TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Drake can pop champagne, because he just unloaded the main residence of his YOLO estate.

TMZ has learned the deal closed Friday, with an unknown buyer scooping up Drake's former pad for $12 million ... which is well below the $14.8 million asking price.

Remember ... Champagne Papi's YOLO estate is made up of 3 contiguous homes in an exclusive neighborhood in Hidden Hills.

Drake put the entire compound on the market back in March, drawing interest from celebs like Britney Spears and Caitlyn Jenner, before Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford dropped $11 million on the 2 smaller homes.

The main residence, which just sold, is an English Tudor ... and it's 12,500 square feet of pure luxury.

The place has all the bells and whistles ... including 6 fireplaces, a wine cellar and tasting room, plus a 25-seat theater and naturally, a recording studio.

The backyard is a total oasis ... featuring a huge swimming pool with a spa grotto, swim-up bar, waterfalls and an 80 foot long rock waterslide, surrounded by big-screen TVs.

Oh and Drake's place also has separate courts to play tennis, basketball and sand volleyball ... plus a horse stable, equestrian ring and a mechanical riding bull.

Usher inserted a major key into his mentor-mogul L.A. Reid's 66th birthday party ... in the form of a brand-spankin' new Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet!

The glitzy gift marked a full circle moment for the singer and mega-producer -- L.A. actually bought Usher the same model Porsche back in 1997 when Usher released his classic, "You Make Me Wanna" via L.A.'s LaFace Records.

One attendee told us L.A. was absolutely floored by the sentimental, and expensive, gift.

We’re told Saturday’s event was dubbed the “Bel Air BackYard BBQ" and powered by Jay-Z’s Dusse and Cyber Yachts … as you can see from the lively pics.

Around 100 of L.A.'s close friends and associates -- including T.I., Jeezy, Jacquees and several music industry bigwigs -- were in the crowd.

Kanye West popped up for a rare appearance ... this time at the 2022 BET Awards ... to pay tribute to his favorite artist -- Diddy.

Kanye made a surprise appearance Sunday night, at L.A.'s Microsoft Theater ... dressed head to toe in black.

Ye took the stage to honor Sean "Diddy" Combs, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Kanye gave a lengthy speech ... calling Diddy his favorite artist and talking about the impact he's had on his own life.

Kanye said, "I go to him for advice to this day. He inspires so many of my choices, so many of my life choices. My wife choices". He also let folks know he's taking a hiatus and wanted to "declare myself dead" .... but says, he wanted to make sure he was there for Diddy.

Of course, Kanye has mainly been off the grid, since April ... after pulling out of Coachella.

Moments after the intro from Kanye and Babyface, Diddy took the stage. He dedicated the moment to his ex, Kim Porter, who died back in 2018. He said, "I just want to say thank you to Kim."

Jussie Smollett is back in the limelight just 3 months after getting released from prison ... after attending the BET Awards and getting incredulous reactions online.

The actor showed up at Sunday night's ceremony in LA, all smiles ... telling ET he's excited to be "expanding his empire."

He was asked how he feels about working his way back into Hollywood, but Jussie doesn't see it that way -- he says this has always been the plan.

Twitter was on fire as JS walked the red carpet and took his seat ... memes were created in his name, while some called out BET for allowing "race-baiting liars" in its space.

Sunday night's host, Taraji P. Henson, has been a vocal supporter of Jussie -- they both worked on "Empire" ... but she was silent about her co-star during the ceremony.

Jussie still insists he did not lie about what he says was a homophobic and racist attack, because IF he had lied he'd be a total piece of s**t -- and he claims everyone knows he's not that.

The BET Awards are going off tonight, but what TV cameras can’t show you is how hyped the celebs are behind the scenes.

The audience is full of big names at the Microsoft Theater in LA Sunday night ... Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo, Billy Porter, Janelle Monáe, Ari Lennox, Ella Mai, and Lucky Daye -- to name a few!!!

Everyone from the front to the back had good vibes all night with Taraji P. Henson hosting ... and those A+ performances kept them on their feet.

Lizzo kicked the night off in all gold, performing one of her hits -- and you know it was "About Damn Time" for a flute solo.

Jack Harlow brought out Lil Wayne and Brandy for his debut performance ... this coming after the guy got in a little heat -- he recently admitted he wasn't aware of the impact she made in the R&B game.

Latto's W was one of the biggest of the night -- she took home the award for Best New Artist, and the crowd clearly had her support.

Vic Mensa's pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance, but he won't do any time behind bars after striking a deal with prosecutors ... TMZ has learned.

Kendra Glover, a rep for the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney, tells TMZ ... Mensa pled guilty to one count of possession of a Schedule III controlled substance, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

We're told as part of the plea deal he got 12 months in jail, but that was suspended -- meaning instead of serving it behind bars, he'll have a year of unsupervised probation.

