TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West would be a slave were it not for the likes of Harriet Tubman ... so says her great-great-great niece who is outraged by Ye's comments on Sunday at his fundraiser.

Tina Wyatt is extremely upset Kanye dared to say Harriet Tubman did not free slaves. She says her legendary relative was actually free when she risked her life to save others, so she finds it beyond offensive Kanye made such a comment. Fact is ... Kanye's dead wrong.

Check it out ... Tina thinks Kanye's in desperate need of a basic history lesson. Once African Americans were freed, they actually flourished -- starting businesses and even getting elected to office -- until Jim Crow segregation laws and black codes were enacted to create racist policies that held black people down.

Kanye West has the proverbial snowball's chance in hell to win the 2020 Presidential election  -- but still, it never hurts to be prepared ... which is why Madame Tussauds already has a presidential bust of the guy.

The famous wax museum has a tradition of making clay head sculptures of our nation's leaders -- they made one for Donald Trump 4 years ago before he won the presidency -- and now they made one for Mr. West.

Hey, you never know -- better to have it on deck and ready to go if the ultimate upset goes down. We've seen it happen before.

Now, bear in mind the sculptures are not the full, colored-in wax statues you might see at any one of its museums around the world. These are different -- we're told they actually place the presidential heads in an Oval Office exhibit.

Here's another thing -- our sources say MT and co. have only done a head-to-head presidential "face-off," if you will, one other time ... and that was for Hillary Clinton and DT. Now, they're running it back -- but oddly enough, they opted for Ye before sculpting Joe Biden.

It's true ... we're told Madame Tussauds' team has not yet completed the Biden bust, but they say should he win, they'll knock it out.

Just goes to show where people's heads are at these days 🤷🏽‍♂️

Kanye West's first presidential rally didn't help him get on the ballot in another important state ... he just missed the cut in South Carolina.

Kanye's campaign missed Monday's deadline to get on the November ballot in SC ... Chris Whitmore, Director of Public Information for the South Carolina State Election Commission tells TMZ.

Kanye is running with the independent Birthday Party, which gave him a hard 12 PM ET deadline to get the 10,000 signatures needed as a petition candidate, but we're told the State Election Commission didn't hear a peep from Ye or his campaign -- no traditional signatures and no digital signatures.

As we reported ... Kanye tried to grab enough signatures over the weekend, even asking folks to sign up over social media, and held a wild campaign rally that alarmed, upset and concerned his friends and the Kardashians.

None of that moved the needle, apparently.

Kanye's hopes of being on the state's ballot are pretty much dashed ... there is no write-in option for voters in South Carolina and the only way Yeezy could be on the November ballot now is as a legit party candidate (Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, etc.) and that ain't happening.

For those keeping score at home ... Kanye's on the ballot in Oklahoma, but he's now whiffed in SC, Florida or Michigan.

Kanye West's off-the-rails campaign stop Sunday in North Charleston, South Carolina may not only hurt Ye politically, he has concerned, upset and alarmed many of his friends and the Kardashians ... sources connected to Kanye tell TMZ.

Our sources say those around him believe Kanye is in desperate need of professional help and is in the middle of a serious bipolar episode, but he won't listen to them.

We're told they also believe Kanye is tanking some of his businesses, if not all of them, with rants like when he went on about Harriet Tubman, claiming she did not free slaves. His family and friends know comments like these are the things that trigger boycotts.

Suffice it to say ... we're told the family is upset that Kanye talked about Kim's first pregnancy and how they discussed abortion, something he says he wanted. Then he blurted out that Kim might divorce him for saying that, but even if she does, he'd thank her for having North.

It's curious he mentioned divorce ... it's usually a topic married folk don't say out loud unless it's been discussed. Whether it was or not ... between Kanye's Forbes interview and Sunday's rally ... you gotta think it puts a strain on the relationship.

BTW ... we're told there's not much concern that Kanye's comments will adversely affect Kim's businesses. We're told their money is separate and her and Kanye's brands are distinguishable.

Kanye West is already switching up his campaign -- saying he wants Jay-Z to get on the ticket with him as his VEEP ... despite having already named a running mate.

Ye made the revelation Sunday before his attention-grabbing rally in South Carolina, telling a local blogger how he realized Jay should be his VP. There are, of course, a couple of big hurdles to this pairing becoming reality ... and candidate West addressed them.

First off, Michelle Tidball ... the Wyoming preacher who is currently his running mate. Kanye says she told him she'd be down to take another position in his cabinet if he found a different running mate.

