lakers by forcing a trade out of Orlando. Unlike Shaq, Howard flamed out with the Lakers. Also joined by Steve Nash, the Lakers never gelled on or off the court, and Howard lasted only one season in Los Angeles before joining the Houston Rockets .

LeBron James, 2014

Todd Rosenberg; Greg Nelson

LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014, announcing his decision via a letter in Sports Illustrated. LeBron immediately launched the Cavaliers into the NBA’s top tier, bringing the team to the Finals in his first season back. In 2016, the James-led Cavaliers—after going down 3–1—upset the 73-win Warriors in the Finals, a shocking upset led by one of the best individual performances in Finals history.

Kevin Durant, 2016

Kevin Durant , a four-time scoring champion and former MVP, joined the Warriors in July 2016. Golden State not only won 73 games the season before, but knocked Durant’s Thunder team out of the playoffs only weeks before the signing. The Warriors’ addition of Durant immediately made them the overwhelming favorite to win the Finals in 2017.

Dwyane Wade, 2016

Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

The Chicago Bulls agreed to sign Dwyane Wade, a 12-time All-Star who won three titles during his 13-year tenure in Miami, to a two-year contract worth $47.5 million with a player option on the second season. Wade won NBA titles with the Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and had spent his entire career with the team after being drafted No. 5 overall in 2003.

This reunion is more than something that Spyda is talking about, it is a movement he is actively prepping. Spyda, who has had several knee surgeries, continued working out and founded a company that will figure out how outsiders and the rest of the original six feel about a possible reunion.

“My thing is, get these guys at a round table, let's talk about it, let's set some goals and try and bring this thing back,” Spyda said. “I don’t want to use the word try, let’s do it. The community needs it right now. I think everybody wants to see us come back and do a reunion. I’m preparing my body and my mind like I have been doing the last five years. Even going through both my repairings on my knees to get me back to who I am, do what Spyda does, what Spyda do.

“I plan on getting the guys back together to come up with a strategic plan. Should we go on the apparel route, or should we just go and just do us and bring the tour back. Even if we have to start one event at a time, just to get a buzz and get back out there. I created a company, I don’t want to say the name right now, but I created a company and just am seeing if guys are down for the movement to get back in the community. I want to get back to donating to the community.”

And1 has always been special. It created that barbeque atmosphere and gave players a chance at changing lives, and it was something that might only happen once in a lifetime, Half Man, Half Amazing says.

“And1 was lightening in a bottle,” Half Man, Half Amazing said. “Nobody saw it coming and I will always, always cherish the memories I have with And1 playing with my guys. To everybody out there who ever had a doubt that And1 was fake, this coming from the o.g. Half Man, Half Amazing, we were the truest ball players out there. You will never be able to put a team together like that ever again. Period. Things like that only come around once.”

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The Story Behind 'The Greatest Mixtape Ever' Documentary, 'AO' Responds to NBA Players

NBA players clowned AND1 basketball players in the newest doc, the Greatest Mixtape Ever, for saying they could play in the NBA. Aaron 'AO' Owens responded.

It’s only right that The Greatest Mixtape Ever , a documentary on the AND1 movement, came from a young Black creator gettin’ it out the mud. In 2017, documentary co-creator Brian Mickens was looking for a story to tell. He had previously pitched a 30 for 30 on the 2000 Michigan State Spartans team that went to the National Championship, but it didn’t work out. At that point though, the recent Grand Valley State University grad was tired of working factory jobs. He knew he had to make something shake.

“I just started watching old YouTube videos [and I was] like, “Man! AND1 was groundbreaking!,” Mickens recalls over the phone. “And I was like, ‘I need to do a documentary on this.”

He’d go to Georgia Tech every day to plot out the project.

“I would write the description. I would write how I wanted it shot. I would write the players I wanted to be involved with, the rundown. I would do this every day, every day for like a few months.”

Four years later, that work resulted in an hour-long special that chronicled one of the most important basketball movements ever. The show debuted last week on ESPN, and predominantly covers the first four volumes of the AND1 Mixtape series, where Set Free mashed up underground rap with clips of playground legends like Rafer “Skip To My Lou” Alston, Waliyy “Main Event” Dixon, Anthony “Half Man, Half Amazing” Heyward, Aaron “AO” Owens, and many more.

