TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Key Glock is revamping his 31-city 'Glockoma' tour due to the death of Big Scarr -- his original supporting cast -- and now he's hitting the road with DaBaby's label mate, TiaCorine -- along with Kenny Muney and Jay Fizzle from his own Paper Route Empire camp!!!

The PRE capo rolled out an updated flyer for SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop Nation and Live Nation production ... and the fanfare's already heating up!!!

Tia hails from North Carolina and the March 10 date in Charlotte has been sold out in anticipation of her big homecoming!!!

Additionally, Dallas rapper BigXThaPlug will be in the mix for the 4 Lone Star state dates --- which have nearly all sold out ... and we're certain his breakout record, "Texas" has something to do with it!!!

The "Russian Cream" rapper's fellow Memphis native -- and Gucci Mane's 1017 artist, Big Scarr -- was present and celebrated the tour's original December 7 announcement ... but unfortunately died 16 days later from an accidental prescription overdose.

A relative of Scarr told TMZ Hip Hop at the time the late rapper had gotten addicted to painkillers after dealing with gunshot and car accident injuries.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott may well be dunzo, but she's keeping her wits about herself -- heading down to the Caribbean for a little R&R ... and a lot of made-ya-look.

The beauty mogul was down in Turks and Caicos Sunday, where she hit the beach in a black two-piece bikini for what looks to be a solo outing where she caught rays and waves all at the same time ... and all for the camera's benefit, too, of course.

KJ walked up flaunting her toned physique, with a green wrap covering her lower body as she set up shop on the sand. Eventually, the makeshift skirt disappeared ... and her derriere was out in full view. A friendly reminder that she is, indeed, Kardashian-adjacent.

There's much to marvel at here ... a spray down in the shower, and then a dip in the ocean. There's even a nice shot of a tattoo she's got inked on her booty, which reads "sa-nə-tē" ... the phonetic pronunciation of "sanity." She's said it keeps her grounded.

Of course, Kylie hasn't really exposed her bod like this in quite a while -- not so out in the open, anyway. It makes one wonder if the split rumors about her and her baby daddy are true.

Lil Wayne is hitting the road this spring on his "Welcome to Tha Carter Tour" ... a pretty clear cut smoke signal his long-awaited "Carter VI" album isn't too far behind.

Weezy made the grand announcement Tuesday ... unveiling the 28 city tour's kickoff date of April 4, which will hit major hot spots such as Chicago, Detroit, and NYC before concluding in L.A. on May 13.

One city missing, is Wayne's hometown of New Orleans ... but we're told Wayne omits NOLA from his tour lineups because of his acclaimed Weezyana Festival ... a special show for the people of The Big Easy that will be enjoying its 7th edition later this year!!!

The Louisiana rapper first announced there would be a "Carter VI" back in August 2022 --  and fans have been awaiting additional details ever since.

The new tour announcement set off alarms for fans who figure he'll perform new tunes on the road and they're literally chomping at the bit for new music.

R. Kelly is no longer facing sex-abuse charges in Chicago, where a prosecutor's decided to drop several pending charges, but that news isn't swinging his mood ... the singer still has plenty of other troubles.

Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, tells us she spoke with Kelly after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced she no longer would pursue the case because the disgraced R&B star has already been convicted in 2 federal courts of similar crimes and "is looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again."

Bonjean tells TMZ, “There is no real sense of relief. He is still fighting for his life. He is facing decades in prison." But, she added that Foxx made "the right move" with her decision.

Foxx held a presser Monday to make the announcement, acknowledging that some of the accusers may be disappointed, but "we believe justice has been served."

As we reported ... Kelly was accused of sexually abusing 4 people, 3 of whom were minors, in the Chicago case. Foxx says she will ask the judge Tuesday to dismiss the charges against Kelly.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka had a night out with her mom in the Big Apple on Monday ... hitting up a Japanese restaurant three weeks after announcing she's preggo with her first child.