Secondly -- and Ye says it himself in the interview -- he hasn't spoken to Jay in a long while now but in his eyes ... that's a good thing because it proves they're really "brothers" and bonded for life. Unclear if Jay-Z has responded to the request, but Kanye says he's put it out there.

Now, as for how KW landed on Hov as someone to tap in the first place ... he says he was getting signs. Listen carefully ... sounds like it came down to a coincidence about initials.

Whether Jay-Z would seriously accept or not remains to be seen, but after Sunday's off-the-wall rally -- which resulted in tears shed and personal business spilled, not to mention other controversial remarks -- we wouldn't bank on it.

Especially if Jay's feeling at all like Trey Songz is at the moment. The singer openly bashed Kanye online after seeing his wild South Carolina appearance.

Nicki Minaj's intent to become a mom has finally come to fruition, 'cause she's confirming what a lot of her fans have suspected ... she's PREGNANT!!!

The rapper made the surprise announcement Monday morning on Instagram, posting a photo of herself looking at least 6 months along and adding the caption, "#Preggers."

She posted another photo too from what appears to have been a full-blown Beyonce-style baby bump shoot. No caption for the second pic -- none needed really, the image itself does all the talking.

Our girl is very preggo, and is finally ready to tell the world about it.

It's crazy ... because you'll recall Nicki announced back in September 2019 she was retiring and done with the rap game so she can focus on starting her family. It didn't take long before she got back in the game, but also she also got wifed up!

As we've reported ... Nicki ended up marrying childhood friend Kenneth Petty the following month. It seems their relationship has really prospered over the last few months -- minus their brief beef with Meek Mill.

She dropped even more hints this past May, when answering some fan questions she talked about mad cravings, "nausea and peeing nonstop," and even teased a possible baby bump!

So, with that said, congrats on Baby Barbie, NM ... or Baby Ken. Whatever it ends up being.

Kanye West's first presidential rally just wrapped up and he stirred up lots of controversy by discussing Harriet Tubman, abortion and the possibility of divorcing Kim Kardashian West.

Ye held his first event as a candidate Sunday at the Exquis Event Center in North Charleston, SC -- and right off the bat ... it was unorganized and rowdy. He didn't even have a podium or a microphone to address the crowd, which was right up in his face.

At any rate, Kanye rambled through a number of topics -- oftentimes incoherently -- but one thing he said that came through crystal clear ... him suggesting that Harriet did NOT free slaves in her day, but just siphoned them off to other oppressive white folks.

That line drew jeers and groans from the crowd almost instantly -- we gotta say, it seriously reminded us of his "slavery was a choice" moment at TMZ a few years ago.

There's more. At one point, Ye launched into a rant about abortion, a woman's choice, etc. -- and he got incredibly emotional recounting a story about his then-girlfriend (now wife) Kim once telling him she was pregnant and how they considered not having the baby.

Kanye broke down sobbing while telling the story, saying that it hurt him because he confessed he did not want to have it ... which reminded him of his own father, who apparently didn't want him either when his own mother, Donda West, was pregnant.

It was a very personal thing to share, and Ye seemed to acknowledge as much when he followed up by saying it's possible Kim might wanna divorce him after this. He continued that train of thought, saying if she ever did ... he'd be thankful for her delivering North.

Ye went on to touch on a number of other subjects, including the fact that there weren't enough Black people in true positions of power -- including at Adidas, where he says he wants to sit on the board of directors, or else. Of course, he also talked about God and Jesus.

During the chaotic rally, Ye tried fielding questions from onlookers -- all of whom had to wear masks, but hardly any of whom were socially distanced -- but it mostly turned into a shouting match between himself and the rambunctious crowd. It was all hard to follow.

Probably not the greatest start for the Birthday Party campaign, but Kanye doesn't seem to mind ... he said he doesn't care if he wins the presidency or not. Why run then, right?

Anyway, up until today, Kanye seemed pretty serious about his presidential bid. TMZ broke the story ... Ye has filed docs with the Federal Election Commission, and he's also filed docs to get on the ballot in Oklahoma.

He tweeted Saturday, "Hi guys please sign up to put me on the ballot in South Carolina at any of these locations," and he went on to list various places, in addition to his 2020 website.

The first poll shows Kanye is pulling 2% of the vote. What's unclear ... between Biden and Trump, who gets hurt more and who benefits the most? What's also unclear ... if Ye's gonna go the distance after the train wreck that just occurred.

Pop Smoke's alleged murderers were tracked down by LAPD detectives the old-fashioned way ... there were no shortcuts or easy breaks.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the big break in the case leading to the arrests of 4 men allegedly connected to the rapper's death didn't come from a tipster, but instead from LAPD detectives pounding the pavement and knocking on doors.