The project is a result of Mickens’ resourcefulness and persistence. A chance meeting with Michael Smith at a 2017 BET Awards afterparty led to a later phone call with Smith and Scoop Jackson who heard his idea for an AND1 doc and linked him with The Undefeated.

“I [didn’t] have no money,” Mickens recalls. “So my friends come over with some money and fly me there and I meet with [The Undefeated]. I pitch it to them and they love it. They’re like, ‘This is too big. We need to forward you to ESPN films.’”

From there, the still “dead broke” aspirant made three separate trips from Atlanta to New York to convince the AND1 team to give him their footage. In the midst of that process he told the team he wanted AND1 mixtape creator and DJ Set Free Richardson involved in the documentary, noting,

“If it wasn’t for him creating the mixtapes, I wouldn’t have no film.” Mickens says that Free’s connections brought on the AND1 players and rappers like Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe and Jadakiss, who lent his iconic voice to narrating the documentary. But the collaborative effort shifted the documentary from his initial plan.

That production choice casts a shadow over the documentary for those who felt like it was too omissive. Some mistook the documentary to be about streetball in general and expected mention of other famous streetball figures. And the people who understood the doc to be strictly about the AND1 mixtape wanted a story that extended into the wildly successful AND1 Mixtape tour, which ESPN covered on Streetball : The AND1 Mixtape Tour, their highest-rated original series ever.

Shortly after the documentary’s release, AND1 player Alimoe’s niece spoke for many by tweeting the film “conveniently leaves Tyron “Alimoe” Evans out” and that ESPN had “left a lot of people out.” ESPN had left out the likes of Alimoe, Escalade, Flash, The Professor, and others who weren’t mentioned.

Mickens says he understands and agrees with the sentiment, noting, “If we would’ve did it the way it was [written in the original script ] everybody would’ve gotten their due diligence. Everybody knows the documentary could have been greater, but I’m just happy for that moment, to give younger basketball players an idea of what it was like when they weren’t born. And why kids, after they do a move, they rush the court. It all started somewhere. And I think we were able to show where.”

Aaron “AO” Owens, an AND1 player and Philly basketball legend who’s one of the film’s prominent voices, agrees.

“It was dope. I understood what they was trying to accomplish with it, so it was cool,” AO says. “I think it was just about the basis of summertime basketball linked with the music. And that first [AND1 mixtape] was about that. it was more of that than it was us personally and the tour. So, you see only the guys that was in the first three tapes was on it.”

AO is a push-the-tempo guard who many Streetball viewers may remember as the catalyst to many fast breaks which led to a spectacular alley-oop or coast-to-coast finish. His voice is heard throughout the doc, chiefly in a scene where AND1 players and NBA stars discuss whether AND1 players could have made the league. In the doc, AO admitted that his AND1 peers’ discipline might not have been where it needed to be to maintain a pro career, but he doesn’t agree with any of the players proposing that they didn’t have the skill.

“I played in the D-League (which became the G-League). I worked out with the Sixers and Sonics, stuff like that,” AO says. “As far as how Kyrie was putting it, were we dedicated? Probably not. I wasn’t dedicated to basketball at that point. I really wasn’t pushing myself. But as far as skill-wise, we played against NBA guys before, and the skill factor is not even the issue.”

Indeed, AO helped the Mobile Revelers win the D-League championship in 02-03, and also played in the first division of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He recalled scoring 26 points on perennial IBBL power Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“The NBA is made up of, let me see, 10 superstars. Then you probably got like your next [25, 30] who could be all-stars. And then after that, you really just filling in your roster with whoever,” AO adds. “So, [for the] 80 percent of the NBA players in there it’s another 80 percent that’s not in the NBA that could play them spots. I know I could have. I know Prime Objective could have. I know Alimoe could have. Baby Shaq, maybe. Kenny Brunner was a fuckin’ McDonald’s All-American at Crenshaw, No.1 team in the country, him and Tayshaun Prince. Like Baron, you played against Kenny your whole life. You get what I’m saying? But I didn’t feel a type of way about it at all.”

During another scene, Iman Shumpert gleefully recalled people dissing AND1 star Hot Sauce as “Ketchup” after a bad showing at a pro-am game. But AO feels that the scene was unfair to Hot Sauce, who never proclaimed to be NBA caliber.

