Russia, Sports, and Music All in One!

News recently emerged that Russian super-oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov is ready to plunk down the necessary cash to make the Brooklyn Nets a reality.

Kool Keith is Hyped for the BK move.

What does this all actually mean? Well, for one, it means that Jay-Z is now the less gangster major investor in the Nets project. Prokhorov made his money in the 90s in Russia with Onexim Bank, which was heavily involved in the metals industry.

Basically, if you made your money in the 90s in Russia, you’ve either done or seen some crazy stuff. The murder rate in Russia doubled in the 1990s after the fall of communism, and the life expectancy of Russian males fell by over ten years between 1989 and 1995.

I don’t know many specifics about Prokhorov, but Norilsk Nickel, which Onexim owned, and RusAl (Aluminum) which he owned a large chunk of, were involved in particularly bloody scuffles in the 1990s. Prokhorov’s partner in RusAl, Oleg Deripaska, had a grenade launcher fired at him by a competitor during a corporate takeover–these guys are pretty serious.

Considering Jay-Z proudly raps that he’s never been punched in the face (which leads me to believe that he hasn’t been in a fight–who’s never been punched?), I’m going to have to say that Jay should justify his thug to Prokhorov, not the other way around, especially since Jay-Z is secretly working for the forces of corporate evil, according to the rational and level-headed Prodigy of Mobb Deep.

All this being said, there are still some legal hurdles for the Atlantic Yards project to leap over, but given the state of the economy and the jobs situation, I think the powers that be will collude to remove said hurdles. Maybe I’m just being cynical. 

I’m not happy about this. I don’t want attention drawn away from my beloved Knickerbockers, especially by the hated New Jersey Nets. I worry that the Nets will be like that kid who moves to New York and acts like he’s lived there all his life. Listen, guy, we all know you’re from Jersey.

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Tags: atlantic yards, brooklyn, jay-z, mikhail prokhorov, new jersey nets, new york knicks, norilsk nickel, onexim, prodigy, RusAl, Russia

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