TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Waka Flocka is ringing in his 36th birthday today in scholarly style ... receiving an honorary professor degree in Humanitarianism and Philanthropy from the Bible Institute of America.

The crunk rap legend was celebrated alongside civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson at Rainbow Push Headquarters in Chicago.

His teacher Apostle Bridget C. Outlaw admitted she loved Waka's mind more than his music, but the multifaceted rap star has dedicated his life and brand to mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

In 2013, his younger brother, rapper Kayo Redd, died by suicide and WF has been on a mission to spread positivity ever since -- donating to various charities and even posing naked for PETA to support vegan lifestyles.

Dr. Flocka is now a well-decorated student of the game. In October 2020, he received an honorary doctorate degree in philanthropy and humanitarianism in New York.

Nicki Minaj is going up ... as a Global Ambassador -- yes, that's the actual title for the superstar rapper's new gig with MaximBet, the sports betting platform of Maxim.

The Queen Barb announced her new duties Tuesday ... saying the position includes investing, advising and overall, making sports betting lit within the culture. Maxim's also renowned for its huge celeb events for the Super Bowl and Halloween -- which Nicki also made sure to point out with much enthusiasm.

Maxim also cites Nicki's "disruption" of the typically male-dominated hip hop industry as a reason for nabbing the gig.

With over 191 million followers on Instagram -- making her the most followed rapper -- another 25 mill on Twitter and more than 100 million records sold, hiring Nicki for her star power + influence feels like a no-brainer!

The MaximBet gig will also help launch Nicki's upcoming fifth album (coded "NM5") and next tour.

Nicki's MaximBet come-up mirrors Cardi B's latest bag as Playboy's Creative Director -- who was named to that role in December.

The superstars are lining up to work with Kanye West -- TMZ Sports has learned Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is the first pro athlete to ever sign with Donda Sports.

As we previously reported, future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald became one of the first big names to go public with his decision to partner with Ye for off-field ventures ... saying it was a "no-brainer" to join forces.

But as it turns out, Brown was way ahead of AD ... becoming the first athlete to ever sign with Donda, we're told.

Sources tell us Ye and Brown have been tight for a while now, but things were made official after West attended the Warriors vs. Celtics game in March.

The signs were there -- the two posed together postgame ... and in fact, Brown was spotted wearing a Donda Sports hoodie while hanging with A$AP Ferg afterwards.

So, why 25-year-old Brown?? We're told Donda eyed the Eastern Conference champ because of his intelligence, social activism and charitable work ... as well as his success on the court.

On top of that, the deal was especially important to Ye because Jaylen is a God-fearing man ... and his mother emphasized the importance of education at a young age, just like Donda.

We're told Ye thinks Brown is underappreciated ... and wants to bring him to "superhero" status during his career and long after his playing days.

Cardi B is living it up during her south-of-the-border vacay with Offset, hitting the streets together and even picking up some accessories along the way!!!

Cardi B and Offset took a stroll in Cabo Saturday ... and on the way to their yacht, some young salespeople showed off their finest merch, and Offset couldn't resist.

We're told the rapper bought a few bracelets from the kids ... the little ones look pretty happy they made a sale, running off with some big smiles. Cardi and Offset left land behind for drinks on their yacht after the big purchase.

Their Mexico vacation kicked off last week, and the mother of 2 got a beachside view of quite the show Saturday -- a yacht sinking faster than the Titanic!

Of course, Cardi chronicled everything on video and posted it ... she gives a hilarious play-by-play -- "What the f***?!? It's sinking!!! Y'all see this?!?"

Lil Uzi Vert's got his buddy Jack Harlow's back ...  saying the people trashing the rapper are out of their minds.

We got Lil Uzi outside of Catch in WeHo Sunday, and he jumped into the TMZ Celebrity Tour bus to snap some pics with his fans! He's clear ... the hate for Jack is ridiculous -- he says Jack's a great rapper, and doesn't understand where the haters are coming from.

Jack's success possibly coming from the color of his skin has been a hot topic for a while, but Lil Uzi doesn't think race has anything to do with it ... reminding everyone, "He's signed to black people!"

Of course, not everyone sees it the way Uzi does ... we got fellow rapper David Banner a few months back, and he told us being white is an advantage in all aspects of life, all around the world and hip hop is no different.

Master P is mourning the death of his daughter, Tytyana Miller.

The 52-year-old rapper took to social media Sunday night to announce his 29-year-old daughter had passed away.

"Our family is dealing with an overwhelming grief for the loss of my daughter Tytyana," Master P wrote on Instagram. "We respectfully request some privacy so that our family can grieve. We appreciate all of the prayers love and support."

He continued ... "Mental illness & substance abuse is a real issue that we can't be afraid to talk about. With God, we will get through this. #MyAngel."

Master P's son, and Tytyana's older brother, Romeo Miller also took to Instagram to mourn her death.

