Thi'sl tells story about his grandmother scolding him for trying to pick cotton

On Friday, Thi'sl dropped the first of a four-part video series called "Road to Redemption" which will lead up to the March 22 release of his album and book titled Against All Odds. 

"One of the most unique things about my life that most people wouldn't know about me that I didn't even trip off of growing up," he said, "was the fact that I was born on a plantation."

Thi'sl explained that much of his family still lived on a plantation in Minter City, Mississippi until the mid-to-late 1980s, so he visited his great grandmother there yearly as a child.

In episode No. 1 of "Road to Redemption," he told a story about how he — at around seven or eight years old — saw his cousin making about $10 an hour picking cotton and wanted to make money, too. When Thi'sl asked if he could do the same, his grandmother yelled at him.

"Let somebody tell me you put your hands on some cotton," Thi'sl said, quoting her. "She said, 'I picked cotton, my momma picked cotton, my kids picked cotton, my grandson is not gonna touch no cotton. That's why I moved you off of that plantation.' She was just like, 'If you want money, you call me.'"

Watch episode No. 1 of "Road to Redemption" below.

Syria conflict: UN steps up aid deliveries as truce holds

People work to fix a damaged shop in Darat Izza, Aleppo province, on Sunday

An aid convoy has reached one of several besieged towns in Syria, as the UN takes advantage of a partial truce brokered by the US and Russia.

The UN and its partners are stepping up deliveries of food, water and medicine, and plan to reach more than 150,000 people over the next five days.

They hope to help 1.7 million in hard-to-reach areas by the end of March.

Earlier, the UN's secretary general said the cessation of hostilities had held "by and large" since Saturday.

Ban Ki-moon also said a taskforce monitoring compliance, co-chaired by the US and Russia, would meet for the first time to evaluate alleged violations.

A Free Syria Army fighter rests in al-Tamorah, in the north of Aleppo province, on Sunday

France has expressed concern about reports of air strikes by Syrian government and Russian aircraft on areas controlled by mainstream rebel forces.

Russia has said that it is only targeting UN-designated jihadist terrorist organisations - including the so-called Islamic State (IS) and the al-Nusra Front, which is part of a major rebel alliance - in line with the terms of the cessation of hostilities.

Meanwhile US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter stressed that the US-led coalition would also continue to fight IS during the truce.

"Let me make it crystal clear," he told a news conference in Washington. "There is no cessation of hostilities in the counter-ISIL [IS] campaign. Operations continue unabated."

'Sealed off'

The relative calm on the ground around the capital Damascus allowed 10 aid lorries carrying blankets and hygiene supplies to entered the suburb of Muadhamiya on Monday afternoon, Syrian Arab Red Crescent officials said.

On Wednesday, the UN and its partners plan to deliver aid to the rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani, in the mountains north-west of Damascus, and the government-controlled towns of Foah and Kefraya, in the northern province of Idlib.

WWE Superstar AJ Styles Says He Can ‘School’ Anyone on Christian Hip-Hop

WWE superstar AJ Styles has been in the wrestling business a long time, but did you know that even before stepping into the ring he’s been obsessed with Christian hip-hop? 

Styles took some time on an off day to chat with Rapzilla about wrestling, his faith, and, of course, his affinity for God inspired rhymes. 

AJ has been a Christian since he was a Sophomore in High School, and he recalls the exact night it happened.

He and some friends had gone to see a play called a Judgment House. In the play, you follow two characters, a boy, and a girl. They get into a car wreck and one goes to Heaven and one goes to Hell. 

“I knew I didn’t want to go to Hell,” Styles said but revealed it didn’t scare him to Christianity because he always sort of knew about God. 

Growing up, his babysitter was the preacher’s wife, and his parents took him to church. However, that night, when it came down to make a decision about the afterlife – “I was ready.” 

“I remember them saying if anybody wants to give their lives to Jesus please raise your hands,” the wrestler shared. “We all had our eyes closed and I was amongst friends. And I thought everybody would raise their hands, and they didn’t. I was the only one. That night I accepted Jesus, and my life started changing.” 

