TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Saweetie is another living example ... certain people look awesome bald ... especially when it's bald by choice!!!

It's pretty stunning ... she shaved off all her hair, and all that's left is a blonde buzzcut. She snapped the pics poolside, first posing in a pink bikini and then trading it out for a white one, before taking a dip.

No word on what inspired her to change her noggin, but for whatever it works the consensus here is thumbs up.

Truth be told ... this isn't an out-of-the-blue thing for Saweetie ... she likes to change it up. A few days back she posted pics of her with fiery red locks. And there are plenty of other examples ... girl doesn't want to bore herself with the same look for very long.

Travis Scott and his foundation are working around the clock to make sure kids in his hometown of Houston don't go without a little something to bring home some holiday cheer.

TS and The Cactus Jack Foundation will distribute toys to more than 5,000 kids in Houston who come from struggling families. We're told the gifts will be pushed out across 6 Houston neighborhoods throughout the city before Christmas Day.

We've obtained pics of all the presents and toys for the kids, plenty of dolls, golf sets and even keyboards for the aspiring musician.

Families flocked to the distribution locations throughout this week, and if the kid's smiles were any indication, you can tell the gifts were well appreciated.

The massive donation comes on the heels of an effort Travis is spearheading to make sure a tragedy like what happened at his Astroworld Festival never happens again. TMZ broke the story, TS is working with government officials and music honchos to create a safety plan for cities interested in holding large events in the future.

It was a few weeks ago when Travis sat down with Charlamagne tha God and expressed he felt a responsibility to fix things moving forward and figure out what led to the deaths of 10 of his fans.

Tis the season of giving -- just ask Tory Lanez -- who put $100,000 to work, buying toys and clothing for single moms and their kids.

Donning a Santa hat and mask Wednesday, Lanez was busy giving out the items in Broward County, Florida area as vehicles pulled up to his distribution station. Lanez handed out bikes, Barbies, lightsabers, legos and more ... even passing out snacks and taking the time to chat with those in need.

In all, we're told Lanez spent about $100,000 on the event, telling us, "We’re still battling a pandemic that’s left so many people between a rock and a hard place. I’m just happy I can be a blessing to others and help them safely bring some joy back during the holidays."

If Kanye West is upset about Pete Davidson hanging out with Kim in L.A. this week, he certainly isn't showing it on his face ... Ye was all smiles while he watched his Donda Academy team hoop from the best seat in the house.

Ye sat courtside next to his buddy French Montana and chatted with O.T. Genasis Wednesday night during the Donda Doves Homecoming matchup in Whittier, CA. While he was seated for most of the contest, at one point, Ye got up and chatted with some of the team's players.

As for his attire, Kanye certainly didn't wear a team jersey ... sporting the look we've become accustomed to seeing him rock over the last few weeks -- boots, black hoodie, gloves, sunglasses and a baseball hat. Fans were also instructed to wear all black, and obliged.

Kanye advertised the game on his Instagram a few hours before tipoff, and resale tickets ranged anywhere from $25 to $500 ... aka, not your regular high school game prices.

Kanye started his Donda Academy earlier this year, recruiting basketball prospects to the program which mostly centers around hoops -- usually with multiple practices per day -- and online learning for academics.

Kanye and French go way back ... remember, French used to date Khloe Kardashian, and O.T. Genasis has a child with Khloe's bff Malika Haqq.

The Astroworld Festival tragedy has now become an issue of national importance -- because Uncle Sam is stepping in and demanding to know what happened ... and STAT.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is requesting that Live Nation -- the main promoter for the event -- come to the table for a conversation about how 10 people ended up dying at the concert ... requesting any and all pertinent info on the colossal failure.

The effort to get to the bottom of this at the congressional level is being headed up by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and Rep. James Comer, the Ranking Member ... among other members of the committee.

In their open letter, the Representatives write ... "Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival."

They add, "For instance, reports indicate that security and medical staff were inexperienced or ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries. Some attendees stated that the placement of barricades made it difficult to escape. Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs."

The House also says there is a disturbing window of time that public officials in Houston have pointed out -- saying they declared the event a mass casualty relatively early into Travis Scott's set, and allegedly told event staff people were going down ... only to have the show go on for several more minutes. The committee members want answers on that, too.