"Our family is dealing with an overwhelming grief for the loss of my little sister Tytyana. We respectfully request some privacy so that our family can grieve."

He went on ... "We appreciate all of the prayers, love, and support, and although this is sad times, I'm forever grateful for the memories I did have with my amazing sister. Love on your loved ones, life is short. The silver lining, I know she's in a way better place and finally at peace and free. God Bless. - RM"

The cause of death has not been revealed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... paramedics got an emergency call around 2:30 AM Saturday and responded to a home in the San Fernando Valley. It appears she was pronounced dead on scene -- she was not taken to a hospital.

Tytyana is one of MP's middle children -- she's also one of 4 daughters.

She's been featured on the family's reality show, "Growing Up Hip Hop," and her struggles with substance abuse have been well-documented ... including a dramatic moment where Romeo and P were encouraging her to enter rehab.

As for Tytyana, she had pursued an acting career, and appeared in "A Mother's Choice."

Tytyana was 29.

Cardi B is enjoying "that life" way more than the guy who owned a nearby yacht that sunk before her very eyes.

Cardi was hangin' on the beach during a vacay with Offset Saturday, when she spotted the yacht as it disappeared into the drink. Of course, she chronicled everything on video and posted it.

Cardi gives a dramatic play-by-play ... "What the f***?!!? It's sinking!!! Y'all see this?!!?"

And then the hilarious line ... "There ain't no big boat that could save it?!? She bid farewell in Cardi fashion ... "Bye-bye."

She says no one was on board the doomed vessel.

It's unclear where Cardi and Offset are ... but it looks super tropical. She posted photos of her and her hubby on a private jet en route to wherever they are.

Lil Pump may have inspired more than one fan when he invited them up on stage to dance ... possibly showing an entire community all things are possible.

The now-viral video is pretty awesome. Pump was performing at the Metro Metro Festival in Montreal earlier last week when he invited fan Woody Belfort on stage. Woody, who is in a wheelchair, took full advantage of the opportunity, getting out of his chair and doing some impressive dance moves ... including flips! He also busts some moves right in the chair.

We spoke with Woody -- who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a kid -- and says he's already gotten a ton of support from the disabled community since the video was posted.

Woody's got big plans for the future, saying he's going to use his video to empower others to embrace their entire selves -- regardless of their disability.

Woody says he always felt like an outsider, and it wasn't until high school when he started to do sports and train his body that he finally began to feel a part of a community and connect with others.

Kanye West's back at it again, airing grievances about how his four children with Kim Kardashian are being raised ... this time in a brand new single with the late XXXTentacion.

Ye and X's "True Love" was released on Thursday night, and while the song as a whole explores the struggles of being in a relationship and keeping love alive ... Ye laments in his opening verse about how he doesn't spend as much time with his children as he wants to.

His verse opens with, "Wait, when you see the kids? I'll see y'all tomorrow // Wait, when the sunset? I see y'all tomorrow"

There's more. Ye almost makes it sound like the kids couldn't see him even if they wanted to, saying ... "And you know all the nannies said, "Daddy in Nebraska" / Let the kids dig a tunnel to my house like Chapo."

As we reported ... Kim apologized to her family on the most recent episode of "The Kardashians" for attacks Kanye had made towards them of late, via music -- specifically, in his track "Eazy," where he invoked Pete Davidson.

Kanye has obviously never been one to bite his tongue, especially when it comes to how his kids are being raised. You'll recall ... he and Kim beefed a few months back over 8-year-old North West's use of social media, among other things.

Memorial Day Weekend means hip hop festival season is upon us, and the So What?! Music Festival in Texas -- with some big name headliners -- is pulling out all the stops for the safety of ticketholders.

Juicy J, Trippie Redd, 2 Chainz, IDK, 24kGoldn are on the lineup for the Arlington concert, and the promoter Third String Entertainment is doing all it can to avoid anything like the tragedy at Travis Scott's AstroWorld festival last year in Texas.

Third String's Mike Ziemer tells TMZ Hip Hop their safety procedures run deep. He says meetings with law enforcement agencies like the Texas Rangers, fire marshals and other city officials started way back in January ... as they wanted to nip any potential issues in the bud.

They're also featuring "quiet rooms" for fans who need timeouts, and access to every water fountain in Choctaw Stadium to ensure dehydrated fans can get relief.

Everyone will have to pass through metal detectors upon entry ... Ziemer says they have procedures in place for active shooters, because that's, unfortunately, a painfully real possibility these days.

In terms of crowd management, So What?! actually capped the festival attendance at 20,000 -- well below the stadium's 50,000+ max capacity -- to ensure fans can have a good time without fear of overcrowding or stampedes.

Additionally, all 3 stages will have headliners performing at the same time, thereby reducing the threat of crowds rushing from one spot to another.

Just off the dome, Kentucky rapper 2KBABY has one hell of a rollout strategy for his "Scared 2 Luv" album -- as in, the giant number "2" tatted smack in the middle of his head!!!