AJ revealed that the breakup with his girlfriend went terrible, and other things started getting weird for him too. He wound up asking another girl out and she told him to come to church with her. There, he met the youth pastor and was taught to be a “Christian man” and the rest is history. 

Now as a WWE superstar with a platform and celebrity status, he tries his best to outwardly live his faith. Styles said being in wrestling is no different than living your life as a Christian among other people at a normal job. There will always be things around you to distract you from your focus but you have to remain steadfast. 

“There are some things that are maybe a little bit harder because there are attractive women around but you can’t forget who you are and what you have,” he said. “I love my wife, I love my kids and at the end of the day is it really worth it to live with that guilt?” 

The wrestling business seems to have been good to his beliefs as well because he does not recall ever being put into a storyline that compromised his Christianity or made him feel uncomfortable. He said they know who he is and they are respectful of that. 

As a Christian, Styles loves listening to Hip-Hop artists who are believers. He boasts that he can “school almost any rapper on the history of Christian hip-hop” (Will anyone take the challenge?) 

His love affair with the music began in the mid-90s when his wife, then girlfriend, bought him a DJ Dove tape in 1997. He went to a Christian bookstore called Celebration and bought the whole rap section of artists on the Grapetree record label. Some of his favorites were Lil’ Raskull, FTF, and L.G. Wise. 

However, the West Coast-based K2S turned out to be one of his favorite rap groups. He would buy CD’s even if he didn’t like it that much because “Where else was I going to get Christian rap music?” His wife would be upset because he would keep buying the records even when money was tight. 

“Christian rap is huge now. I remember listening to GRITS and then I met them at Universal Studios and they were able to do my music,” said the performer. “I became good friends with these guys, we still keep in touch this very day.”

In fact, Styles heard their recently released new track, “Skin Deep.” He said it was “so different” and speaks to why he enjoys them so much. 

He also cites T-Bone as another guy he makes people listen to because “he just tears it up.” 

“The 116 crew, holy cow, all of those guys. Trip Lee, Lecrae, Tedashii…those guys are tearing it up, It’s amazing to hear those guys,” Styles said excitedly. “Those guys remind me of Grapetree which was 15 to 20 years ago.” 

Unfortunately, AJ can’t have a song made by this generation of Christian rappers because it isn’t about him saying yes anymore since signing to the WWE. “I would love it, but when you have an entrance song that is in the top 200 on iTunes, you can’t really say too much about that.” 

He continued, “I love those guys and would love for them to do something for me. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy this music. I make the kids listen to it whether they like it or not.” 

Now, of course, the most important of questions was asked, “If you had a chance to train one of your favorite Christian rappers in the ring, who would you pick?” 

“I would have K2S as my tag team partners…Tedashii is Samoan, right? He’s gotta be an athlete? Lecrae is tall, so you never know…”

Source: Rapzilla

South Carolina primary: Huge win for Clinton over Sanders

Hillary Clinton: "We don't need to make America great again - America has never stopped being great"

Hillary Clinton has secured a big win over Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary, the latest battleground in the race to be Democratic presidential nominee.

Victory for Mrs Clinton was widely expected but it gives her momentum ahead of the "Super Tuesday" primaries in 11 states this week.

"Tomorrow this campaign goes national," she told cheering supporters.

Mr Sanders has congratulated her but said the campaign was just beginning.

With almost all the votes counted Mrs Clinton leads Mr Sanders by an almost 50-point margin.

Eight out of 10 black voters backed Mrs Clinton, exit polls suggested, a key section of the Democratic electorate.

It is Mrs Clinton's third victory in four contests, after wins in Iowa and Nevada. She lost to Mr Sanders in New Hampshire.

Eight years ago, she lost the South Carolina primary overwhelmingly to then Senator Barack Obama.

It was a different story this time. Soon after polls closed she told supporters: "You sent a message - in America when we stand together, there is no barrier too big to break."

Rivals turn on Trump

On the Republican side, billionaire Donald Trump leads a field that has dwindled to five from 12 a month ago.

He won the Nevada caucus on Wednesday by a wide margin - correspondents say he is beginning to look unstoppable.