The Oversight Committee notes they're deeply saddened by the loss of life, and are drilling down in hopes of figuring out what went wrong ... and preventing this in the future. They're asking for info to be sent from LN no later than Jan. 7, and even a briefing by Jan. 12.

Cardi B wasn't the only one to shower Offset in gifts for his 30th birthday -- LeBron James also sent some dope presents to the rapper to celebrate the big night!

The King signed a pair of all-white Air Force 1s and shipped them over to Offset's bday bash in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and they're pretty awesome.

The Lakers superstar put his autograph on both sneakers ... and added a happy birthday message to one of the shoes as well.

James also gifted Offset with a custom bottle of his Lobos 1707.

Offset clearly loved the presents -- he shouted out LeBron on social media, thanking the NBA player for the swag.

Of course, the gifts were great, but LBJ had a ton of competition to win the night's best present award.

A bunch of celebs showed up to celebrate Offset at the bash, with most coming baring gifts -- including Cardi B, who handed over her man a $2 MILLION check.

Yeah ... LBJ's signature is great, but hard to beat cash!

Offset just got $2 million richer!! That is... after Cardi B gifted him a fat check at his celeb-filled, sneaker-themed birthday bash.

Offset turned the big 3-0 earlier this month, and last night he and Cardi turned things waaaay up by cutting her hubby a $2 mil check ... during a night filled with money-hurling, drinks and lots and lots of twerking.

As you see, hubby and wife let loose for the celebration. Offset was decked out in a Louis Vuitton blue jacket, and Cardi's chest glistened with a giant Playboy bunny chain. As you know, she was recently anointed the mag's creative director.

Now, she's looking to help her man diversify too ... Cardi says the $2 mil check for Offset is seed money for some big biz ventures he has coming up in 2022.

That's the trend in show biz these days ... significant others are pumping up loved ones' portfolios. Remember, Tiffany Haddish's wish list was real estate, and ditto for Cardi. Investments are the new Lambo!!!

But, back to the party ... Cardi and Offset weren't the only big names front and center ... Kanye, The Game, Takeoff, French and Quavo also pulled up to last night's event.

Ye came solo, in authentic Kanye fashion ... a purple hoodie, covering his face with a black baseball cap and sunglasses in the dead of night. He layered things up with an oversized leather coat, grey jeans and chunky-soled boots.

Jay-Z says he's in a league of his own when it comes to music and greatness -- to the point he's claiming nobody could realistically touch him in a 'Verzuz' showdown.

HOV did some chest-puffing of his own during a Twitter Spaces convo this week, saying there wasn't a chance in hell another artist could go toe to toe with him over hits ... and not just songs everyone knows well, but ones Jay says no one's heard him perform live.

One example ... the 'Grammy Family Freestyle,' which he says he hasn't even performed onstage before. Bottom line -- he really does believe he's the GOAT of this rap game ... and that there's no true contemporary who could give him a fair fight.

Not everyone agrees, of course -- with some names having already been tossed into the proverbial ring ... like Lil Wayne, Eminem or the great OutKast as potential rivals.

The only way to find out for sure ... putting his money where his mouth is, and making it happen!!! Eh, don't get your hopes up though because it sounds like Jay's too good to consider it ... in kind of a snooty way.

The backdrop to this seems to be Future recently saying he's "bigger" than Jay-Z (in the streets) ... which stirred up a lot of debate as to whether Mr. Carter is as relevant these days as he once was.

Diddy is the proud owner of his clothing brand again -- being reunited with his Sean John line after buying it out of bankruptcy for a steal.

The rap mogul won the rights to Sean John after a bidding war with 4 other parties ... claiming it for about $7.5 million, cash. The deal will be finalized this week, barring any objections -- and safe to say, the guy's pretty excited about it.

He tells TMZ ... "I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced Hip Hop to high-fashion on a global scale."

Diddy adds, "Seeing how streetwear has evolved to rewrite the rules of fashion and impact culture across categories, I’m ready to reclaim ownership of the brand, build a team of visionary designers and global partners to write the next chapter of Sean John’s legacy."

Like we told you ... the SJ line fell into bankruptcy recently under management firm GBG USA Inc., which had owned 90%. When word of its assets being up for grabs reached Mr. Combs, he'd expressed interest in gaining control once again, especially considering how cheap it was going for earlier this month.