We broke the story ... Pop Smoke was gunned down back in February by at least 4 masked gunmen after what appeared to be a home invasion robbery at his rental property in the Hollywood Hills.

Detectives went back to the basics because, as we reported, they hit a roadblock back in February when potential witnesses wouldn't cooperate, and combing social media turned out to be a bust.

Our sources say detectives used video from citizens and businesses in the area to help track and ID the suspects, who were slapped with murder charges last week and could face the death penalty.

Sources also tell us cops believe Los Angeles street gang members were involved in Pop's murder, but they say the case doesn't appear to be a gang hit or an East Coast-West Coast beef -- Pop was from NYC.

Instead, police believe the tragedy was a robbery gone wrong after the alleged killers saw Pop's posts on social media in the hours before the fatal shooting. Pop shared his address, and flexed with huge wads of cash.

We're told, even though the arrests have been made, the case remains under active investigation as detectives search for more evidence.

Kanye West's presidential campaign just keeps rolling along, and he's now setting his sights on South Carolina ... where he's trying to grab enough signatures to get on the November ballot.

Kanye posted a tweet, urging S.C. voters to support him with a signature. His petition reads, "I am signing to put Kanye West on the ballot in South Carolina ... Click here to add your signature -- YE '20."  He needs around 10,000 signatures to qualify as the official Birthday Party candidate.

TMZ broke the stories of Kanye's efforts, including filing the necessary docs with the Federal Elections Commission and docs to get on the Oklahoma ballot.

Naya Rivera's ex-fiance, Big Sean, has been silent about her tragic death ... until now.

Sean posted a tribute to his ex, saying, "Rest in Peace Naya, God Bless your Soul! Thank you for blessing us all with your talent and presence. You are a hero!  Not just because of how you saved your son, also because of the barriers you knocked down for so many people to make them feel confident in themselves and to stand tall and be proud when they couldn't achieve that on their own."

He goes on ... "I appreciate and cherish everything that ever happened between us for making me wiser and a better person. I'm still grieving and in shock, I can't believe this is real."

As you probably know, Naya and Sean were engaged in 2013 after dating for only 6 months. They had a bad breakup 5 months later. Naya says the end of the relationship was hurtful ... "We'd been fighting for five straight days while he was traveling, and then on the one day he was back in LA, he said he didn't want to see me."

LAPD is now officially looking into the allegation Megan Thee Stallion suffered gunshot wounds ... and they're taking a hard look at Tory Lanez as the potential trigger man.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... detectives have now opened an assault with a deadly weapon investigation into what allegedly happened early Sunday morning shortly before cops pulled over Tory's chauffeur-driven SUV in the Hollywood Hills.

As we reported, sources connected to the investigation say Tory allegedly shot Megan in the feet as she exited the SUV, on the heels of an argument that erupted in the SUV.

Remember, Tory was arrested and booked for possession of a concealed weapon ... a handgun found in the SUV. Upgrading the investigation to assault with a deadly weapon could mean new charges are coming.

Tory hasn't been named a suspect, but our law enforcement sources say cops are lasered in on him.

Now, sources connected to Tory say it seems he will claim it was accidental ... IF he's charged for the shooting. The fact LAPD is investigating it as assault with a deadly weapon -- as opposed to attempted homicide -- could mean they, at least in theory, believe it was accidental.

Right now, law enforcement sources tell us cops are still having trouble getting witnesses to cooperate, which could make it difficult to prosecute Tory.

Caitlyn Jenner wants Kanye West to keep his presidential bid in the family ... and she's already positioning herself to be Yeezy's vice president!!!

Caitlyn was walking back to her car after grabbing some Starbucks in Westlake Village, CA when she was asked if she'd be voting Kanye for Prez in the 2020 election.

It's pretty funny ... Caitlyn says she's already texted Kanye about being his running mate!!!

Caitlyn thinks they'd make a pretty awesome combination on the Birthday Party ticket ... and while it sounds like she's joking about being Ye's veep, ya can't exactly rule it out, not with the way Kanye's entered the race at the last minute.

We broke the story ... Yeezy filed a second set of docs Thursday with the Federal Election Commission -- a Statement of Candidacy, which shows he's spent or raised over $5,000 in campaign-related expenses, officially elevating him to candidacy status under the federal campaign law.

Ye previously filed legal docs qualifying him to get on the ballot in Oklahoma, though he missed Wednesday's deadline in Florida, a battleground state.