In her victory speech, Mrs Clinton aimed a dig at the man tipped to be the Republican presidential candidate.

"Despite what you hear, we don't need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great," she said, referencing Mr Trump's campaign slogan.

Mr Trump's closest challengers in the Republican field, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, sought to put him under pressure by releasing several years of their tax returns.

The property magnate says he will not release his until an audit has been completed; his rivals accuse him of holding back the information to hide exaggerations about his wealth.

Mr Sanders, a veteran senator from Vermont, said he was now focussing on the Super Tuesday vote.

"In politics, on a given night, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Tonight we lost," he told reporters in Minnesota, one of the states taking part.

"I congratulate Secretary Clinton on her very strong victory. Tuesday, over 800 delegates are at stake, and we intend to win many of them."

But there was some welcome news for Mr Sanders after he was endorsed by Robert Reich, a former official in Bill Clinton's presidential administration.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid forward appears unhappy with team-mates

Cristiano Ronaldo is the second top scorer in La Liga, with 22 - three behind Barcelona's Luis Suarez

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo said "if we were all at my level maybe we would be leaders" after his side's 1-0 derby defeat by Atletico Madrid.

A first defeat under Zinedine Zidane leaves Real nine points off leaders Barcelona, and four below Atletico.

Real were missing Gareth Bale and Marcelo through injury, while Karim Benzema was replaced at half-time.

"I don't want to disrespect anyone, but when the best players aren't available it's harder to win," Ronaldo said.

"I like to play with Karim, with Bale, with Marcelo.

"I'm not saying the others like Lucas Vazquez, Jese and Mateo Kovacic are not good players - they are very good players - but it's not the same."

Afterwards he sought to clarify his quotes, telling Marca: "When I say that, I am talking about my fitness level, not my level as a player. I am no better than any of my team-mates".

Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the derby as Atletico became the first team to win in three consecutive La Liga trips to the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo used an expletive to describe how he feels the media describe him and added "but I don't listen to what the press say. The statistics and numbers don't lie".

Fifa presidential election: Gianni Infantino succeeds Sepp Blatter

The moment Gianni Infantino was named as the new president of Fifa

Gianni Infantino has succeeded fellow Swiss Sepp Blatter as president of world football's governing body Fifa.

The Uefa secretary general polled 115 votes, 27 more than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa.

Prince Ali bin al-Hussein (4 votes) and Jerome Champagne (0) were third and fourth respectively.

Blatter, who had led Fifa since 1998, stood down last year and was later banned from football for six years for breaching ethics guidelines.

Infantino is a 45-year-old lawyer from Brig in the Valais region of Switzerland, less than six miles from Blatter's hometown of Visp.

He only entered the presidential race when it became clear that Michael Platini, boss of European football's governing body Uefa, would not be allowed to stand.

The election was due to be fought between five candidates, but South African Tokyo Sexwale withdrew before voting began in Zurich.

The first round of voting failed to determine an outright winner, though Infantino led with 88, three more than pre-vote favourite Sheikh Salman.

A simple majority of more than 50% - 104 of 207 available votes - was sufficient for victory in round two.

Not since 1974, when Joao Havelange of Brazil beat 13-year incumbent Stanley Rous of England, has a second round been needed.

What will Infantino do now?

An emotional Infantino told delegates that he was finding it hard to "express my feelings in this moment".

Infantino joined the presidential race when Uefa boss Michel Platini was barred from taking part

But he told delegates that together they would "restore the image of Fifa and the respect of Fifa".

He added: "I want to work with all of you together in order to restore and rebuild a new era of Fifa where we can put again football at the centre of the stage.

"Fifa has gone through sad times, moments of crisis, but those times are over. We need to implement the reform and implement good governance and transparency. We also need to have respect.

"We're going to win back this respect through hard work, commitment and we're going to make sure we can finally focus on this wonderful game."

How has his election been received?

Gary Lineker, an outspoken critic of Fifa and former president Blatter, wished Infantino "all the best" following his appointment.

The former England striker added on Twitter: "He's got one hell of a job on his hands but seems a decent chap. Needs a sizeable new broom."