2KBABY debuted the new ink piece on Wednesday, captioning the pic "Scared 2 Luv (S2L) ❤️💔🖤" ... which, while undoubtedly cheaper than Lil Uzi Vert's infamous $24 million diamond implant, will certainly draw plenty of attention.

Despite amassing over 30,000 comments when he posted the new tattoo ... his fellow artists Tay Keith, Zaytoven and Lil Deezy didn't exactly approve, and they jokingly let him have it in the comment section.

Sources close to 2KBABY tell TMZ Hip Hop the 'S2L' album is being primed to cut deep as the tat ... with an onslaught of singles dropping soon and he has features with DDG, SleazyWorld Go, and Bronx drill rapper B-Lovee on deck as well.

Bruno Mars' first collaborator, "Nothin' On You" rapper B.o.B., owes several stacks -- to the tune of $3 million dollars -- to his former managers ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

In the legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Round Hill Music and Artists Rights Management claims B.o.B. violated a deal it struck in January 2017 which requires the rapper to hand over certain royalties associated with public performances of his tunes.

B.o.B's touring company is also named in the suit and he has 20 days to respond ... otherwise, it could become a very expensive legal default.

B.o.B tells TMZ Hip Hop, "I have not seen the lawsuit but am aware my former manager had entered into agreements without my knowledge. I take my business seriously and look forward to getting to the truth of what happened."

Sean Paul is all set to release his new album "Scorcha" tomorrow, but he's also waving the flag for Jamaica's reggae artists, and demanding they get their due.

The legendary dancehall reggae hitmaker was on "TMZ Live" Thursday talking about his genre's prevalence now in hip hop and pop music. As we've all heard for years now platinum artists such as Drake and Ed Sheeran have adopted it, and, of course, Rihanna's infused the sounds she grew up with in Barbados.

Sean da Paul (ya gotta say it that way, right?) says Drizzy's never reached out personally, but he does give him credit for recording with Jamaican artists like Popcaan. However, when it comes to the awards shows, he says they tend to bypass his homeland of Jamaica and it's native artists. Translation: Where's the respect?

He also spoke on "bridging the gaps" of reggae and reggaeton by recording with current superstars such as J Balvin and Anitta.

The latest single combines the best of both worlds with legends Damian Marley and Nicky Jam assisting for the track "No Fear."

Yung Miami's "twin" mother, Keenya Young AKA "Ms. Yung 305," has Instagram thinking she's trying to get with her daughter's Quality Control labelmate Lil Baby, but she insists it's a case of mistaken emoji motives.

The proud mama, who's known to strongly support her daughter's rap endeavors, swooped in on Baby's latest IG model shoot with a trio of heart emojis ... alerting several social media outlets in the process.

Once blog Onsite! attempted to make the emoji bombs a story, Ms. Yung 305 decided she needed to clear her name by pointing out an Instagram emoji doesn't mean anything but a button push!

Notwithstanding the irony of wearing a Cleveland Indians baseball hat with an anti-racism shirt  ... Lil Baby is one of the most fashionable rappers out, so it's hard to blame Mama Miami for calling it like she saw it!

We're inclined to believe mom on this one -- she is the CEO of a kid's clothing company and beauty line, after all. So, if she really wanted a date, she'd just do what bosses do and pull up!

Eminem's celebrating a birthday Thursday for one of his most celebrated multi-platinum albums, "The Eminem Show" ... which, believe it or not, is now 20 years old!

To mark the anniversary, Slim Shady dropped an expanded edition of 'TES' while tweeting the lyrics to his Nate Dogg-featured hit "Till I Collapse" and vintage tour footage.

The new version also adds 18 extra tracks, including live performances from 1999, an unreleased "Marshall Mathers LP" song titled "Jimmy, Brian And Mike" ... and his Ja Rule mixtape-era diss, "Bump Heads," which features 50 Cent and his fellow G-Unit rappers Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo.

The infamous G-Unit/Murder Inc. beef spiraled through most of the mid-00s and would eventually involve the likes of Fat Joe, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes, but thankfully they kept the feud on wax, as old heads say.

Kanye West is apparently back on dad duty after some time away in Japan and NYC ... grabbing some grub at one of L.A.'s hottest spots with his oldest kid.

Kanye and North West were spotted leaving NOBU in Malibu Wednesday -- marking the first time we've seen Kanye with any of his kids in quite some time. NOBU is obviously a celeb hot spot, and one of Kanye's favorites, so it's not totally shocking they decided to go there.

As we reported, Kanye was recently in Japan with his girlfriend, Chaney Jones, before he hit New York City for the Balenciaga show.

No sign of Chaney at NOBU, though she and Kanye have been linked together for several months now, and it's possible she might now be in L.A. with him.

Of course, Kanye accused Kim of holding his kids from him through a series of social media posts months ago. Kim denied that, saying he's never been barred from seeing the kids, but has also tried to maintain a routine for the 4.