TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

DaBaby appears to be at it again -- a video making the rounds purports to show the guy sucker-swinging on a man in a hallway ... and it's apparently his own artist.

The clip, which has since gone viral, was shot Friday somewhere backstage at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC -- where DB and other artists were scheduled to perform for something called Spring Jam 2022.

It's unclear if this happened before or after the curtains went up ... but in any case, you see a guy who strongly resembles DaBaby walking by a larger man, who seems unsuspecting.

All of a sudden, the shorter dude quickly turns around and unloads on the other guy ... apparently connecting. The bigger man, who's said to be DB's new artist Wisdom, squares up immediately and even throws a jab himself. Before long, they're broken by security.

Like we said, no word on what precipitated this or what happened later. What we do know ... cops weren't called. A rep for the University of South Carolina Law Enforcement and Safety -- which oversees the stadium -- tells TMZ ... no complaint/report was filed.

That's probably a good thing for DB ... he's got more than enough legal matters on his plate as it is. He recently shot a guy on his property -- claiming self-defense -- and that case is under review. His bowling alley beatdown case is also still in the air, albeit stalled of late.

Harry Styles did not disappoint during the kickoff of Coachella, Weekend 2 ... because his surprise guest made the crowd go crazy ... Lizzo!

Harry headlined Friday night in the desert, and one of the songs he and Lizzo chose is a tried-and-true anthem -- Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."

They also paid homage to One Direction ... singing "What Makes You Beautiful."

Lizzo, fresh off her 'SNL' stint, gave Harry a social media shoutout after the set and thanked him for bringing her up ... "Proud of you @harrystyles. Thank u for having me."

Billie Eilish, also a headliner, was just a fan Friday night, clearly feelin' it as she watched Harry perform. Billie will take the stage Saturday night for her own headlining set.

Big Sean also performed Friday ... he brought out the always awesome/adventurous Mike Posner. Lots of throwbacks, including Posner's "Cooler Than Me."

Mike posted after the show ... "From my mom's basement all the way to Coachella - what a journey it's been. Proud to have shared the stage with you again @BigSean. 🙏"

Sean also brought out GF Jhene Aiko.

And, let's not forget Daniel Caesar, who brought out Justin Bieber during Week 1. This time around the guest was Omar Apollo.

Travis Scott is back making music after the Astroworld tragedy.

Travis is featured on the new Future song "Hold That Heat." In the music vid, you see Travis, Future and producer Southside ... Travis sang the chorus ... "Hold that, hold that heater [aka gun]."

Travis and Future also share a joint during the song. And, there's the striptease, courtesy of a woman wearing not a lot.

There's no reference to the tragedy at the Houston festival back in November, where 10 people died. Travis has been laying low for the most part since then, performing at a Coachella after-party recently and hitting up SoFi for a game, but other than that he's kept his head low.

As we reported, Travis is being sued by a number of people who were at the festival, as well as families of those who died. The lawsuits could take years to either settle or litigate, so it's unclear how Travis will manage his career around it.

DMC doesn't get the big fuss over Jack Harlow's success ... because good music is always gonna do well on the charts, no matter who you are.

We talked to DMC leaving NBC Studios in New York, and the 57-year-old rapper sounds a bit confused, no doubt due to all the autographs he's signing ... but he offers up a good point about a musician's color being irrelevant.

He's calling Jack's haters out for being ignorant, saying creative outlets, like music, should be used to bring others together and make the community a better place ... not to tear each other apart.

As you know, Jack's new single "First Class" recently hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 ... Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence "Punch" Henderson sparked a debate on Twitter by saying Black artists have to be more awesome than their white counterparts to make it big.

The debate came up on Tuesday's episode of "TMZ Hip Hop" ... as DJ Hed and Rodney Rikai challenged each other on what's really fueling the Kentucky-born rapper’s rise to the top.

Quavo is looking to put city boys up 100 points with his new cannabis line called Birkinz – it's inspired by the super-expensive bags, but he says it's a much better investment ... for guys, anyway.

The Migos rapper tells TMZ Hip Hop he got the idea for the new weed strain because he just "got tired of buying the girls Birkins, so we started smoking it!!!"

Hermès Birkin bags are some of the most name-dropped items in rap lyrics, and they go for $40,000 to $100,000. Some extremely rare ones can even rival the cost of modest homes. Kanye West reportedly dropped $275,000 on one earlier this year.