The television presenter then joked: "Have this weird feeling that Gianni Infantino will pull off his mask to reveal Sepp Blatter."

Portuguese great Luis Figo added his congratulations, tweeting: "Finally the change arrived. It's time for a new era in Fifa."

Russian sports minister Vitaly said: "I am happy. We supported him from the start. World football needs such a pragmatist."

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said he was looking forward to working with Infantino for "the sake of sport".

Has Blatter reacted?

Yes, the 79-year-old issued a statement following the election.

It read: "I congratulate Gianni Infantino sincerely and warmly on his election as the new president.

"With his experience, expertise, strategic and diplomatic skills he has all the qualities to continue my work and to stabilize Fifa again."

What now for Fifa?

Infantino has a hard job resurrecting he fortunes after a number of damaging episode's in the organisation's history.

Criminal investigations in the United States and Switzerland have resulted in the indictment of dozens of football officials and other entities for corruption, many of them serving or former presidents of national or continental associations.

In addition, Fifa has been forced to investigate the awarding of several World Cup finals, especially the decision to grant the 2018 tournament to Russia and the 2022 finals to Qatar.

Swiss authorities are reviewing more than 150 reports of suspicious financial activity linked to those awards and said they had sent more documents, including an internal Fifa report to US investigators.

What else happened in Zurich?

To help the new president tackle the crisis that has enveloped Fifa, key reforms were passed to help make it a more transparent and accountable organisation.

All salaries of Fifa officials will be disclosed, while a limit of four years has been placed on a president's term.

A new council to replace the current executive committee has also been introduced, featuring a female representative from each confederation.

English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke said the reforms were "more important" than the new leader as they will provide an "opportunity for Fifa to start again".

Syria conflict: Russia 'steps up air strikes' ahead of truce

The cessation comes as government forces have been making gains around Aleppo in the north

Russian jets are reported to have intensified attacks on Syrian rebel positions, hours before a cessation of hostilities is due to come into force.

Russia said it was continuing to bomb "terrorists" in parts of Syria.

Meanwhile, almost 100 rebel factions have agreed to respect the truce, the main Syrian opposition group has said.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said Free Syrian Army factions and the armed opposition had signed up to the truce from midnight (22:00 GMT).

The temporary "cessation of hostilities" involves government and rebel forces - but not the so-called Islamic State (IS) group and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. On Friday, Nusra Front urged its supporters to intensify attacks against President Bashar al-Assad and his allies.

Warring parties in Syria were meant to make their intentions known by midday Friday ahead of the pause in fighting.

Announcing the intentions of rebel factions, the HNC said the Syrian government and its allies must not use the "proposed text to continue the hostile operations against the opposition factions under the excuse of fighting terrorism".

Overnight, Russian air strikes which were "more intense than usual" hit rebel bastions including Eastern Ghouta east of Damascus, northern Homs province and western Aleppo province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

"It's more intense than usual," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman was quoted by news agency AFP as saying. "It's as if they [the Russians and the government] want to subdue rebels in these regions or score points before the ceasefire."

The Observatory said the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma had also suffered heavy air strikes on Friday, killing eight people, four of them children.

It said the Syrian government had also shelled the area, which is a stronghold of the Army of Islam rebel group.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces were targeting IS, Nusra Front and other extremist groups designated as legitimate targets by the UN Security Council, adding that "the decisive fight against them" would "without doubt, be continued".

The cessation has been brokered by the US and Russia but scepticism has lingered over the plan.

BBC Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher says all sides have made it clear they will fight if attacked.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed "great concern" over fresh reports that pro-government forces had dropped barrel bombs on the Damascus suburb of Darayya.

He urged all parties "to refrain from steps that could endanger the ceasefire so close to it coming into effect".

Earlier, US President Barack Obama said the success of the cessation would depend on whether warring parties including the Syrian government, Russia and their allies lived up to their commitments.

Attacks needed to end, he said, and humanitarian aid had to be allowed through to desperate civilians.

"The coming days will be critical and the world will be watching," he added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hoped the US would also respect the truce.

More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed in nearly five years of civil war. Millions more have been displaced.