Top Rap Albums 2018 | Real Spit Radio

New Year's Eve Traffic Info for Baltimore City and Annapolis

***NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION IN ANNAPOLIS***

While there are no street closures in Annapolis for the fireworks display at  5:15 p.m. at Weems Whelan Field behind Maryland Hall and Bates Middle School or the celebration in downtown at 8 p.m., please note the following:

- Two FREE Circulator shuttles will run from 2 p.m. Monday, December 31 until 2 a.m. on January 1. From 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. the Circulator Shuttle will provide continuous service between Park Place and Maryland Hall (Chase Street) to offer transportation for the children’s event at Weems Whelan Field. The other Circulator run its normal route until 6:30 pm. After 6:30 p.m. both Circulator Shuttles will be dedicated to the Park Place-Church Circle loop.

- NO shuttle service will be offered to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

- Parking will be FREE in Park Place Garage ONLY from 2 p.m. on Monday, December 31, until Tuesday, January 1, at 2 a.m. Standard rates will apply at the other three city-owned garages – Hillman located off Main Street, Gotts located on Northwest and Calvert streets, and Knighton off of West Street.

- There will NOT be any parking restrictions specifically related to New Year's Eve. However, please be sure to adhere to all residential parking signs to avoid tickets, fines, or towing. Also remember, the free, three-hour parking is only for three hours.

- Because of the anticipated crowds, boaters are urged to select their preferred viewing-area anchorage early and are also warned to avoid the 1,000-foot safety zone around the fireworks barge. The 1,000-foot safety zone covers all of Spa Creek from Susan Campbell Park to the Chart House. Spa Creek will be closed to marine traffic from 4 p.m.- 12 midnight.

- Consumption of alcohol is PROHIBITED at all three events.

Street Closures, Commercial Truck And Parking Restrictions For New Year's Eve In Baltimore

Numerous streets will be closed and commercial vehicles will be prohibited from a large area of downtown Baltimore for the annual New Year’s Eve Spectacular at the Inner Harbor.

Most commercial vehicles will be prohibited from an area bordered by the following streets from 4 p.m. on Monday, December 31st until 2 a.m. on Tuesday, January 1st.

- Fayette Street between Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and President Street. No commercial vehicles SOUTH of Fayette Street.

- President Street between Aliceanna and Fayette Streets. No commercial vehicles on or WEST of President Street.

- Light Street between Pratt Street and Key Highway.

- Key Highway between Light and McComas Streets.

- Hanover Street between McComas and Montgomery Streets. No commercial vehicles NORTH of McComas Street, including on Hanover Street.

- Pratt and Lombard Streets between Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and President Street.

- I-395/Howard Street from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard exit to Pratt Street. Commercial vehicles will not be permitted on I-395.

No commercial vehicle traffic will be allowed EAST of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard from I-395 to Fayette Street.

Tanker trucks will NOT be permitted downtown during this time. Cabs, buses and other mass transportation vehicles are excluded from the restrictions.

The following streets will be CLOSED from 11:15 p.m. on December 31st until the end of the event:

- Pratt Street CLOSED at Charles Street. Pratt Street must turn LEFT (NORTH) on Charles Street and may turn RIGHT (EAST) on Baltimore Street

- Lombard Street CLOSED at President Street. WESTBOUND Lombard Street traffic must turn RIGHT (NORTH) on President Street and may turn LEFT (WEST) on Fayette Street

The following streets will be CLOSED from 11 p.m. on December 31st until the end of the event:

- NORTHBOUND I-395 at Conway Street – All traffic must continue NORTH on Howard Street

- EASTBOUND Conway Street will be CLOSED between Howard and Light Streets

- SOUTHBOUND Light Street CLOSED at Lombard Street. Light Street must turn RIGHT (EAST) on Lombard Street and may turn LEFT (SOUTH) on Sharp Street.

- NORTHBOUND Light Street CLOSED at Lee Street. Light Street traffic must turn LEFT (WEST) on Lee Street and may turn RIGHT (NORTH) on Charles Street.

