TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Chris Brown was just hit with a whopping tax bill that totals $4,044,596.76 --  but never fear, the R&B artist might be able to cut into his debt if he ever decides to sell off his huge collection of designer and custom clothes

Breezy posted a video that laid out his massive clothing collection on racks ... with the scene looking very much like a department store aisle!!!

He also called out all rappers and artists who think they have more drip than him to post their own closets for comparison -- a challenge that Rick Ross, who's been known to be a hoarder in his own right, just may take on.

The timing is interesting ...  TMZ Hip Hop confirmed Breezy was recently hit with a federal tax lien for $2,245,561.50 and $1,059,967.78 for money apparently owed to Uncle Sam in 2022.

Additionally, we've learned the state of California filed a state tax lien for $739,067.48 ... so he's looking at around $4M in total!!!

Breezy's been down this road before ... having hosted a massive yard sale back in 2019 but even if Breezy doesn't sell off items this time around to pay the tax bills, he still has steady tour revenue to look forward to.

The upcoming European leg for his Under The Influence Tour recently added new dates in big cities like London, Amsterdam, and Paris after tickets sold out following the first announcement.

Kanye West could be barred from entering Australia to meet his new wife's family because of his praise for Hitler and his antisemitic diatribes, government officials said Wednesday.

The rapper is reportedly planning to fly with Bianca Censori to her hometown of Melbourne next week for the get-together with her clan.

As we first reported, the couple tied the knot during a private ceremony earlier this month without filing a marriage certificate. It's not clear if Kanye has gotten a visa for the rumored trip or even applied for one.

In any case, Australia's Education Minister, Jason Clare, says if Kanye does apply for a visa it might get rejected. The Land Down Under has a history of turning away people with antisemitic beliefs.

Clare told Nine Network TV ... "I expect that if he does apply, he would have to go through the same process and answer the same questions," as anyone who has expressed such views.

As you know ... Kanye recently went on a bizarre anti-Jewish campaign, praising Hitler and Nazis. He was seen hanging out with notorious white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

Ye was suspended from Twitter after posting an image of a Swastika merged with the Star of David. Kanye also went live on-air with alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for his show, "Infowars." Among other things, Kanye said, "I like Hitler."

Given his rhetoric, it appears Kanye has an uphill battle with Australian Jewish groups, who have already called for him to be refused entry in anticipation of any visa request.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Peter Wertheim told Sky News ..."We’ve made the case that this particular individual does not meet the character test and that it would be in the national interest not to grant him a visa and we set out our reasons in some detail."

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles will make the final decision on whether to let Kanye into the country, if it comes to that.

Stay tuned.

Polo G is looking to set the trend of "smart jewelry" -- the Chicago rap star's cashing out for a diamond-encrusted bulldog that's plenty flashy, but also functional ... as an iPhone case!!!

Skylar Langfeldt of Icebox Diamonds & Watches tells TMZ Hip Hop the pendant took a couple of months of engineering to perfect all the features. For instance, Polo's phone can actually be charged without being removed from the sparkling accessory.

We're told the pendant includes more than 500 grams of 14kt white gold with 90+ carats of diamonds -- and there's another 55 carats of bling on the accompanying chain!

Fans might confuse Polo for a Boston Red Sox fan after seeing the chain and pendant's red letter "B" enamel accents -- but we're told it's actually a tribute to BMoney 1300 ... Polo's friend who was murdered in August 2021.

Rick Ross has a ton of cars in his collection, but one he won't add is a Tesla … as he believes the electric whips are nothing but entrapment on wheels!!!

Rozay explained his anti-Tesla stance Tuesday while speaking to fans on Instagram … the rapper believes the U.S. government can tap into the cars at any given time and in his case, haul him off to jail for questioning!!! 😂

He then hilariously paints the picture of being at one of his Wingstop franchises when his Tesla is overpowered ... and redirected toward the precinct where an agent awaits.

Lawmaking officials may not have a habit of jailbreaking everyday citizens’ Teslas, but Rozay doesn’t have to settle for the trend.