Of course, Quavo might have PTSD on this subject. Back when he dated Saweetie in 2020, she left him blank-faced and speechless ahead of her "Back to the Streets" record (a song about being newly single) -- as she commanded her female fanbase to drop their dudes if they weren't buying them Birkins.

Now, Quavo isn't buying Birkins, but paying bills with Birkinz and even did a collab with popular streetwear brand Awful Lot of Cough Syrup.

There's a new entry into the debate about whether Jack Harlow benefits from hip hop's version of affirmative action -- and David Banner says there's not much of a debate!!!

TMZ Hip Hop pulled up on the "Cadillac On 22's" rapper Friday at LAX, and picked his scholarly brain regarding the hot topic: Jack and his latest single "First Class" are on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and there are plenty of rap pundits who feel the only reason he got there is because he's white, and the majority rules in America.

Count Banner as one of those pundits. The former Mississippi teacher turned rapper told us being white is an advantage in all aspects of life, all around the world and hip hop is no different.

DB goes even deeper in the clip, claiming white people who denounce racism know they secretly benefit from it ... aka white guilt. He's confident even Jack would agree with that.

According to Billboard, "First Class" had the biggest single week of streams since rap juggernauts Drake, Future and Young Thug released the "Certified Lover Boy" hit, "Way 2 Sexy" in September 2021.

Mike Tyson isn't letting his violent plane beatdown ruin his high -- the boxing legend smoked like a chimney alongside Rick Ross and Ric Flair Thursday night ... around 24 hours after he punched the crap out of a man.

Iron Mike was grinning from ear to ear with the rap superstar and wrestling legend during the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference afterparty at LIV in Miami ... taking the stage and sparking up as the crowd cheered below.

Tyson was initially supposed to speak at the weed conference Thursday afternoon alongside the Nature Boy ... but after his violent altercation with an apparent heckler, event organizers said his scheduled appearance was scrapped "due to a flight change."

Tyson seemingly made up for the scheduling conflict at the afterparty ... although it's unclear if he addressed the incident with folks in attendance.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Tyson repeatedly punched a man on a plane at SFO on Wednesday ... after the passenger allegedly threw a water bottle at him.

Our Tyson sources claim the man was completely wasted -- and wouldn't stop provoking him until the beatdown.

The 55-year-old boxing legend was also super friendly with fans in Miami following the incident on Thursday ... posing for pictures and meeting supporters outside a hotel.

Pusha T's new album features a few verses from Kanye West, who used his guest spot to spill some of his feelings about his family situation ... and also some famous real estate.

Ye pops up on 2 songs ... "Dreamin Of The Past" and "Rock N Roll," and not shockingly he's got the divorce from Kim Kardashian and his kids on his mind.

In "Rock N Roll," he says, "I ain't come to pick up the kids to pick a fight" ... seemingly referencing the arguments he claims to have had with Kim about spending time with their 4 children.

Then, on "Dreamin Of The Past" he raps about the importance of keeping a family together. Some of his lyrics include ... "Born in the manger, the son of a stranger ... When daddy's not home, the family's in danger."

The good news is ... Ye's got some lighter lines too.

We know he's big into pricey real estate, and that comes up in 'Dreamin' when he drops these lyrics ... "I used to watch the Fresh Prince and pray the house would be mine ... Could have bought it but I ain't like the way the kitchen designed."

As you know, Ye hasn't backed down from speaking his mind through music ... his song "Eazy" with The Game features the verse, "God saved me from the crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson's ass."

The claymation music video showed him dragging Pete with a bag over his head, and then planting him in the ground up to his neck.

The Weeknd isn't about to lose his groove for weekend two of Coachella ... hopping onstage Wednesday night to DJ and sing at a big Hollywood bash.

Check out the video ... T.W.'s clearly feeling it, dancing around as he DJs. At one point, he jumps onstage and sings with Kaytranada and Zack Bia.

As for who hit up the party at the Terminal 27 party ... Leo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Willow Smith, YG, Alexander Wang, Hunter Schafer, Dominic Fike, Daniel Caesar, Beck and The Martinez Brothers.

Abel had a pretty big weekend a few days back ... headlining Coachella last Sunday with Swedish Mafia House.

The Weekend and SMH had an epic night, performing for a massive crowd on night 3 ...  taking the stage together and each doing their own songs.