The following lane closures will be in place for emergency vehicle use on December 31st from 6 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. on January 1st:

- LEFT side of Charles Street from Conway to Fayette Streets

- RIGHT side of SOUTHBOUND Light Street from Fayette to Conway Streets

NO PARKING on the following streets from 6 p.m. on December 31st until 3 a.m. on January 1st :   

- Gay Street from Pratt to Fayette Streets 

- Calvert Street from Pratt to Fayette Streets

- Baltimore Street from Charles to Gay Streets  

- EASTBOUND/SOUTHBOUND Key Highway from Light to William Streets

Those driving to the downtown celebration should park in commercial garages and should not park in neighborhoods. Neighborhood parking restrictions will be strictly enforced.

Maryland State Highway Administration Suspends Non-Emergency Roadwork over New Year Holiday Weekend.

In order to expedite traffic flow during the holiday season, The Maryland State Highway Administration has suspended non-emergency work on Interstates, US Highways and numbered State Routes though the weekend.

There will be NO non-emergency lane closures from Friday, December 28th – Tuesday, January 1st

Non-emergency lane closures WILL BE ALLOWED on Thursday, December 27th.

Major I-895 Construction Now Underway

The major project to rebuild two aging bridges on I-895 is now under way.

The NORTHBOUND lanes of I-895 are CLOSED between the Harbor Tunnel and Boston/O'Donnell Streets.

One lane of traffic is maintained EACH WAY using the SOUTHBOUND side of I-895 south of Lombard Street.

Source WBAL

Pre-NYE Episode Lil Black Dress Edition

Holiday Edition Round table Discussion | Out the Box Radio

69

Sears Might be Down to its Last 24 Hours

Sears, the 125-year-old icon, has 24 hours to survive.

The employer of more than 68,000 filed for bankruptcy in October. Its last shot at survival is a $4.6 billion proposal put forward by its chairman, Eddie Lampert, to buy the company out of bankruptcy through his hedge fund, ESL Investments. ESL is the only party offering to buy Sears as a whole, people familiar with the situation tell CNBC. Without that bid or another like it, liquidators will break the company up into pieces.

But as Lampert stares down a deadline of Dec. 28 to submit his offer, he is quickly running out of time. As of Thursday afternoon, Lampert had neither submitted his bid, nor rounded up financing, the people familiar said. Should Lampert submit a bid, Sears' advisors would have until Jan. 4 to decide whether he is a "qualified bidder." Only then, could ESL take part in an auction against liquidation bids on Jan. 14.

It is possible Lampert, Sears' largest investor, secures financing in time to meet the deadline, these people said. The hedge fund manager turned retailer has managed last-minute feats before. Due to requirements by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Lampert will be required to make his bid public. That stipulation that could sway him to prolong the filing until its exact deadline of 4:00 p.m. ET Friday.

Nonetheless, the quickly approaching cutoff puts Sears the closest to death it has ever been. Should Lampert miss the deadline, it would put Sears and Kmart on the path to liquidation. That process would take weeks, according to the guidelines laid out by the bankruptcy court. But the process has also already slowly begun, with the retailer weighing the closure of 50 to 80 more stores, CNBC has reported.

The people familiar with these developments requested anonymity because the talks are confidential.

Sears filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 15 with a little under 700 stores. At that time, it said it would close 142 unprofitable stores. In November it announced the closure of 40 additional stores.

Sears in bankruptcy has, therefore, continued a trend that far preceded its chapter 11 filing, a slow-paced liquidation.

Shooting Victim Runs Onto Mondawmin Mall Parking Lot

RadioOnFire.com - A man shot in northwest Baltimore ran onto the parking lot of Mondawmin Mall, where officers found him, city police said.

Police said officers were called at 12:48 p.m. Thursday to the 2300 block of Liberty Heights Avenue, where investigators believe the man was shot before he ran toward the mall.

The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 410-396-2221 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP.

Instagram Premiers New Horizontal Scroll Feature to Public Outrage

RadioOnFire.com - Instagram users woke up to an unusual surprise on their favorite photo-sharing app this morning (Dec. 27), when they realized that they could no longer swipe vertically to get through their feed. Instead, a new horizontal scroll feature was introduced, allowing users to scroll left-to-right to view the photos. Additionally, you were able to simply tap the left or right side of the screen to move between photos, while this new feature was also implemented into Instagram Stories.

