Kobe Bryant is retiring.

Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant announced today via a poem on The Players Tribune website. Check out the poem below. I will say he played, and he played well boasting 5 championship rings, 2 gold medals (Olympics) and 3 MVP titles. Kobe's legacy will definitely live on and we're eager to for the 2015-2016 season.

Dear Basketball,


From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:


I fell in love with you.


A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.
As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.


And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.


I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.


You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.


And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.


And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1


Love you always,
Kobe

POPPINtv: Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 8, Episode 4

Keyshia Cole is ENGAGED!

if you're on social media, mainly Instagram, Facebook or Twitter early morning you're likely to see posts from Keyshia Cole. Seems that the songstress is a night owl like many of us... in better news, early this morning (November 29, 2015) Keyshia responded to a fan via Twitter confirming she is engaged. Check out the tweet below.

No. Engaged. ☺️ https://t.co/WDkTgPcCKB

— Keyshia Cole (@KeyshiaCole) November 29, 2015

If she is engaged, it more than likely isn't Birdman, and since she's not officially divorced from Daniel "Booby" Gibson, then maybe its him. all in all hopefully this new love will relight that R&B flame in Keyshia, because I'm ready!

Rihanna releases teaser for album "Anti"

Rihanna, Rihanna my baby momma! Poppin' Blog loves Rihanna and with the upcoming release of her highly anticipated album "Anti" she's signed an exclusive $25 million sponsorship deal with Samsung. The deal includes full sponsorship of the album and world tour. i'm so excited that Rihanna's dropping new music. i will be honest and say the new Anti teaser seems a little creepy, and it directs you to her new website sponsored by Samsung ANTidiary.com, but you have to do it on your phone for it to work. The only reason i'm creeped out is the amount of money that's been invested into this already, the images in the teaser and then it says she's some sort of key holder which then directs you to an instagram page @iamkeyholder. check it out for yourself! nonetheless I'm just probably paranoid. Black Friday, her album will be exclusively released to Tidal subscribers then to the world on December 4th. let me know your thoughts below.

2015 American Music Awards: Red Carpet looks from Zendaya, Tyga, Ciara and more

last night was the 43rd annual (or what we know it as) the 2015 American Music Awards hosted live by Jennifer Lopez in Los Angeles, CA. Honestly the AMAs had a great turn-out but I expected to see a lot more stars. nonetheless check out the smoking photos below. let me know which looks you think were #Poppin or not!

POPPINtv: Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 8, Episode 3

Kylie Jenner and Tyga STILL together?

Perhaps all the gossip and rumors were just that, gossip and rumors. Kylie Jenner posted to her snapchat a pic of what appears to be rapper Tyga and Kylie Jenner chilling in bed. The snapchat photo is captioned with "Everyone needs to chill" which could mean everyone being all of us. Or relating that everyone "needs" to chill sometimes, so they may really be broken up and just needed to "chill". We'll see...

Future and Mike Will Made It to drop "Ape Sh!t" on Thanksgiving

Back in April 2015, super producer Mike Will Made It tweeted cover art for upcoming mixtape collaboration titled "Ape Sh!t" with he and rapper Future.

 

Looks like that mixtape will finally drop in a few days on Thanksgiving!! Congrats to Future for having an amazing 2015, he seems as if he's on Lil Wayne-esque rise in his career. Strategic moves and non-stop music. Following the success of Future and Drake's collab mixtape "What A Time To Be Alive". Ape Sh!t is sure to takeover the streets and radio this winter! 

Celebs attend VH1's #BigIn2015 event

Talk about petty for no invite lol...

The hip-hop/entertainment industry was DEEP at VH1/Entertainment Weekly's Big in 2015 dinner held last night (November 16th). Anyone is made an impact or we could've mentioned in 2015 was practically present and it looked like a fun time! Stars like Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill to Queen Latifah and Yandy Smith. Check out the exclusive pictures from the dinner below.

Supreme x The North Face collaborate on Fall/Winter '15 outwear

November 19th, 2015, The North Face and Supreme will release their joint outerwear collection online worldwide. The line features the iconic Nuptse style jacket and Mountain Pullover decked in Malcolm X's motto "By Any Means Necessary" and also running gloves built for winter weather. Check out some of the pieces below or the official lookbook.