Lil Durk and his soon-to-be Mrs. are living large on the heels of their mid-concert engagement, flying to Aspen for a little last-minute Christmas shopping ... at Louis Vuitton.

The couple was draped in designer clothing for their holiday shopping spree -- Lil Durk wore a blue Chanel jumpsuit, and his new fiancée, India Royale, had on Chanel earmuffs.

But, all that stuff was overshadowed, almost literally, by the new huge diamond on India's left hand!!!

The Colorado getaway comes right after the rapper got down on bended knee during his Saturday night performance in their hometown of Chicago.

He'd brought India, his longtime girlfriend, out on stage to pop the question -- saying, "You've been the realest to me ... Do you wanna be my wife?"

Of course, the crowd ate it up, and later India posted about the engagement -- "I said 'Yes.' #issafiancé".

She was also sure to show off her new sparkling oval-shaped rock, and so did her jeweler. Can't blame 'em ... the thing is freakin' impressive!!!

India and Durk have been together since 2017, and they have a daughter, Willow, together.

Kodak Black is clean and sober -- the rapper just successfully completed 90 days of drug rehab, and now he's turning his attention to his career ... prepping to get back on the road.

Kodak had a court hearing this week to reinstate his supervised release -- now that he's out of rehab -- and his lawyer, Bradford Cohen, says the judge was happy with Kodak's progress.

As we previously told you, the rapper and producer was ordered to a rehab facility a few months back after failing a drug test ... a violation of the terms of his supervised release in his federal gun case.

But, now he seems to be turning things around for the better and we're told he's taking his sobriety seriously.

He's already hit the stage too -- Rolling Loud California was his first live performance since his release ... after which, he headed back to Florida.

Cohen says Kodak is looking forward to making good music, and is going to try to stay away from people, places and things that would put him in harm's way, or trigger him to use again.

Jay-Z may be a rap icon, but he doesn't carry as much weight with today's average hip-hop head like he used to, especially compared to someone like Future -- so says ... well, Future.

Mr. Hendrix himself made the bold statement this weekend -- going on a little tweet spree to declare he's not only bigger than Jigga in the streets but that he'll run up a B (billion) perhaps even faster and easier than Jay did. The latter hit the mark (per Forbes) in 2019.

In addition to his Jay-Z tweet, Future had other things to say, including ... "Everything I do legendary or it want get done. Tuh," as well as ... "I’m the only one can get YE to pull up whenever wherever..tuh." And let's not forget ... "100M’s not the goal anymore."

Sounds like Future was on one for whatever reason, and wanted to puff his chest a bit. Still, that original claim of his -- that he's "bigger" than Jay -- is getting A LOT of pushback ... and at the same time, some agreement as well.

Of course, lots of users responded ... giving Future the virtual side-eye and even laughing him off. Even at Jay's billionaire status -- many say Future will never have the pull (not to mention the music bona fides) that Shawn Carter has ... and to compare is ludicrous.

One person pointed out Jay's accolades (there are many) ... while openly wondering why it's become fashionable for modern-day rappers to size themselves up against living legends.

And yet ... there's a small handful of folks who actually seem to agree with Future, saying ... yeah, the guy IS actually bigger than Jay (in the streets), suggesting HOV simply doesn't have the street cred/influence on the culture from the ground floor ... like he once did.

Interesting take ... and is obviously up for debate. Sounds like that argument boils down to relevance, and to whom it applies. We can acknowledge Future's music does tend to be popular (among the youth) today and generally performs better on the charts than recent Jay-Z releases.

Lil Durk's finally locking it down with his longtime GF, and he definitely put the pressure on when he popped the question ... in front of a packed arena in their hometown of Chicago.

Durk performed Saturday night at a local radio station's Big Jam concert at the United Center, and at one point he brought India Royale out on stage with him ... and then did it all traditional, getting down on one knee.

LD first buttered her up ... thanking India for holding him down and being "the realest," and then said, "Do you wanna be my wife?"

Before India -- an IG model and influencer -- could even answer, the crowd erupted with cheers -- makes sense, they're both from Chicago ... so, you know they had tons of support onstage and off of it. India did eventually say yes.