“Sauce is my man, a hundred grand. But Sauce is not a basketball player,” AO says. “Sauce was what he was. I [commented on] somebody’s Instagram the other day, one of the guys who used to be at the Rucker. He had posted something, and I was like, ‘Yo, Sauce never said he was an NBA guy. He never said he could be a pro. He never said anything bad about Rucker and all that. And every time something come up like this, y’all put Sauce name in it.’ Sauce was who he was. And that’s the end of that.”

That’s why the AND1 crew is set to tell their own story, as AO tells us that he and several other players are in the early stages of their own “Last Dance style” documentary that they’re shopping with Netflix. But even with that future documentary, AO and others at AND1 are appreciative of the story Mickens and Set Free just told. Mickens says AND1’s marketing director and others congratulated him on the documentary after its release.

“That’s what I’m happy about, man,’’ Mickens says. “I just want to keep creating dope stuff, letting young Black kids know that, ‘Look, I’m from Flint, Michigan. If I made it, you can do the same thing. It’s just all mental man. You got to have your spirit right. Your mind right. You can do it too bro.’”

Just like AO and the AND1 movement inspired him.

SHARE THIS STORY

The And 1 streetball mixtape players rock the playgrounds every summer. These are the basketball stars you imitate the moves of. Read each player bio so you know this year's roster. And check the And 1 Mix Tape Tour schedule .

AND 1 BALLERS

The Professor

Half Man Half Amazing

Prime Objective

High Octane

Shane the Dribbling Machine

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And1, vhs tapes and streetball dvds. basketball culture was much different 10+ years ago..

The Professor, formerly of And1, sat down with Fanatics View to give some clarity on what happened to the And1 league and the growth of street ball’s reputation within the last decade.

The Professor also talks about the love and support he has received from fellow NBA players over the years and how And1’s following may have been drastically different and larger if it was alive today.

“The following we would’ve had back then would’ve been bananas, you know what I mean?” Cause And1 was in 40 countries and those were the countries we would tour when we went to play internationally.”

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The Greatest Mixtape Ever

How the and1 mixtape video series changed the game of basketball forever, directed by chris robinson and set free richardson, available on espn+.

And1 Mixtape Tour

2007 and 1 mixtape tour: new york (ep. 1), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: boston (ep. 2), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: atlanta (ep. 3), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: philadelphia (ep. 4), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: washington dc (ep. 5), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: detroit (ep. 6), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: chicago (ep. 7), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: dallas (ep. 8), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: oakland (ep. 9), 2007 and 1 mixtape tour: los angles (ep. 10), 2008 and 1 mixtape tour: portland (ep. 1), 2008 and1 mixtape tour: oakland (ep. 2), 30 for 30 presents: 'the greatest mixtape ever', you might also like.

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Rich Homie Quan, a hitmaker who helped rap evolve, dies at 34

Rodney Carmichael

RICH HOMIE QUAN

Rapper Rich Homie Quan performs in Hollywood, Calif. on April 1, 2015. That year, he had his biggest hit, "Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)." Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images hide caption

Rich Homie Quan, an Atlanta native who was instrumental in that city's takeover of hip-hop's sound and attitude in the mid 2010s, has died. The rapper's rapid ascent, alongside peers like Young Thug, with whom he partnered in the group Rich Gang, resulted in a string of hits that switched rap’s lingua franca from staccato rhythms to melodic flows. His death was confirmed to NPR by his father, Corey Lamar, who did not provide a cause of death. He was 34.

When a beloved artist dies, it’s almost impossible to boil their life down to a handful of Billboard Hot 100-charting hits. And Rich Homie stamped his imprint onto plenty of them — seven to be exact — all within a two-year blitz between 2013 and 2015 that took him from scrappy unknown to an inescapable force in the industry. They read like the roll call of an era when Atlanta rap overtook the sound of pop and made him the industry’s cleanup hitter: “Type of Way,” YG’s “My Hitta,” Rich Gang’s “Lifestyle,” “Walk Thru,” “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” the Fast and Furious franchise’s “Ride Out,” even Lil Dicky’s “Save Dat Money.”