Charlie Sheen is HIV positive.

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Famed actor Charlie Sheen has admitted he is HIV positive, though he claims his viral load is "undetectable" in his bloodstream. Charlie Sheen will appear tomorrow 11/17/2015 on the Today show to discuss his condition. I honestly feel as though he SHOULD not do a public appearance regarding his health because he really owes none of us an explanation. A press release from his PR would be adequate. Charlie Sheen is known for his antics and sex appeal towards others. Sheen had live-in girlfriends he named "Goddess", one of which has spoken out recently about the news. Natalie Kenly spoke with People magazine; and catch the excerpt from the article below:

"He is not a monster," says Kenly, 29, a key member of Sheen's so-called "Goddess" posse of live-in girlfriends in 2011. "He has regard for human beings and cares about people. I do not see him knowingly putting women at risk."

Check back here tomorrow for the video of the Today show interview.

POPPINtv: Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 8 Episode 2

POPPINtv: Real Houswives of Atlanta Season 8, Episode 1

THE WIZ LIVE! premieres Dec. 3rd featuring Queen Latifah

the remake of the historical movie and classic "The Wiz" has the live broadway adaptation featuring your favorites of black hollywood. Premiering LIVE on December 3rd on NBC, it's sure to add some modern comfort for your holiday season! THE WIZ LIVE! also features David Alan Grier, Common, Ne-Yo, Amber Riley and more... Check out the teaser below.

Karrueche hosts MCM Atlanta store opening

MCM store opened at Lenox Square in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday November 14th, 2015 and Karrueche Tran was the host of the grand opening event. She looked amazing (this girl gets it right a LOT) and i can't wait to stop by the store when I get to Atlanta. Check out the pictures from the event below!

Future performs on Jimmy Kimmel Live !

after his album DS2 dropped over the summer, Future has defied all odds. what I mean is no matter the naysayers, he's at the top of his game. and as a rapper, he is a very entertaining performer i must say. Friday November 13th, Future stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform his two singles "Where Ya At" and "Blow a Bag". The band arrangement is dope! ...check out the performance below.

POPPINtv: Empire Season 2, Episode 7

This episode was lackluster compared to others but was still good to say the least. Cookie plans a concert celebrating the artists on her label including Hakeem's girl group. Luscious teams up with Jago considering to expand Empire globally. Andre is a at stand still battling between the conflict of his morals and career. Leave your comments or tweet your comments 🙃 @ThaPopular

Missy Elliott is BACK with new single featuring Pharrell Williams

Pop/Hip-Hop legend Missy Elliott has returned with her latest single "WTF (Where They From)" featuring Pharrell Williams. Missy took took her new Instagram page announcing the debut of the new music video for the track. Stay tuned tomorrow for the new video here! I'm excited to see Missy back in the game. 

Kendall Jenner shines at Victoria's Secret Show

Last night the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and Kendall Jenner made her debut as a Victoria's Secret model. she not only stole the show both figuratively and literally reports suggest. Pop star Rihanna was scheduled to perform but cancelled her performance when she learned that Jourdan Dunn had been pulled from the show and replaced by Kendall Jenner. i don't know how to feel about this, considering i love all parties involved but definitely a loyalty bonus for Rih-Rih! nonetheless Kendall shined and i'm excited for both Kendall and Victoria's Secret brand after last night! Check out pictures below!

Get Well Soon Tamar Braxton! ...Drops out of #DWTS due to illness

our prayers go out to a woman with nothing but an amazing spirit, Tamar Braxton. She's shared via the Instagram post above, that she has to take care of herself and remove herself from the Dancing with the Stars competition due to lung problems. I wish her a speedy recovery. Be sure to check out the post above for full details from Tamar.

Lebron James buy $21M Home in Cali!

Variety.com reports NBA star Lebron James has just purchased a $21 Million home in Brentwood, California.

Of course currently he plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but an investment like that makes you wonder if he's bringing his talents to the west coast soon. Hey you never know but reportedly the gorgeous mansion has 6 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms fit for a king and his family. The 9,350 square foot home was custom built by Ken Ungar back in 2011. Congrats to Lebron, that's poppin'!