TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Gunna has at least one rap friend still in his corner amid allegations he rolled on Young Thug ... and that's his "Elon Musk" song partner DDG, who says he's not switching up on his collaborator.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has been on the warpath about artists who, in his eyes, didn't keep the same "snitch" energy for Gunna as they did for him. He called out DDG to Akademiks for not dropping a "🐐" emoji on his IG page like he did for Gunna.

Akademiks eventually got DDG to respond, and the "Moonwalking in Calabasas" rapper explained he's not down with the so-called street code ... or showing fake love for peers.

He admitted he and Gunna weren't exactly BFFs, but didn't feel he'd been keeping it buck if he abandoned him over public hearsay -- aka the rumors Gunna snitched.

DDG also rejected 6ix9ine's claim he was playing favorites ... he said he simply never had a relationship with Tekashi. He says if they were cool, he wouldn't have switched up on him either during his trial and subsequent cooperation with the feds.

Gunna's return to Instagram this week was met with mixed reviews -- including those from his own YSL camp.

Lil Gotit (and his mother) recently put a moratorium on folks posting about his late bro Lil Keed -- as Gunna did, which drew an angry response from Gotit.

Ray J is coming to the defense of Eddie Murphy -- whether or not he needs it -- by warning Tyrese to shut up about Eddie's Golden Globes joke referencing the Will Smith slap.

An incensed Ray J hit the comment section Thursday on The Jasmine Brand to voice his disapproval of Tyrese's sentiment that everyone, including EM, should stop bringing up Will's infamous slap of Chris Rock at last year's Oscars.

As Ray sees it ... Tyrese is in no position to give Eddie advice, seeing as how his resume doesn't have any classics to measure up to "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Coming to America."

He also seems to think Will isn't above an encore performance, suggesting he might have to unload on Tyrese to get him in line.

It's clear there's bad blood between them, because Ray added, "You know how i feel about you and your antics.!"

We're not sure where Tyrese's sense of humor went -- Eddie all but brought the house down with his joke. It might be a little old, but it was brilliantly delivered.

Foxy Brown is defending her honor -- just like Shawnna -- against Keith Murray's recent rampage, and she's under the impression the Def Squad rapper's had one too many illicit substances.

The veteran Brooklyn-born rapper dragged KM for filth on her IG page late Wednesday night ... calling him all sorts of "crackheads" and "dope fiends" for his remarks.

She noted how KM's attire alone should've tipped viewers off to his erratic behavior.

KM claimed -- during an interview with "The Art Of Dialogue" -- to have received mind-blowing oral sex from Foxy back in the day while she was dating DMX ... and it's this very type of dialogue that has been getting him in constant trouble!!!

Ludacris' former label standout Shawnna also laid into KM with claims of drug abuse following another nonsensical interview where he made claims of sexual conquests where she's concerned.

Akademiks says he's genuinely concerned for Blueface's career ... especially after his GF Chrisean Rock's admission she smacked him upside the head with a glass of Hennessy!!!

A viral clip from their reality show "Crazy in Love" showed Chrisean cleaning a gaping, bloody wound from the back of Blueface's head ... the aftermath of yet another domestic violence incident between the couple.

Ak scoured Instagram and found plenty of comments about Chrisean's antics superseding Blueface's musical potential -- a sentiment shared by people in the rapper's camp.

Blueface's manager Wack 100 recently confronted Chrisean on the show ⁠... telling her Blueface hasn't carved out a hit since they've been running amok.

That's harsh, but true -- he hasn't made the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist since 2019!!! 😩

Ak also shared a personal conversation he had with Offset about having a smaller profile than his wife, Cardi B ... and the Migos rapper allegedly told him the pressure helps his own hustle.

TMZ Hip Hop recently learned Cardi and Offset have a McDonald's Super Bowl commercial on the horizon ... indicative of their synergy as a couple and business people.

Kanye West appears to be getting quite comfortable with the new mystery woman he's been spotted with around Los Angeles ... sharing a meal and good conversation.

We've obtained a photo of Ye and the mystery blonde Monday inside the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. We're told the pair seemed quite comfortable, chatting while they ate. Unclear why, but Kanye's been spotted at that hotel a lot lately -- so it's possible he's calling it home these days.

The blonde is the same woman he was seen with as they entered the hotel earlier this week -- we don't yet know who she is, but we haven't seen them together outside of the recent sightings. So, if they're indeed an item, it's a new thing.

As we reported, Kanye was previously linked to Julia Fox and Chaney Jones, but both relationships seemed to drop off before getting serious -- at least for Ye. Remember, Chaney did get that tattoo. Oops!

Ye's been rather MIA since his appearance on Alex Jones' "InfoWars" where he announced his love for Hitler and Nazis.

T-Pain is wishing he never slapped down 6 figures on his infamous "Big Ass Chain," but wants it to be a living cautionary tale for other rappers looking to ice up.