The couple got together back in 2017, and had a baby girl, Willow Banks, back in November 2018. India has a cosmetics line called India Royale Beauty, which Durk often promotes ... sometimes in his songs.

They've been through a lot together -- besides parenthood, Durk and India were the victims, back in July, of a home invasion and aggravated assault in Georgia.

Good times ahead, though -- now, they've got a wedding to plan. Gotta wonder if Durk's new collab partner, Morgan Wallen, will make the cut for the guest list ... or maybe even perform. Although, "Broadway Girls" is hardly first dance material.

Big Sean finally got his chance to address Kanye West saying signing the guy to a deal was the worst thing he'd ever done -- and let's just say ... he had a lot to get off his chest.

The Detroit rapper was up to bat on the "Drink Champs" podcast, and during the sprawling interview -- Ye's remarks from about a month or so ago were brought up ... which BS did not shy away from in the slightest.

For starters, Sean says he was hurt by Kanye's words ... and took the very public shot personally -- this after thinking it was funny/absurd at first. He explains why, and it basically boils down to his loyalty and dedication to Ye's label G.O.O.D. Music ... and to Ye himself.

Check it out ... dude says he's been available to Kanye on the drop of a dime over their time together, and not just that ... but was apparently also the first one to suggest Kanye run for POTUS. Eventually, he pivots to money ... citing cash he says he's owed from Ye/G.O.O.D.

The amount Sean claims he's due ... around $6 mil or so, although he notes he's not sure if this is even on Kanye's radar. Still, he says that while he thought UMG was the one screwing him at first -- he says he finally learned G.O.O.D. Music was allegedly pocketing extra profits off the success of his many albums ... the most put out by any G.O.O.D. artist, he points out.

Sean also addresses Kanye's gripe about him and John Legend endorsing other candidates while Ye was running for President last year ... but BS denies he ever did so, saying he purposely stayed silent out of respect for Kanye.

There's a lot to unpack in the 3-plus hour-long interview ... but the takeaway here is, Sean was quite angry after hearing Ye trash him so publicly. He says Kanye actually reached out shortly thereafter to reconcile, but Sean says he shot him down.

Cardi B is delivering some bad news to fans hoping to get their hands on one of her dolls ... the product won't be released over production delays and concerns about the product's quality.

Here's the deal ... Cardi and Real Women Are -- a fashion doll brand -- joined forces to make a limited edition Cardi B doll, which they started taking pre-orders for in March at $35 a pop, but shipping deadlines were missed and folks started thinking it was all a scam.

The Real Women Are Instagram started to get flooded with unhappy customers wanting to know where their Cardi B-inspired doll was and demanding refunds.

Welp, brace yourself Bardi gang.

The role of Grinch will now be played by a rep for Cardi B, who tells TMZ ... the dolls will not be released as a result of COVID-related manufacturing and shipping delays. We're also told Cardi herself had concerns the dolls wouldn't meet her high-quality standards.

Saweetie will be more than just a celebrity face when she returns to her alma mater next semester as a guest lecturer ... we're told she will be quite involved in the classroom.

Here's the deal ... the rapper is teaching a course within the business school at the University of Southern California, and she'll be taking on a bigger role than she did back in October when she spoke in one of her former professor's classes.

Albert Napoli, professor of entrepreneurial studies at USC Marshall School of Business, tells TMZ ... Saweetie will actually be involved in facilitating the lessons and coming up with the structure in her spring semester courses.

We're told Saweetie will be the guest lecturer in 2 semester-long courses, Venture Feasibility and Venture Initiation, which count toward student degrees in entrepreneurial studies.

Saweetie made a surprise appearance in one of Professor Napoli's classes in the fall semester -- naturally, she was a huge hit with students -- and we're told she's passionate about teaching and sharing her experiences working with different brands.

As a guest lecturer, we're told Saweetie will have an active role in creating specific lesson plans -- she won't just be dropping by the classroom to give students something to post on social media.

In addition, we're told she'll be a guest speaker in the summer when USC holds a 4-week program for high school students.

It sounds like the Trojan alum's got a future on campus ... we're told she's in talks to formally instruct a class on her own within the entrepreneurial studies department, but it's going to take time to hammer out the deal.