Screw the concept of resting up ... Weeknd's revved up for this coming Sunday, when he'll headline again in the desert near Palm Springs.

Antonio Brown is a real-deal rapper, according to Keyshia Cole -- who tells TMZ Sports the NFL star is so good on the mic ... he could win a Grammy!

Of course, the award-winning R&B singer knows firsthand about Brown's potential ... after all, she worked with the former Buccaneers receiver on his new "Paradigm" album that dropped earlier this week.

She also performed her song with Brown on stage at Gunna's new weed strain launch in downtown L.A. on Wednesday ... and after their show, when we asked her if AB's got what it takes to make it big in the music industry, she said yes.

"I think so," the "I Changed My Mind" songbird said.

"I think he's really talented, for sure. I love the body of work that he created. I think he's gonna be great. I do. I wouldn't have collaborated if I didn't think he'd be great."

Now, is he gifted enough to win a Grammy? The 40-year-old also said she believes so.

"Of course!" Cole said. "Whatever you do, you put your mind to it, you can do whatever you choose to do in life."

FYI -- several athletes have been nominated for a Grammy before, including Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson and Oscar De La Hoya.

Even though Cole believes AB can have a promising music career, she doesn't think the free agent should give up on the NFL.

Snoop Dogg is arguably the most recognizable rapper on the planet, and he says that translates to cold hard cash -- lots of it -- if you want him on your song.

The Doggfather stopped by the Nelk Boys' 'Full Send Podcast' to discuss all things smoke, Super Bowl and superstar material when they brought up his Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT biz, and his feature price tag.

The hip hop legend was smoking-and-joking, but got pretty serious when Bob Menery asked what he charges artists or labels to drop bars on a track -- calculating businessman Snoop dropped the number ... $250,000!

And, get this ... Snoop says if the song has an accompanying music video, you can expect another $250,000 to come out of your account for that appearance.

Big names such as T.I., Justin Bieber, Lil Baby – and even Heidi Klum have collaborated with him within the past couple of years. Let's hope he has a celebrity discount option when they swipe their black cards?

Snoop is fresh off performing with Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem at the Super Bowl, and buying his first label home of Death Row Records ... while steadily promoting damn near everything on store shelves.

Coi Leray is maintaining she indeed "sets trends" ... despite the heavily scrutinized first-week sales of her album, "Trendsetter."

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the "Big Purr" rapper outside Gunna's 420 party for his Wunnaland cannabis strain last night in Hollywood, and considering how many rap pundits have been throwing shots at the upstart artist, she's taking everything in stride.

Coi tells us she's only seen positive reviews and reactions, and insists her record ranks as a "great debut album." She also alluded to her massive social media following (6 million on Instagram, 9.5 million on TikTok) being the main reason fans and critics thought she'd post bigger stats.

The project has heavy-hitting features from the likes of Nicki Minaj, Fivio Foreign, G Herbo, Lil Durk and H.E.R. – and the deluxe version could potentially feature Antonio Brown, who also just released his first album and makes a cameo midway through the interview.

The New Jersey-bred rapper's debut has been a major point of contention after Billboard reported it only sold 9,000 units in its first week.

Coi has clarified her team's reports show a bigger number, but not by much.

She also addressed the subliminal jabs 1501 Certified Ent. artist Erica Banks punched in her direction earlier this week ... when she claimed Nicki Minaj (who features on "Blick, Blick!" with Coi) only records songs with girls who "can't rap."

While Coi tells TMZ Hip Hop the Texas rapper may regret her comments down the line, she doesn't have any f*cks to give, not even in her furry tote bag.

Antonio Brown had a REALLY good 4/20 ... the dude smoked a footlong blunt -- and then rapped for a huge crowd in downtown Los Angeles!!!

AB was out in DTLA at Traditional dispensary on Wednesday night for Gunna's new weed strain launch event -- and the free agent wide receiver was having the time of his life.

TMZ Sports got video of the 33-year-old smokin' weed and then hitting the stage to perform songs off his new album, "Paradigm" -- which a packed crowd in attendance loved.

In video from the event, you can see Brown smoked several times (including once from a monster blunt) in between grabbing the mics -- and at one point during one of his songs, he even threw a bunch of money at the crowd.

Later, he asked fans about his football career, saying, "What you guys think I should do? Do you think I should play football? What do you think I should do? If you think I should play football, say, 'Yes!'"