Babyface will be belting out "America the Beautiful" at Super Bowl LVII next month … and the R&B legend tells us he never expected in a million years he'd be tapped for the honor.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Babyface shortly after the NFL and Roc Nation's Tuesday morning announcement, and he was already predicting he'll be a frazzled mess leading up to game day -- but he still plans on giving the millions of viewers an honest performance that showcases his talents!!!

Face knows he's got big shoes to fill ... the late Ray Charles’ rendition of 'ATB' -- performed at the World Series in 2001 -- is immortalized in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and is a radio staple every 4th of July.

He says the song speaks to his soul melodically, so he plans on putting together one of his classic Babyface arrangements -- and adds he'll even have some divine inspiration.

What's making the once in a lifetime performance even more special, is the fact he's teaming up with the clothing company Shine the Light On -- a special collaboration to pay tribute to his mother, who passed away in 2012.

Fair to say Babyface will have some angels on his shoulder on Super Bowl Sunday because he's also thinking about late brother ... After 7 singer, Melvin Edmonds, who died in 2019, and was an avid football fan.

He isn't the only performer who's admitted to pregame jitters -- when we spoke to Rihanna last year, she copped to being a little nervous for her halftime show performance. Yes, even superstars get butterflies!!!

But, Babyface has zero doubts RiRi will kill it, and he floated his wishes to record with her down the line.

BTW, Roc Nation also tapped Sheryl Lee Ralph to sing "Lift Every Voice" and Chris Stapleton for the national anthem.

Shy Glizzy is defending his name after OnlyFans star Sky Bri accused him of slipping her a pill while they were shooting his "White Girl" music video.

The D.C. rapper addressed the allegation for the first time while he was on Akademiks' Spotify podcast, 'Off The Record' ... he denied doing it, and shot holes in her account of what happened on set.

Shy said, as an artist, he simply doesn't have any responsibilities on a music video set and therefore, wouldn't have been in a position to interact with Sky the way she described the shoot going down last year.

It might have been best for him to stop there, but Shy added ... he's too much of a player to get caught up and didn't feel the need to react to "false allegations."

Calling yourself a "player" is probably not the best choice in this situation, but Shy says fans haven't heard of any previous sexual misconduct allegations against him so he claims Sky's claim can't be true.

Yung Gravy is excited about his 2023 music career trajectory, especially because he says he's getting ready to drop a pair of album collabs ... with Quavo!!!

Gravy was out Monday night in West Hollywood, and disclosed he'd just gotten back from Tibet, of all places, where he and the Migos rapper created 2 albums worth of material.

The Asian country is renowned as a place of mediation and peace ... so, it seems likely Quavo was there decompressing his mind after being front and center when Takeoff was fatally shot in November.

Gravy says fans can expect the new music to drop in the next 2 months -- which would mark Quavo's first full-length release since dropping the joint album "Only Built For Infinity Links" with Takeoff last year.

He recently cut a tribute song -- the somber "Without You" -- but Gravy seems to be stoked about their upcoming tunes.

Demetrius "Lil Meech" Flenory is winning rave reviews playing his father in 50 Cent's hit "BMF" series, but his dad Big Meech isn't as easily impressed as regular viewers.

Lil Meech recently revealed to Lore'l on "The Morning Hustle" that the senior Meech -- who's currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for drug trafficking -- calls him out for stuff he sees on the show that he wouldn't do in real life!!!

Lil Meech explained the smallest things ... such as having his shoestrings tied a certain style, and spiking his dad's antenna -- but one scene, in particular, caused him to flare up from the cell.

During the first season, Wood Harris' character "Pat" punches Lil Meech in the stomach ... a complete fallacy in Big Meech's book, who says he's never been beaten up in his life, and we believe him!!!

Lil Meech says he tried to explain to his dad it's simply a TV show with various arcs, but his pops isn't trying to hear it.

Of course, those little white lies make for good drama -- the series was picked up for a third season last week, capping off a string of good fortune for Lil Meech, who just saw the charges in his airport gun case dropped like a bad habit.