A son of East Atlanta, Quan quietly cultivated his talent for years in his mother’s basement and even during a short prison stint before exploding onto the charts almost overnight. From the beginning, Quan fought to distinguish himself in a city full of young hopefuls. He connected with “Differences,” a song from his 2012 mixtape Still Going In , that showcased his hunger and made him one to watch. He quickly became a hitmaker, crafting undeniable street anthems. And he stood at the forefront of a wave that challenged and changed the sound of hip-hop and, by extension, American music.

Hip-Hop 50: All Rap Is Local

How atlanta became the center of the rap universe.

Atlanta’s rap scene had been on the rise for a couple of decades before Rich Homie Quan came along. But his emergence coincided with the city cementing its identity as an undisputed hip-hop mecca. Along with other Atlanta contemporaries, like Future and Thug, Quan came to define a new generation of post-OutKast ATLiens — equal parts street-hardened, plaintive and psychedelic in sound and style. While regional rappers — West Coast stalwarts and early Southern disruptors alike — had always dabbled in sing-songy delivery, Quan and his ilk captured an era in which technological advances in recording allowed them to freestyle or “punch in” their melodic flows, untethered by pad and pen. The resulting sound reached new prominence with the release of Rich Gang Tha Tour Pt .1 , a mixtape that coupled Quan and Thug together with Birdman of Cash Money/Young Money fame on songs such as their 2014 opus, “Lifestyle,” which found them voicing their rawest desires in voices so vulnerable they almost belied their explicit intentions. The duo set a new blueprint for one-off pairings but success was short-lived, quickly supplanted by clashing egos as money and fame disrupted their magical bond.

Quan’s story is one of wild success and timeless impact, but it also reflects how industry ups-and-downs can wring young talents dry as quick as they come up. His impasse with Thug became a harbinger of travails for Quan, who filed suit against his record label Think It’s a Game Records over unpaid royalties in 2016. The legal battles, though eventually settled, sapped Quan of his creative output at the height of his career. For two years he went silent before returning in 2017 with a mixtape, followed by a debut studio album, Rich As In Spirit , that signaled a transformation. Though the landscape Quan returned to had been shaped largely by his sonic influence, he found himself changed, too, his street-hardened edge replaced by a more mature, reflective sound.

In Young Thug’s ongoing gang conspiracy trial, Rich Homie Quan has been included in the prosecution’s legal narrative due to a shooting that took place at a barbershop owned by Quan’s father. His father was reportedly injured in the shooting, though Quan had downplayed the event in recent interviews.

While promoting his 2022 release Family & Mula , he frequently talked about the overwhelming stress that came with balancing early success and the crash that came with legal pitfalls, growing drug use and the stalling of his creative output. “I had a dark cloud over my head,” he said on Math Hoffa’s hip-hop podcast My Expert Opinion . “I probably was the lowest I was in my life.” Speaking five years after that low point, with dependency behind him, he sounded clear-headed — both about his musical future and how his absence had revealed his lasting impact on the game. Though he never returned to his former glory, Rich Homie Quan crooned his way to the top by putting on for the bottom. No man can outlive a legacy that rich.

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Gardaí contacted more than 160 times since historical abuse appeal

Gardaí (Irish police) have said more than 160 people have contacted them to report allegations of historical sexual abuse at schools run by religious orders since they issued an appeal on Wednesday.

A report commissioned by the Irish government and published on Tuesday found there were almost 2,400 allegations in more than 300 schools run by religious orders in Ireland.

In a statement, Gardaí said they are now in the process of engaging with everyone who has contacted them.

They said they understand "the profound impact that sexual abuse has on the lives of each individual who are now coming forward".

'Lifelong effect'

"In most cases this is the first time when these victims of a crime have spoken to An Garda Síochána," the statement added.

The report found there were 884 alleged abusers in 42 orders which formerly ran schools or still do.

Speaking on Saturday, Det Ch Supt Colm Noonan said police were there to support any person who wished to report any crime of sexual abuse not just in day and boarding schools run by religious orders but also in any other institution or organisation.

"These crimes are insidious and have a lifelong effect on those who are subject of this abuse," he said.

Police said the majority of the reports they had received had been made to the Garda National Protective Services Bureau by email and telephone, but also by the Child Sexual Abuse Reporting phone line and in person at individual police stations.

The Irish cabinet has agreed to establish a full statutory investigation, following the findings of the scoping inquiry report.

The primary source of data on allegations of sexual abuse was the religious orders and the schools themselves, the report said.