The new feature appears to have been short-lived, however, as due to an outpour of criticism from its users the new scroll seems to have been rolled back. As of now, Instagram has not made any statements on today's developments.

Source: google.com

New Photo of Taxstone Surfaces from Prison

There have been few updates on the status of Daryl ‘Taxstone’ Campbell since he was charged for the Irving Plaza shooting, to which he reportedly plead guilty to federal gun charges before being indicted for second-degree murder.

Taxstone has maintained his innocence while awaiting trial, and over the holiday a recent image of him was posted on social media. 

The photo was posted by New Jersey artist Buck LGR, with a caption that reads "FREE @TAXSTONE 💯💯💯"  

Source: twitter.com

Steve Rifkind and Dame Dash Discuss Conflating Culture Vultures with Jews

RadioOnFire.com - In response to Dame Dash's recent posts on culture vultures in the entertainment industry, famed music exec Steve Rifkind sent Dash a personal message to express his dissenting views. Apparently, the co-founder of Loud Records took exception to the idea that Dash was saying all Jewish people are culture vultures, and he had to speak his truth to let him know "that wasn't cool."

Never one to duck an opportunity for healthy dialogue, however, Dash quickly responded to Rifkind to let him know that his words had been misinterpreted, while pointing out that he clearly said it "wasn't a Jewish thing" and that he "hates black culture vultures more."

Dash went on to post a screenshot of their exchange, while in the caption he clarified that he held no ill-will towards Rifkind's message at all.

"My Jewish brother @steverifkind checked me real fast cause that’s what men do when there is a misunderstanding... to be clear the #culturevulture does not represent all Jewish people but all good Jewish people should help get him out of here because he’s giving y’all a bad name...my message is love and self-awareness and I’m anti-slavery of the mind...I want peace not war awareness and respect will avoid the war let’s all evolve together #honorablepeoplesticktogther#likemindedpeoplesticktogether no disrespect ever to good people no matter what color you are ...funny s*** is I don’t see anybody from #liarcohenculture defending him only #careercoons...go figure."

Source: instagram.com

The Top 15 Rap Albums of 2018 - RadioOnFire

RadioOnFire.com - 2018 was a great year for music. If you are one of those people who complain about the good ole days of music, I urge you to take a deep dive into the albums of 2018. There was something released for every hip-hop taste.

Album Artist

1. CHAMPIONSHIPS Meek Mill

2. ASTRO WORLD Travis Scott

3. VICTORY LAP Nipsey Hussle

4. INVASION OF PRIVACY Cardi B

5. EVERYTHING IS LOVE The Carter’s

6. NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES Metro Boomin

7. SCORPION Drake

8. KOD J. Cole

9. BOOK OF RYAN Royce Da 5’9”

10. REDEMPTION Jay Rock

11. DUMMY BOY 6ix9ine

12. BLACK PANTHER SOUNDTRACK Kendrick Lamar

13. DAYTONA                                                      Pusha T

14. QUEEN Nicki Minaj

15. THE CARTER V Lil Wayne

Jon Jones issues first statements following UFC 232 location change

RadioOnFire.com - Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has issued his first public statements regarding Sunday’s extraordinary news about UFC 232.

The card, which will be headlined by the bout for the vacant light heavyweight title between former longtime champion Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, has been moved to the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. from the original location of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, after Jones’ Nevada Athletic Commission license was denied due to an abnormal USADA test result.

While fighters up and down the card who are having their plans reshuffled and fans who are now stuck with flights to Vegas and hotel bills certainly aren’t happy, Jones is appreciative of the efforts the UFC made to move the card.

And to that end, Jones, who has twice been suspended over failed USADA tests, issued a statement maintaining his innocence on Sunday night and thanking the California State Athletic Commission for accommodating the change:

I’m focused on achieving my ultimate goal of reclaiming my Light Heavyweight title.  I have willingly submitted to every USADA test in the lead up to this fight and USADA has confirmed what I've been saying all along, that I'm a clean athlete. I sincerely thank the California

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) December 24, 2018

Clip of Louis CK Using N-Word in Front of Chris Rock Re-Surfaces

RadioOnFire.com - An old video that features Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais, and Louis C.K. has re-surfaced where Louis C.K. is using the n-word, and now the comedian is facing backlash.