Papoose has an enriching message for all artists who are tired of record labels divvying up all their profits -- come join him at Tunecore, where he's just been named the music distributor's head of hip hop!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke with Pap Tuesday morning, and he was more than thrilled to have the opportunity to pivot independent artists away from record deals that don't benefit them.

He explains unlike other distributors, Tunecore allows you to maintain ownership of your masters and obtain 100 percent of the payout your music makes. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, especially if you're still trying to make a name for yourself.

Pap tells us his own experiences in the music industry led him to champion Tunecore -- he famously signed a million-dollar record deal under the tutelage of the late, great DJ Kay Slay, but he admits he's made the most traction in his career by going the indie route.

In 2021, Pap dropped 12 albums -- each named after months of the year, and featuring heavy-hitting cameos from the likes of Lil Wayne, Jim Jones, The Game and his wife, Remy Ma ... and he released all of them through Tunecore to reap all the rewards himself.

Pap says he understands the artists' plight more than anyone, and doesn't knock them for still signing lopsided record deals -- but going forward he's making it his mission to corral as many artists as possible!!!

While Beyonce's concert in Dubai stirred outrage from some fans -- due to the country's anti-LGBTQ+ laws -- her pops looks at it differently, telling us his daughter has incredible power to bring people together ... from all walks of life.

Mathew Knowles tells TMZ ... Queen Bey united a really diverse crowd with her incredible performance overseas, bringing people closer, as she does best.

He says people who weren't at the show might not understand -- adding she gave respect and got respect back from the country, calling it an amazing moment.

MK notes his daughter's always stood for inclusiveness, and believes everyone was there for love. He adds she'd never do something to deliberately hurt someone.

As for the criticism about her NOT performing hits from "Renaissance," Mathew says hold tight ... Beyonce IS planning a tour, and she'll announce it when she's ready.

TMZ caught up with Bey's mom, Tina Knowles, Monday -- telling us her daughter was pretty nervous before her first big show in years, but notes she pulled it off and it was a great trip. She had less to say about the controversy, though.

As we reported, Beyonce's show brought down the house over the weekend as she performed to a packed house for the opening of the new Atlantis resort, and reportedly got paid $24 million.

The backlash, which Beyonce rarely faces, centered around some in the LGBTQ+ community feeling she'd "sold out" by performing in a "homophobic dictatorship."

Mathew says that's a narrow-minded view of what went down.

Lil Baby strives to be the most fly rapper in the game and that mentality obviously trickles down to his own children!!!

The Atlanta rapper recently hit up Icebox Diamonds & Watches, his home away from home, to lace his 7-year-old son, Jason, with a couple of new diamond emblems modeled after a pair of Baby's pre-existing pieces.

Skylar Langfeldt of Icebox tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Jason's 4PF chain consists of more than 5 carats of VS diamonds with blue and green enamel accents -- a junior take on Baby's chain, which has 70+ carats!

The fresh father and son duo also plan to stunt at NBA games, as they frequent State Farm Arena for their hometown Atlanta Hawks ... and Skylar says they now have matching pieces to rep their team.

Jason's Hawks pendant sports 2 carats of diamonds and 25 grams of gold -- while his dad's has 10x the bling with 20 carats of diamonds, and 150 grams of white gold.

Jay-Z and Yo Gotti's legal counsel at Team Roc are dismissing their lawsuit painting a Mississippi State pen as a deadly horror camp -- but they're also reminding the state they'll be back if prison conditions go south again.

The Parchman Farm penitentiary is still open, but it's undergone a string of renovations since Team Roc filed the suit calling out the state for several fatal stabbings, and unsanitary living conditions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to NBC, the MSP received new stainless steel showers, toilets and sinks after the previous restrooms were crumbling and littered with rat feces. It also has new sports facilities for inmates to partake in basketball, flag football and boxing, and upgraded heating and air conditioning ventilation systems.

As a result, the lawsuit was dismissed, but without prejudice ... which basically means it could be refiled at any moment.

A rep for Team Roc explained that while they're pleased with the new additions, they'll be monitoring Parchman to make sure the facility doesn’t backslide on the improvements.

