Episode 81 kicks off with a mini LeBron James celebration and appreciation—before the Stephen A./Bronny fiasco and his slight injury derailment. The crew discusses the revitalization of LeBron’s 20-year career and debates the unrealistic comparisons across eras, particularly with other greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The conversation then shifts to NBA postseason scenarios, analyzing potential conference and Finals matchups based on current projections—such as Lakers vs. Celtics, Lakers vs. Cleveland, and other strong contenders from the West. Possible roadblocks include Canadian-born point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) leading the Thunder, Steph Curry and the Warriors, and the Serbian nightmare, Nikola Jokić, and the Nuggets. From sports, they dive into movies and music, recapping some of the biggest moments from this year’s Oscars—including films that cleaned up, Zoe Saldaña’s first win, and this year’s host, Conan O’Brien, who took a jab at the NFL halftime show featuring two rap titans. One of XP’s tweets about the “fictional” secret music industry meeting between UMG’s Lucian Grainge, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar made its way into the internet’s back channels via Reddit, sparking wild speculation about Hip-Hop’s so-called 2024 resurrection after a few years on the decline. This leads the trio to reflect on their own viral moment, as their Drake vs. Kendrick videos circulated across all major social media platforms. The discussion expands into artist reinvention, using Beyoncé as a case study, and how different artists handle fame and success based on their early career and trajectory vs. peaking/burning out early—XP brings up Sabrina Carpenter and Doechii as examples. The episode wraps with an in-depth conversation on whether the average music consumer actually cares about record labels and industry politics, or if it’s just a myth reserved for insiders—and much more.