Mr. Penderazzdown was speaking with Oliver Tree on his Nappy Boy Radio segment when he admitted the hefty purchase ran him about $400k back in the day. The most painful part, though … he says the chain's now depreciated to about $200K!!! 😓

T-Pain relived the chain’s origin -- he says a random fan dared him to get the diamond-encrusted wonder with the words "Big Ass Chain," and he did it on a whim!!!

The fan still has never been ID'ed to this day, and T-Pain says he keeps the chain around as a reminder not to be dumb with his moolah.

Financial literacy and rapper's extravagant purchases are like oil and water, but Charlamagne Tha God recently set off the conversation about depreciating assets with a simple, yet hilarious, post.

Quentin Miller says he's utterly disappointed in Big Sean's behavior when it comes time to pass out songwriting credits, because he claims Sean Don went MIA on him.

QM says he and Sean first met through Drake circa 2014 while working on their classic duet, "Blessings." He says Sean was impressed with his input, and recruited Quentin to work on "What You Expect" -- Sean's 2021 joint EP with Hit-Boy.

Things started out smooth ... Quentin says he and Sean got close and frequently bounced ideas off each other. When he noticed "Blessings" had won a BET Award, he figured it spelled prosperity for their future collabs.

But then, 2 weeks before the EP release ... QM says Sean stopped responding to texts, and all future communication went through Sean's management.

To make matters worst, QM claims it took 3 months to get his name on the credits and proper publishing once it was officially released -- without his paperwork being signed.

In hindsight, he says he would’ve asked for cash up-front if he knew it was gonna be a ghostwriter situation, but he thought it was gonna be a legit deal.

Dr. Dre has his sights set on a lucrative music deal, one that would sell the rights to some of his royalties and master recordings ... and we're told the price tag is well over $200 million -- WAY MORE than is being reported.

The music mogul is close to selling off some of his music assets in two separate deals ... one with Shamrock Holdings, and another with Universal Music Group ... according to Billboard.

The possible Shamrock deal looks like this ... Dre sells his artist royalties from two of his solo albums -- his share of N.W.A artist royalties, plus his producer royalties and the writer's share of the music where he doesn't own publishing rights.

The potential deal with UMG is a little different ... Dre sells the master recording of his first solo album, "The Chronic," plus his share of some Kendrick Lamar music.

Dre's not selling all of his music ... Billboard characterizes these transactions as mostly "passive income streams" that generate about $10 million annually ... and he's NOT selling his ownership stake in his record label, Aftermath.

Sources close to Dr. Dre tell TMZ ... the actual selling price is actually tens of millions of dollars higher than the $200 million figure Billboard is reporting.

Congrats, Dre. 💸

Joe Budden isn't vibing with Gucci Mane's massive string of losses within the 1017 Records roster, and he sharing his opinion in that unique Joe Budden kinda way!!!

On a recent episode of the 'Joe Budden Podcast' ... the outspoken host called for a thorough background check from record labels and owners, A&Rs, etc. when they're bringing a new artist into the fold.

Gucci and his wife Keyshia Ka'Oir were recently entangled in a hefty war of words with Big Scarr's family over payment for his funeral -- but Joe feels Gucci is putting the young artists in a position to be hit with tragic circumstances.

Joe points out hip hop has put up record numbers in the past 10 years when it comes to deaths, RICO cases and overdoses -- and he's blaming those stats on a lack of good A&R skills, and the "death" of real musicianship in rap.

Despite putting out several releases in the past couple of years, Joe's analysis of Gucci's label isn't without merit.

In addition to Scarr's passing, Gucci's flagship artists Pooh Shiesty, Foogiano and Ralo are currently incarcerated ... as are his rookie rapper Mac Critter, on murder charges, and former signee Hoodrich Pablo Juan in a RICO case.

Another rapper, Baby Racks, lasted about 24 hours before he was dropped from the label for speaking ill of the city of Houston following Takeoff's shooting death.

J Prince is coming to his family's defense following Takeoff's murder ... as his son J Prince Jr. has the center of controversy and conspiracy theories since the dreadful November 1 shooting.

The Rap-A-Lot Records founder was a guest on Chris Gotti's 'Givin Them The Business' podcast where he spoke to the rumors Prince Jr. was cold and heartless for walking past Takeoff's lifeless body immediately after the shooting.

J Prince points out the clip the internet witnessed was only a few seconds throughout the entire day Prince Jr., and their cousin Mike, had spent with Takeoff. He also said Prince Jr. was frazzled from having to go to a bathroom to wash Takeoff's blood off his hands.

Prince Jr. had allegedly reached behind Takeoff's head in an attempt to administer aid, but the Migos rapper died at the scene at the age of 28.

J Prince's statements will likely provide some clarity to social media users, but naysayers should know Houston Police don't consider anyone else a suspect except Patrick Xavier Clark, the man they arrested and charged for Takeoff's murder.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene talked a big game after Dr. Dre went after her for using his song, "Still D.R.E.," as a music bed for her entrance to the House chamber, but after Dre. delivered a legal threat -- stop using my music, or else -- she backed down.