Vic will also have to take a substance abuse assessment, perform 25 hours of community service, and pay a $1k fine. BTW, he'll get 50 percent off that fine if he successfully completes the other probation terms.

As we've reported, Vic was arrested back in January at Dulles International airport for going through customs with a stash of shrooms.

Vic tells TMZ ... "In this case, I have decided to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge. I have been extremely vocal about my mental health, the culture at large and access to mental health treatment. It is important to note the extensive research being done on the topic of psilocybin [shrooms] and the many significant movements underway for legalization and decriminalization.

He continues, "Esteemed universities such as Johns Hopkins, University of California, NYU, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and The Imperial College of London have all immersed themselves in years-long research programs with full departments and centers dedicated to this work. Unfortunately, our laws have not kept up with the research showing that psychedelic plants and compounds can be successfully used to treat otherwise treatment-resistant mental illness."

Rapper Shyne is jumping back into the music scene in a big way ... he's set to join a ton of artists at the BET Awards to honor one of the biggest names in the game.

The Belizean rapper-turned-politician is gearing up to take the stage for Sunday night's ceremony ... in recognition of Diddy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Shyne's going to be performing one of his classics from 2000, "Bad Boyz" ... the guy hasn't done the song live much -- once in a lifetime opportunity for fans to witness.

Shyne's been getting into politics since laying down track after track in the industry ... he currently lives in Belize where he serves as Leader of the Opposition and the Ambassador of Music. He's also in Belize's House of Representatives.

Travis Scott is getting dragged for his latest purchase, a $5.5 million luxury car ... the family of a 9-year-old who died at Astroworld says it's just not a good look.

Bob Hillard, the attorney for the family of Ezra Blount, tells TMZ ... Ezra would still be alive today, enjoying his summer, if Travis would've spent half of what he paid for the Bugatti on simple safety measures at the deadly music festival.

As we reported ... Ezra, who was trampled at Astroworld, sued Travis before he died from his injuries ... and Travis recently splurged on a new Bugatti Veyron Chiron Super Sport despite the mountain of lawsuits he's facing.

While Ezra's attorney says Travis has every right to live life as he sees fit, including buying what he wants, Hillard rips Travis' choices as "excessive" ... and says everything Travis does should be questioned because of what happened at Astroworld.

Ezra's lawyer also has some choice words for Travis' camp ... ripping them for trying to make Travis look good with a $5.5 million car in his driveway as the Astroworld litigation heats up.

We reached out to Travis' reps ... so far no word back.

Lizzo isn’t on board with SCOTUS reversing Roe v. Wade and opening the door for states to ban abortions ... so, the “Grrls” rapper put her money -- a lot of it -- where her emotions are.

In a passionate round of tweets, Lizzo revealed she’s taking $500,000 of her upcoming Special Tour money and donating it to Planned Parenthood.

Tour promoter Live Nation will also match that amount, making for a $1 million donation.

As you know by now ... on Friday, the Supreme Court overturned the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision, sparking a wave of protests all across the United States.

Roddy Ricch is shaking off the sophomore slump of his last album with a new EP titled "The Big 3" -- and has plenty of wild stories to share about making it.

During a new interview with DJ Hed and Chuck Dizzle for HomeGrownRadio, Roddy discussed making up with Kanye after he had the cojones to publicly diss Ye’s Grammy piss stunt back in 2020.

The 2 made up to record the “Donda” track “Pure Souls” and Roddy says the creative process was so unpredictable, one minute they’d be in the studio … then Arizona, Chicago -- basically anywhere a private jet could land.

Roddy also shared how he hilariously put Ye into a music-making frenzy -- fresh off a plane without any relaxation time -- while others, like Lil Baby, hinted Roddy should walk on eggshells around him.

RR did admit his last album, “Live Life Fast,” slowed him down a bit, but he’s ready to get back into a groove and even pondered making a DJ Mustard-produced album.

Amber Rose is cooking up her own version of a hot girl summer -- she's now a full-fledged rapper who's applying some of her Slut Walk magic to her music!

Amber unleashed her new song "GYHO/Gotcha" … a sexually charged acronym for "Get ya hoe on" and remix to the Big Tymers classic "Get Ya Roll On."

For the video, Amber and friends burn up Hollywood and flaunt plenty of Playboy promo … which is fitting since Amber recently joined their Centerfold brand where Cardi B serves as Creative Director.

Mannie Fresh made the beat so you know it's Cash Money-approved ... and Amber didn't hold back on details with lyrics like, "Pop that Cris, pop that Mo, smash that bish, freak dat hoe."

All in all, the entire video is a touchy-feely affair.

Amber's dabbled in rap before, about 10 years ago, but it appears she's ready for a career switch.

Post Malone has been on a promotional spree -- for his new "Twelve Carat Toothache" album and newborn baby -- and his "Tommy Lee" collaborator Tyla Yaweh couldn't be happier!!!