03 Greedo is finally a free man ... kinda, sorta.

The California rapper got out of prison last week -- paroled after serving 5 years of a 20-year sentence for a drug and weapons conviction -- but says, for now, he'll be living at a halfway house.

It's unclear exactly how long he'll be there, but on IG, he said he wishes he'd recorded more music ahead of going into the bing and yearns to spend time with his daughter.

Being in solitary confinement, and limited to just one 5-minute phone call per week, Greedo said he developed a chip on his shoulder, and he can't wait to explode in the studio once he's really free ... hopefully within the next 6 months.

Greedo says only those in the booth or bed with him will be privy to his inner thoughts after being locked up for so long -- but he thanked fans for keeping his name going strong.

Fans were able to whet their appetites for new music on January 9 when "Free 03" dropped -- the new mixtape full of rhymes from prison featuress guest spots from OhGeesy, BlueBucksClan and the late Drakeo The Ruler.

Angry Drake fans are calling out the NYPD for what felt like electronic surveillance at his sold-out Apollo Theater show -- and after a clip of officers recording ticketholders went viral, the cops say it's not what it seems.

NYPD law enforcement sources tell TMZ Hip Hop the video shows officers outside the Apollo recording concertgoers as they exited the theater. We're told that video was shot for a social media post to show how police work with venue security to keep concerts safe for fans.

For angry fans, it felt like blatant profiling and surveillance intended to capture and save images of Drake's fans -- but NYPD's scoffing at that notion. Our sources say the community affairs officers seen with the video cameras are not affiliated with the detective bureau, and do not investigate serious crimes.

There are also dozens of city surveillance cameras around the Apollo ... and the whole city, for that matter. The reality of life in the 21st century is we're all being recorded throughout the day without ever knowing it.

Drake was uptown for 2 nights, and inside the venue, a brief but tense moment occurred during the second show when a fan fell over the mezzanine balcony ... onto the crowd below.

The show was briefly paused for about 15 minutes when a spokesperson announced the fan wasn't terribly injured, and that the show would go on.

Hometown heroes Cam'ron, Jim Jones and Juelz Santana of Dipset were brought out and a tour with his "Her Loss" costar 21 Savage was teased.

Beyonce's weekend concert ruffled a few feathers in the LGBTQ+ community, but Ts Madison doesn't see anything wrong with her getting a fat check in Dubai ... because, first and foremost, she says Bey is loyal to her fans.

The actress and activist joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," dismissing claims Queen Bey "sold out" by performing in the UAE -- where there are firm anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

Madison believes most people, even those criticizing Beyonce, would jump at a $24 million payday in Dubai. In fact, she says many people in the LGBTQ+ community already do travel there ... whether it be for work or vacay. So, the whole sellout label seems hypocritical to her.

And, Madison points out Beyonce's been an ally for years ... and doesn't think she'd do something like this to hurt the very group to which she dedicated her latest album, "Renaissance."

As we reported, Beyonce made it a truly grand opening for a new Atlantis resort ... doing a 90-minute set with multiple costume changes, an orchestra and a bunch of her classic hits.

Folks banging on the concert, feel she ditched "her own progressive values" by performing in a "homophobic dictatorship" -- but Madison says those fans should separate politics from the concert ... just as Beyonce seems to have done.

Drake's concert at the Apollo hit pause after a fan fell from a second-story balcony into the crowd below ... and TMZ's got it all on video.

The scary incident happened about 90 minutes into Drake's set, and in the view from the floor seats, you see a body come falling out of the sky ... landing on top of other fans.

Another view, from the mezzanine, shows a man leaning over the balcony and then falling over the ledge.

Drake didn't appear to see the fan fall from the mezzanine, he had his back turned to the crowd at that exact moment, but a few seconds later a crew member runs onstage to tell Drake to pause the show.

You can hear Drake tell the audience, "Just gotta make sure somebody's OK."

Officials tell TMZ ... the person who fell was a 26-year-old man who was possibly intoxicated. We're told the man was uncooperative with officials and was taken to a Harlem hospital.

A rep for the Apollo says "the fan and other audience members reported that they were OK. No major injuries have been reported."