A Greene staffer just sent a letter to Dre's lawyer, Howard King -- obtained by TMZ -- which reads in part, "On behalf of Congresswoman Greene, please be advised that no further use of Mr. Young's copyright will be made by a political committee or via social media outlet she controls."

It's really something ... Greene responded well before the 5 PM deadline imposed by King.

It had gotten really nasty. King initially fired off a letter to Greene in which he made clear, his client would not allow Greene "to promote your divisive and hateful political agenda."

Greene fired back with a statement of her own, saying, "While I appreciate the creative chord progression, I would never play your words of violence against women and police officers, and your glorification of the thug life and drugs."

So now Greene will have to find another artist if she wants a music bed to accompany her videos. Thoughts?

50 Cent is taking the high road ... despite all his social media posts to the contrary, he's apologizing to Megan Thee Stallion for not believing her testimony about Tory Lanez shooting her.

The G-Unit legend switched from promoting season 2 of "BMF" to reflecting on his wild Instagram posts where he compared the embattled hottie to Jussie Smollett's lying ways via a meme that went viral.

50 explains he was taken aback by Megan's infamous interview with CBS' Gayle King where she denied having a sexual relationship with Tory -- which we now know was a lie -- but 50 says that fib prompted him to disbelieve everything else she said for nearly a year!!!

Like many people following the case details, 50 says once the mountain of evidence came out, it began to sway his opinion ... with Tory's jailhouse phone call with Kelsey Harris sealing the deal for him.

50's probably one of the least likely rappers to swallow his pride and offer Megan a mea culpa -- trolling is his thing, after all -- but Soulja Boy is calling for the entire hip hop community to do just that ... apologize!!!

SB recently went on the warpath during an Instagram Live session where he threatened to beat up Tory (if) he's ever released from prison, and wished gang rape on him throughout his stint behind bars.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka just shared a major life update -- she's expecting her first child ... and TMZ Sports has confirmed it's with rapper Cordae!!

The 25-year-old made the announcement just minutes ago ... saying, "The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that its the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun. These few months away from the sport has really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I've dedicated my life to."

Osaka shared a picture of a sonogram on Twitter ... adding, "I realize that life is so short and I don't take any moments for granted, everyday is a new blessing and adventure. I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I'm looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, 'that's my mom,' haha."

Osaka -- who went public with Cordae in 2019 -- says she will not be competing in the meantime ... but plans to return for the Australian Open in 2024.

"I don't think there's a perfectly correct path to take in life but I always felt that if you move forward with good intentions you'll find your way eventually," she added.

Gunna has access to his social media accounts again and in a defiant return, he's defending his status with YSL … the label, that is.

In his first IG post since taking the Alford plea deal that got him sprung from prison on December 14 ... Gunna called for Young Thug and Yak Gotti's freedom, and reiterated his allegiance to the crew.

Gunna also let off a belated RIP to Lil Keed, as he was incarcerated at the time of Keed's death in May 2022 ... which was recently discovered to be the result of a blood cell disorder.

The post didn't sit well with Keed's brother, Lil Gotit, who showed his emotions when he, incorrectly, thought Gunna was referring to him when he called Keed his "twin."

Young Thug's brother Unfoonk also flexed some umbrage ... flipping Gunna's patented P emoji against him while slamming the post.

We recently bumped into Thug's sister Dolly White and Gotit at LAX and her reaction was pretty similar to Unfoonk's -- Gunna still has some explaining to do!!!

Convincing the YSL collective is only half Gunna's battle reentering the rap game.

A$AP Rocky caught Rihanna’s manager trying to sneak in a couple of winks as they chowed down on a post-Golden Globes dinner … so he whipped out his phone to clown the dude!

Rocky and Rihanna were out in Santa Monica at their favorite eatery, when Rocky got the heads up Roc Nation exec Jay Brown was snoozing in the car ... a magic moment for professional and amateur photogs like Rocky.

Jay was out cold and at a point, Rocky decided enough was enough, so he waived off the cameras and knocked on the hood ... which served as a wake-up call.

Rihanna was nominated at the Globes for “Best Original Song in a Motion Picture” for the track “Lift Me Up” from the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack.

The song lost out to “Naatu Naatu” from the Indian film “RRR” ... but RiRi still turned heads inside the Bev Hilton … decked out in a gown by Daniel Roseberry.

The stage is now set for Rihanna’s big Super Bowl Halftime performance next month, where she’s admitted to having a few pregame jitters.

New photos show the horror from the night Tory Lanez shot Meg Thee Stallion in the foot after an argument in Hollywood ... including the damage done to Meg's foot and the weapon used to commit the crime.

We've obtained several trial exhibits from the Meg and Tory case that show everything from the blood in the backseat of the SUV, to the condition and X-rays of Meg's foot after she was hospitalized.

You can see blood splattered in the vehicle, from when Meg got back inside after Tory shot her ... there's also blood smeared on a suitcase that was in the vehicle.

For the first time, we're also seeing the pistol Tory used to shoot Meg, laying on the ground near the backseat of the SUV.

As we reported, Tory was found guilty of all three charges against him -- felony negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm back in December.