The 25-year-old and Tamaki Osaka arrived at Nippon in Midtown for dinner ... one of the few times the mother-to-be has been spotted out in public since her big reveal.

No baby bump in sight, though -- Osaka rocked a baggy brown and green outfit for the occasion.

As we previously reported, Osaka told her fans about the major life update on Jan. 11 ... and TMZ Sports confirmed rapper Cordae is the father.

"I realize that life is so short and I don't take any moments for granted, everyday is a new blessing and adventure," Osaka said in her announcement. "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."

Real 92.3 radio host J Cruz says he was all set to get married on the Rolling Loud stage -- that is, until Offset made his grand onstage gesture to Cardi B back in 2018 ... stealing Cruz's thunder!!!

Cruz says his plans were set in stone -- he'd flown in family members, including his siblings and his soon-to-be wife was decked out in her wedding dress ... but the one thing he couldn't plan for was Offset’s impromptu move.

He shared the sad, yet funny-in-hindsight, story with GloRilla -- the “FNF” rapper's been mentored in the rap game by Cardi, so Cruz figured this was his best shot to unload his old wedding woes.

Cruz says his relative lack of celebrity prompted Rolling Loud officials to cut his nuptials altogether ... leaving him to face the embarrassment of his family and pile on therapy sessions shortly after.

The silver lining is Cardi and Offset are still going strong more than 5 years later ... welcoming another child since then and are set to star in a McDonald's Super Bowl commercial next month!!!

GloRilla keeps grinding out gigs on the road, and recently found herself face-to-face onstage with platinum producer Polow Da Don ... but she held back on giving him the full Glo experience.

TMZ Hip Hop got this vid of Glo pump faking as if she was gonna throw her “FNF” clappas on Polow -- she threw out all sorts of sensual questions, only to flip the script and bust into a performance of her viral hit, “Nut Quick.”

The switcheroo went down at Polow's stomping grounds inside Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater ... and, as you can see, he was a good sport about Glo's stunt.

The next few weeks will be busy for the Memphis rapper, who just earned her first Grammy nomination ... and, on Monday, graced the cover of "The Cut."

We're hearing Glo will be hosting parties in the Phoenix area for Super Bowl LVII, and this coming weekend, she'll be in L.A. for the Grammys ... where she's up for Best Rap Performance.

Jason Derulo is facing a new challenge ahead of his big Super Bowl performance -- no, not a TikTok challenge ... he recently suffered a nasty injury and now he's walking on a cane.

A Source familiar tells TMZ ... the "Wiggle" singer was injured playing basketball 3 weeks ago. Apparently, he was going up for a rebound and wound up landing on someone's foot ... he now has a small break in his foot and a torn ligament to boot.

He was lucky enough to avoid surgery, but he did have stem cells injected, which help speed up recovery time.

As of now ... Jason's going to physical therapy daily and is getting around with the help of a cane.

Of course, this couldn't be worse timing for Jason. ICYMI, he and The Black Keys were announced as this year's headliners of the NFL TikTok Tailgate ... which is supposed to go down prior to the big game.

Our sources say, although he may not be fully recovered for the performance, he will power through it, come hell or high water.

The late Young Dolph's life and times have expertly been curated through a traveling pop-up museum ... attracting rap peers like Jim Jones, who recently soaked up the detailed exhibit.

TMZ Hip Hop got vid of the Dipset Capo during his recent visit at the NYC edition of Dolphland as he examined a toy car exhibit that replicated Dolph's jaw-dropping fleet of vehicles.

Key Glock was on hand to greet both Jim and Maino, and we're told more of Big Apple rap's finest -- like DJ Clue and Dave East -- also turned out to support.

Visitors also took in an exquisite bust statue of Dolph, as well as portraits of his Paper Route Empire artists, and the Memphis rapper's album covers such as "Role Model" and "Gelato."