The footage comes from a 2011 HBO special titled ‘Talking Funny.’ In the clip, Chris Rock speaks on Louis C.K., saying “He's the blackest white guy I f**king know, and then all the negative things we think about black people, this f**ker.” Louis C.K. then chimes in and says “You're saying I'm a n——r.”

From there, Chris Rock responds by saying “Yes, you are the n****rest f**king white man I have ever—.” Jerry Seinfeld seemed super uncomfortable with the situation, saying “I don't think he could do that. I don't think [Louis C.K.] has those qualities." He went on to say “I wouldn't use [that word] anywhere.”

Russell Simmons Uses #MeToo in Defense Against $10M Rape Lawsuit

RadioOnFire.com - After news broke that Russell Simmons will have to fight his rape case in court, more news surfaced saying Simmons is allegedly demanding that the $10 million rape lawsuit against him be dropped. Simmons and his team reportedly highlighted his support of the #MeToo movement as a defense against the current suit.

According to Page Six, Russell Simmons and his lawyers reportedly wrote a response to the “Jane Doe” lawsuit against the Def Jam co-founder. The letter noted that Simmons “fully embraces the #MeToo movement” as well as the “critical importance of creating safe spaces for women to thrive and lead in every facet of our society.”

The letter continued, saying “with every great revolution there has been collateral damage. In this movement, this includes Mr. Simmons’ well-publicized life as a celebrity bachelor being the target of outrageous tabloid-fodder allegations contradicted by facts and the law.”

source: Page Six

FL Social Worker Sentenced to Prison For Having Sex With Teen She Adopted

RadioOnFire.com - According to a report, a former social worker in Florida was given six years in prison this past Wednesday after she reportedly had sex with a teenager she adopted.

26-year-old Lauren Myres was charged with unlawful sexual activity with certain minors in May 2018 after authorities were tipped off about a relationship the social worker was having with a 17-year-old. First Judicial Circuit State Attorney Williams Eddins commented on the situation, saying “She eventually decided to foster the victim and ultimately adopted him. After the adoption was finalized, it was discovered that Myres had been having sex with the victim.”

Myres pleaded no contest to charges and now will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. Along with that, she will not be able to have any type of contact with minors or the victim after she is released from prison.

Source: nypost.com

Trina Braxton's Ex-Husband Gabe Solis Dead at 43 After Battle with Cancer

RadioOnFire.com - Trina Braxton's ex-husband Gabe Solis has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 43. TMZ reports that Gabe was surrounded by family and friends at his Texas home on Thursday. Solis and Braxton were married in 2003 and were divorced in 2015. The up-and-down relationship was a central theme of the Braxton family reality tv series, "Braxton Family Values." 

The former couple most recently appeared together on "Iyanla: Fix My Life" in order to work on their issues more than two years after their divorce.

Source: tmz.com

LeBron: NFL Owners Are 'Old White Men' with 'Slave Mentality' Toward Players

RadioOnFire.com - LeBron James has caused a stir with his hit HBO show The Shop. The candor with which LeBron and the other guests converse has ruffled some feathers. However, the unabashed truth that the show brings naturally calls for headlines and backlash. Case in point the latest episode of the show. 

During The Shop's latest installment, LeBron took aim at the NFL owners who he characterized as "old white men" that maintain a "slave mentality towards players." LeBron isn't the first to point out that the NFL owners embrace the slave owner moniker but James' status as a cultural figure will undoubtedly make these comments reverberate throughout the country.

Source: bleacherreport.com

Nicki Minaj's Boyfriend Kenneth "Zoo" Petty Gets "Onika" Tattooed on His Neck

RadioOnFire.com - Things are clearly serious between Nicki Minaj and her new beau, Kenneth "Zoo" Petty. The two were the topic of discussion after Petty's criminal past was brought to public attention but Nicki summarily dismissed all their detractors. To make it known that their bond is solid, Petty decided to ink his partner's name on his neck in big, bold red letters. 

In the video posted to Nicki's IG page, she joked about this being Petty's first tattoo and how he tried acting like it wasn't painful. No word if Nicki has or plans on reciprocating the gesture.

Source: instagram.com