Brown spoke with us later in the evening ... and hinted that he's receiving interest from the Dallas Cowboys to continue his football career.

AB eventually ended the night by rapping his hit, "Pit Not The Palace," with a white mask over his face ... officially putting an exclamation point on a helluva 4/20.

By the way, if you were wondering, the NFL has laxed its policy on weed in the past couple years -- its threshold for positive tests has increased, and it's no longer suspending players who do test positive.

Trey Songz has a new accuser -- a woman whose attorneys are demanding he pay for allegedly groping their client ... and they say the video makes their case a slam dunk.

The demand letter, obtained by TMZ, was fired off to Songz and his team Thursday by attorneys George Vrabeck and Ariel Mitchell on behalf of their client, Megan Johnson, who they allege was sexually assaulted by Trey during a party back in August 2013.

They say Johnson was at an event called "Foxwoods Liquid Sundays with Trey Songz" at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT -- and it was there, they claim, that Megan encountered Trey in the VIP tent.

According to the letter, Johnson was having a friend take a picture of her, but in that moment they allege Trey came up from behind and pulled her breast out from her bikini top and then chanted "T***ies in the Open" four different times.

In the video, you see a woman who they claim is Johnson quickly reach up to cover her chest in embarrassment.

While Megan appears to have laughed it off, the attorneys claim she was humiliated and the incident caused lasting damage, including severe emotional distress and self-harm.

The attorneys say Megan was recently triggered by Trey's Vegas case -- which was recently dropped by authorities. The lawyers say they will drop the case if Trey settles ... for north of $5 mil.

There may be a statute of limitations problem for Megan ... the statute of limitations for this in CT is generally 3 years, although if there's a memory issue with the alleged victim where she doesn't recall the incident until she's triggered later, she may be able to try to extend that period.

Joel Embiid walked the walk against Drake's beloved Raptors ... and then he talked the talk to the rapper -- hilariously clowning the guy after hitting the game-winner in Philly's victory over Toronto on Wednesday.

Embiid -- who's the favorite to win the NBA's MVP award this season -- gave Drake the earful following his ridiculous overtime shot at Scotiabank Arena ... playing around with the "Hotline Bling" artist for a few seconds on the hardwood.

"Get your ass out," the 7-foot center said to Drake as he was leaving the floor. "I'm coming for the sweep, too!"

To his credit, Drake took all the trash-talk in stride ... smiling with Embiid and seemingly attempting to dish a little of it back.

Of course, Drake doesn't have too much ammo to send Embiid's way -- his Raptors are now down 3-0 in the series and are facing elimination on Saturday.

Drake, though, seemed to be deserving of Embiid's ribbing ... because Philly forward Tobias Harris revealed following the game that the rapper was trolling Embiid in the first half -- when the star center struggled.

"In the first half, Drake was over there saying, 'He can't play here!' That's what he was saying," Harris said to the media during a post-game interview.

"I said, 'He can play here, for sure.' He was like, 'Nah, he can't play here.'"

Embiid must've heard Drake's heckling ... 'cause he closed out the game with 33 points, 13 rebounds and two assists in the W.

A$AP Rocky was totally blindsided by cops when they showed up at a private, LAX terminal and put him in handcuffs ... all while a pregnant and equally shocked Rihanna looked on.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops chose not to give Rocky or his team a heads up. In fact, we're told the arrest was more than a week in the making.

There's a very common procedure LAPD and other agencies employ when they arrest a suspect ... a voluntary surrender. The cops would typically call the suspect's lawyer or other rep and arrange for the suspect to turn himself/herself in without fanfare. That didn't happen here, and we're told Rocky and his team can't understand why ... it's not like he would escape -- and, by the way, his girlfriend is in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

Our law enforcement sources say the reason they blindsided Rocky was because they wanted to see if they could find the gun used in the shooting. As we reported, cops believe A$AP shot a man in Hollywood during an argument back in November. The bullet grazed the victim's hand. Cops wanted to find the gun and worried if they gave Rocky a heads up, he might 86 it. That's why they coordinated the arrest and the search of his home so both went down at the same time.

We're told at least 10 cops were waiting for Rocky when his private jet pulled up to the terminal ... and that's when they cuffed him and took him away. Rihanna and Rocky were on their way back from Barbados.

We're also told Rihanna wanted to go by his place Wednesday morning and pick up some of her stuff but cops wouldn't let her in.