We chopped it up with the rager rapper Thursday outside LAX, and he says seeing Post Malone adapt to fatherhood is a beautiful thing.

As Posty's BFF and artist, Tyla is one of the handful of people to meet his baby girl, who was born last month. He also had nothing but kind words for Posty's mystery fiancée!

Of course, Tyla isn't settling down soon — he was in town to drop off his upcoming "RAGER BØY" to his record label, which he says he slapped right on their desk.

And, while he's always down for the turn-up and good libations amongst his fans, he wholeheartedly agrees with the recent Juul e-cigarette ban ... because he says it's killing fans!

He'll need them for his upcoming shows. Expect collabos with Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Barker and Post ... with whom Tyla has a platinum history.

Two Travis Scott fans are somewhere cradling his shoes right now, after Trav blew their minds by handing them a pair of shoes ... apparently, right off his feet!!!

Here's how it went down -- Travis was leaving his event Thursday night at TAO in Hollywood, and, as usual, a group of fans were waiting outside to greet him and hoping to snap some pics or get an autograph.

The rapper hopped in his car and decided to swing by the crowd before taking off ... rolling down his window, and shocking the hell out of them by handing out a pair of laced-up Jordans.

Their faces say it all ... complete and utter shock. Even the security guard nearby was showing some respect for their new gifts.

One of the kids took off pretty quick after getting the Jordan 1 Lows -- gotta stash that in a safe place!

TS has been working closely with Nike for a while ... doing shoe collabs that sell out fast -- one of the latest drops had over a million people going online to clean them out in under 30 minutes.

Prosecutors want Nicki Minaj’s husband to do serious jail time -- not home confinement -- for failing to register as a sex offender in California ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to new legal docs, federal prosecutors don't think 6 months behind bars followed by supervised release is sufficient punishment for Kenneth Petty, who pled guilty to the offense. They specifically note any home confinement ordered as part of his supervised release would be spent in a huge Calabasas home where he and Nicki live.

The feds point out it's in a "gated affluent community" and includes a pool, Nicki’s music studio, and their beautifully landscaped backyard -- amenities not in line with their idea of crime and punishment.

In fact, the U.S. Attorney's Office seems to think that lap of luxury is what led Petty down the wrong path. In the docs, prosecutors say Petty kept up with his sex offender registry paperwork for nearly 20 years ... until he met Nicki in 2019 and moved to Cali. As they describe it, "Defendant began dating his wife, quit his job, moved to Los Angeles, and adopted an affluent lifestyle."

Petty told the court he didn't know the specific requirements to register upon leaving NY state, but prosecutors say he was well aware of the rules after getting annual warnings for 2 decades. As we've reported ... Petty had to register as a sex offender after a 1995 attempted rape conviction in NY.

Now, federal prosecutors in CA are recommending he serve 15 months of prison time, 5 years supervised release and pay $55K in retribution. The judge will have final say when sentencing goes down July 6.

Irv Gotti ripping Drake’s new album as the "demise of hip hop" isn't sitting well with K Camp -- an artist who’s nabbed platinum plaques with his own brand of melodic music.

We bumped into the RARE Sound architect at LAX and picked his brain about the notion Drake dominating the dance charts spells doom for the rap game in general.

While K Camp says he feels where the Murder Inc. boss was coming from, he adds Drake's reached a point where he can create the waves he wants ... and doesn’t have to be a trendsetter.

And, then there's this place KC reps called Atlanta ... known for continuously making hit hip hop music. KC says even if dance does become an obvious trend, ATL culture will still keep rap heads happy.

Look, KC ain't exactly hitting Champagne Papi with a bunch of acclaims -- "Honestly, Nevermind" is not his favorite Drake project, but he says it’ll do for Summer '22. Hell, KC says might even drop a couple of similar-sounding records ... if he's in the mood.

Boosie Badazz isn't one to hold his tongue, and proved it again when he loudly stepped to a guy he claims was giving a woman a hard time ... to the point it totally pissed off the rapper.

The video was apparently shot outside a hotel, though we don't know the location yet, but what's clear is Boosie overheard the man speaking to a uniformed woman in a not-so-pleasant tone. Right from the jump, he was in g-check mode, telling the guy "You ain't gonna talk to her like that. I will beat your azz!!! You ain't gonna talk to no woman like that."

Something about Boosie's involvement shifted everybody's demeanor, though ... the guy was extremely quiet, and the woman -- who the guy allegedly targeted -- shifted into mediation, trying to calm down Boosie.

Funny thing is, there was a guy standing nearby stretching out his arm -- almost like he was prepping for the royal rumble.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, but once the video popped up online ... Boosie felt the need to explain himself.

He claims the man kept pressing the woman, even after she'd apologized to him ... and that's when Boosie stepped up.