Kanye tabbed Michelle Tidball to be his running mate in his instantly infamous interview with Forbes, but she comes with a lot of baggage and has yet to formally accept the invitation.

Caitlyn's seizing the opening and shooting her shot ... and now the ball's in Kanye's court.

Tory Lanez allegedly opened fire on Megan Thee Stallion early Sunday morning after arguing with her and her friend ... according to sources directly connected to the investigation.

We're told the argument started after the group left a Hollywood Hills party together in the chauffeur-driven SUV, and at some point, Megan and her friend, Kelsey Nicole, wanted out of the vehicle.

Our sources say Tory opened fire from inside the vehicle, and allegedly hit Meg in the feet twice. TMZ broke the story ... LAPD pulled over Tory's ride a short time later. Megan's feet were clearly bleeding on the sidewalk as she followed police instructions to exit the vehicle.

Tory was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon. As for why he hasn't been booked for the alleged shooting?

Well, sources connected to Tory say there are mitigating circumstances. Based on what we know, we believe he's going to say it was an accidental shooting.

Also, the initial report to cops was someone had fired a gun into the air, not at someone. Megan initially told police she had cut her feet on glass, but remember ... she's the victim in this case -- as police had listed her from the start. It's entirely possible she felt intimidated as an alleged domestic violence victim.

There's also this complication -- witnesses are not cooperating with police up to this point, according to law enforcement sources ... and without witnesses who are willing to testify it might be hard to prove the case against Tory.

A$AP Rocky fears for his life due to a woman who he claims has been making his life a living hell for 2 years now.

The rapper beelined it to court requesting a temporary restraining order against an L.A. woman named Micaela Jimenez, who A$AP claims has shown up uninvited to his crib numerous times ... even making it into his master bedroom once.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the rapper says Jimenez "has been relentless in her fixation with me and my whereabouts" to the point she's contacted family members and close friends trying to coax info out of them. Rocky alleges, just last month, she arrived at his house, demanded to see him and threatened to force her way inside.

His security told her to leave, and she eventually did, but not before tossing ink all over his parked car and yelling, "F*** you, I'll be back again!" ... according to the docs.

A$AP claims there were other incidents ... like when he claims he found Jimenez sleeping in her car in close proximity to his house. Then in April, he claims Jimenez showed up saying she's married to the rapper.

There's another alleged incident in December 2018 ... when Rocky was performing at Midnight Rave. A$AP says when he entered the mosh pit, she hugged him from behind. He claims there's video footage of the incident.

That same night, Rocky claims that as he entered his crib to leave the venue she "jumped in without my permission landing on my lap while I was in the backseat. I was startled, shocked and fear for my safety.”

But, the freakiest incident allegedly went down in June 2018 ... when Jimenez allegedly showed up to the crib, punched Rocky's assistant and raced upstairs to his master bedroom. Rocky claims "I was startled, jumped up and began to resist [her] advances.” He claims she also ripped a pearl necklace off his neck.

According to the docs, the rapper's personal security ultimately arrived and removed her ... and Rocky says his assistant filed a police report.

Kanye West is full steam ahead in his 2020 Presidential run ... he just filed a second set of documents Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.

Ye's latest filing is called a Statement of Candidacy, which shows he's raised or spent more than $5,000 in campaign-related expenses. That elevates him to candidacy status under the federal campaign law.

Kanye, of course, lists his party as BDY -- Birthday Party is now abbreviated. He designates the name of his political committee, "Kanye 2020."

He also lists his residence as Cody, Wyoming, where he and Kim just bought a massive property.

This is the second -- and more important set of docs -- that Kanye has filed with the FEC. He filed his first set Wednesday -- a Statement of Organization for the campaign, declaring the Kanye 2020 committee will serve as the Principal Campaign Committee.

It's interesting ... some media outlets are saying Kanye is not running, but we've been told otherwise, and the documents underscore that. The latest was filed Thursday morning at 12:34 AM ET.

Kanye also filed legal docs qualifying him to get on the ballot in Oklahoma, however, he missed the Wednesday deadline in the battleground state of Florida.

Carole Baskin ... what the fudge is this??

The 'Tiger King' star's been cashing in doing Cameo vids for a bit now, but her latest submission -- a birthday shout-out to a fan named Charlotte -- is ... well, priceless.

Carole -- joined by her husband Howard -- kicks off the video message with her tagline, "Hey all you cool cats and kittens," before saying they're "here with the crip mates" to wish Charlotte a happy bday.

And, then it gets REALLY interesting.

Watch for yourself ... pretty sure 50 Cent's "In Da Club" has never been done like this. And it probably shouldn't be ever again.