NFL legend and newly appointed University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has been keeping Dolph's name vibrant since his November 2021 murder. He paid his respects by visiting the Denver Dolphland and chopping it up with PRE's Kenny Munney!!!

Lil Jon isn't feeling love or friendship from Live Nation, which he claims is using his song title, "Lovers & Friends," for a festival he's not even playing -- so, now the King of Crunk's threatening a lawsuit.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a copy of the letter Jon's team fired off Monday to the concert-promoting corporation ... detailing his efforts to reach a financial agreement over the incredibly popular Las Vegas festival.

Jon says he and Live Nation began talks back in May 2022 through one of his lawyers, Doug Davis, and assumed Live Nation would do the right thing. We're told he didn't want to push too hard because he was focused on ensuring last year's festival -- headlined by Jon, Usher and Ludacris -- was a success.

Now it's a year later, and Usher recently announced the lineup for this year's lineup -- boasting megastars Chris Brown, Missy Elliott, 50 Cent, Nelly ... but no Lil Jon!!!

In the letter, Jon's powerhouse attorney Ed McPherson compares putting on a "Lovers & Friends" fest without Jon ... to having a "Don't Stop Believin'" festival without Journey, or a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" festival without Jimmy Buffett.

It's an obvious attempt to put the dispute in terms Live Nation's attorneys will understand.

Sources connected to Jon tell us he's been hoping to avoid litigation, and for months, attempted to reach a settlement.

For the record, Jon readily admits his "Lovers & Friends" -- from his 2004 "Crunk Juice" album -- is a cover of Michael Sterling's 1991 song, but insists his version is the one that became "omnipresent in the Black community" ... so much so, Live Nation's slapped the name on its festival.

Bottom line ... Lil Jon believes they owe him big, because Live Nation's trading off his hard work to create such a lasting hit.

Kanye West's presidential aspirations don't come cheap -- just ask his campaign, which paid Milo Yiannopoulos tens of thousands last year ... while reimbursing Nick Fuentes for a few expenses, as well.

According to FEC filings obtained and viewed by TMZ, Kanye 2020 -- his official presidential committee that appears to still be active -- shelled out a whopping $40,000 to the alt-right media personality ... with whom Ye recently cut ties amid his anti-Semitic spiral.

The docs show that Milo was paid this amount for "Campaign Wrap Up Services" ... with the cash getting dispersed about a week or so before Christmas 2022. That would seem to line up with what we were seeing at the time publicly ... Milo tagging along with Ye throughout much of the fall.

That's not the end of Milo's payday, though ... the filings also show a separate $9,955 that was paid to him by the Kanye's campaign in November for what they describe as "Domain Transfer."

Keep in mind ... Milo was claiming in early December that Ye actually owed him $116k for campaign consulting -- but our Ye sources said nothing was ever in writing.

On top of this, the FEC docs also show that Nick Fuentes was paid back by the campaign for some travel costs ... totaling $14,719.87. You'll recall -- NF was on Ye's national press tour for a while too, going city to city with Kanye for months on end.

Some rappers make NBA highlights just by sitting courtside -- but a few artists actually got on the court this weekend to make some Top 10-worthy jumpers!!!

Both Travis Scott and The Game got the royalty treatment during the Utah Jazz win over the Dallas Mavericks Saturday inside Vivint Arena ... and were able to shoot around before the game, targeting nothing but the bottom of the net.

Not to be outdone, YG sank a half-court shot Sunday inside Moda Center, decked out in baggy gear from his 4Hunnid line.

The "Alone" rapper was in Portland for his Red Cup Tour stop and got to see his Lakers beat the Trail Blazers before hitting the stage.

Game hit a couple of consecutive long bombs and went the extra mile and campaigned for an NBA 10-day contract. He also called out Gillie Da Kid to pull up to his home court in L.A. and earn an ass-whooping!!!

Gillie's one of the better shooters in hip hop ... even showing out NBA organizations in the past, so this could get interesting.