More than half of the people accused of historical sexual abuse are now dead.

The body which represents Catholic religious orders said it was “deeply sorry” about the abuse which had happened in schools.

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Rich Homie Quan, a hitmaker who helped rap evolve, dies at 34

Rich Homie Quan, an Atlanta native who was instrumental in that city's takeover of hip-hop's sound and attitude in the mid 2010s, has died. The rapper's rapid ascent, alongside peers like Young Thug, with whom he partnered in the group Rich Gang, resulted in a string of hits that switched rap’s lingua franca from staccato rhythms to melodic flows. His death was confirmed to NPR by his father, Corey Lamar, who did not provide a cause of death. He was 34.

When a beloved artist dies, it’s almost impossible to boil their life down to a handful of Billboard Hot 100-charting hits. And Rich Homie stamped his imprint onto plenty of them — seven to be exact — all within a two-year blitz between 2013 and 2015 that took him from scrappy unknown to an inescapable force in the industry. They read like the roll call of an era when Atlanta rap overtook the sound of pop and made him the industry’s cleanup hitter: “Type of Way,” YG’s “My Hitta,” Rich Gang’s “Lifestyle,” “Walk Thru,” “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” the Fast and Furious franchise’s “Ride Out,” even Lil Dicky’s “Save Dat Money.”

A son of East Atlanta, Quan quietly cultivated his talent for years in his mother’s basement and even during a short prison stint before exploding onto the charts almost overnight. From the beginning, Quan fought to distinguish himself in a city full of young hopefuls. He connected with “Differences,” a song from his 2012 mixtape Still Going In , that showcased his hunger and made him one to watch. He quickly became a hitmaker, crafting undeniable street anthems. And he stood at the forefront of a wave that challenged and changed the sound of hip-hop and, by extension, American music.

Atlanta’s rap scene had been on the rise for a couple of decades before Rich Homie Quan came along. But his emergence coincided with the city cementing its identity as an undisputed hip-hop mecca. Along with other Atlanta contemporaries, like Future and Thug, Quan came to define a new generation of post-OutKast ATLiens — equal parts street-hardened, plaintive and psychedelic in sound and style. While regional rappers — West Coast stalwarts and early Southern disruptors alike — had always dabbled in sing-songy delivery, Quan and his ilk captured an era in which technological advances in recording allowed them to freestyle or “punch in” their melodic flows, untethered by pad and pen. The resulting sound reached new prominence with the release of Rich Gang Tha Tour Pt .1 , a mixtape that coupled Quan and Thug together with Birdman of Cash Money/Young Money fame on songs such as their 2014 opus, “Lifestyle,” which found them voicing their rawest desires in voices so vulnerable they almost belied their explicit intentions. The duo set a new blueprint for one-off pairings but success was short-lived, quickly supplanted by clashing egos as money and fame disrupted their magical bond.

Quan’s story is one of wild success and timeless impact, but it also reflects how industry ups-and-downs can wring young talents dry as quick as they come up. His impasse with Thug became a harbinger of travails for Quan, who filed suit against his record label Think It’s a Game Records over unpaid royalties in 2016. The legal battles, though eventually settled, sapped Quan of his creative output at the height of his career. For two years he went silent before returning in 2017 with a mixtape, followed by a debut studio album, Rich As In Spirit , that signaled a transformation. Though the landscape Quan returned to had been shaped largely by his sonic influence, he found himself changed, too, his street-hardened edge replaced by a more mature, reflective sound.

In Young Thug’s ongoing gang conspiracy trial, Rich Homie Quan has been included in the prosecution’s legal narrative due to a shooting that took place at a barbershop owned by Quan’s father. His father was reportedly injured in the shooting, though Quan had downplayed the event in recent interviews.

While promoting his 2022 release Family & Mula , he frequently talked about the overwhelming stress that came with balancing early success and the crash that came with legal pitfalls, growing drug use and the stalling of his creative output. “I had a dark cloud over my head,” he said on Math Hoffa’s hip-hop podcast My Expert Opinion . “I probably was the lowest I was in my life.” Speaking five years after that low point, with dependency behind him, he sounded clear-headed — both about his musical future and how his absence had revealed his lasting impact on the game. Though he never returned to his former glory, Rich Homie Quan crooned his way to the top by putting on for the bottom. No man can outlive a legacy that rich.

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