Master P is still the only traditional rapper who played in the NBA, having suited up for both the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the late '90s.

Rich Dollaz has his daughter Ashley Trowers' back after her arrest for allegedly shooting at her ex in Memphis ... insisting she's a domestic violence victim who acted in self-defense.

The "Love & Hip Hop" alum hopped on "TMZ Live" Monday and emphatically claimed Ashley only fired out of fear, and added she and her child's father have had multiple domestic disputes in the past.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... cops say Ashley was approached by the ex, Demiah Tatum, and his friend Mykel Yates during her first day working security at a Kroger's, and she ended up firing 2 shots at the vehicle.

Rich says Ashley already had a temporary restraining order requiring Demiah to stay away from her -- but he claims Demiah got out of his car to confront her.

Rich says people have told him Demiah's claiming he just happened to "pull up" at the Kroger's where Ashley worked ... but her dad isn't buying it was a total coincidence.

Flavor Flav is reflecting on the tumultuous drug-bingeing past he says nearly cost him his life and did cost him almost $1 million/year -- and he's convinced God allowed him to survive to share his story.

The Public Enemy hype man came clean on DJ Akademiks' 'Off The Record' Spotify podcast ... admitting getting off drugs was the hardest obstacle he's ever overcome.

Flav claims he spent $2400 per day on crack and hid it from those closest to him, including Chuck D and his other PE bandmates.

The Long Island-born rap legend first revealed his crack addiction in his 2011 book, "Flavor Flav: The Icon The Memoir." He tells Ak he was his own biggest and best customer, on account of having a lot of money during his heyday.

Flav also frowned upon today's hip hop landscape ... noting how rappers are filling their lyrics with drug use, which doesn't leave him very hopeful for the future.

He predicts crack will be around as long as there are humans -- a claim on which Boosie Badazz would, no doubt, cosign.

The rapper ranted about today's drugs being too strong. He'd been reacting to Gangsta Boo's death -- which some believe was a fatal OD -- when he offered some wildly irresponsible advice about getting high.

Miami's Club LIV was the location for a Young Money-sanctioned movie last night ... with Lil Wayne, Drake and 2 Chainz all gracing the stage to celebrate the birthday of DJ Stevie J!!!

Drake was seemingly in a great mood last night after winning big betting on the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles ... and you can see his enthusiasm as he surprised the crowd by rapping along to performances of Wayne's "Steady Mobbin'" and 2 Chainz' "Watch Out."

The event was thrown by Michael Gardner and Louis Oliver and hosted by Wayne ... who was in his element ripping through a flawless rendition of his classic tongue-twisting track, "A Milli."

Drake eventually grabbed the mic, joining Wayne on their platinum collaboration "The Motto" and for his own "Her Loss" opening track, "Rich Flex" ... giving the crowd an impromptu concert on Sunday for David Grutman's club at Fontainebleau.

Meek Mill celebrated the Eagles' big win with a freestyle rap on Sunday ... taking shots at 49ers fans by dropping bars on one of the most iconic diss tracks of all time.

The Philly rapper posted his video to Instagram right after Philly whooped San Francisco 31-7 in the NFC Championship game ... punching their ticket to Super Bowl LVII.

Meek used the beat from Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up" to send his message to the Niners ... which, of course, was a diss track to Notorious B.I.G. -- and to this day, remains one of the top verbal attacks in the rap game.

"This for all my 49ers fans right here ... First off, f*** ya clique and the team you claim," Meek starts off.

"Northside, Southside this an Eagles game. Y'all claim to keep it playa, but we packed ya bag -- plus the other quarterback, y'all couldn't even pass it back."

Of course, Meek is referring to S.F. rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who injured his elbow in the first half. To make matters worse, his backup, Josh Johnson, left the game in the 3rd quarter with a concussion.

BTW, Meek was watching the game in the Lincoln Financial Stadium suite with an A-list crowd -- Kevin Hart, Lil Baby, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Michael Rubin, and former Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson.