TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Pretty Ricky's Baby Blue is now a free man, kind of, after serving a little over a year in his PPP fraud case, and his bandmates were there to greet him upon release.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Baby Blue was released Tuesday from the Federal Correctional Institution Coleman Low in Florida.

The 38-year-old pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in August 2020, and was sentenced to 20 months in prison ... which he started serving in February 2022.

Blue was transferred to the BOP's Miami Residential Reentry Management Office, which oversees inmates transitioning back to public life. He will stay in community confinement -- either home detention or a halfway house -- until he is officially released from custody on April 4.

Upon his release, Blue was surprised by Pleasure P and Spectacular, Blue's actual brother, who both excitedly live streamed the moment as they promised to celebrate in various ways ... but Baby Blue isn't completely out of the woods yet.

Baby Blue has another 3 years of supervised release, and still has to pay $1,111,345.23 in restitution as part of his sentence.

According to court docs, he forfeited a 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia about a year ago, but that only knocked around $65K off his tab -- so he still owes well over $1 million.

Gunna's being told to refund the $250K he allegedly got for a verse recorded prior to the YSL Rico case ... all because his collaborator believes Gunna snitched on Young Thug to get out of jail.

Florida-based rapper Bandman Kevo says he paid Gunna to get on a song they did together many months ago, but his incarceration delayed the rollout.

Now that Gunna is free, Kevo says he's ashamed of the collab and it's not happening.

As a result, he's now demanding Gunna return the 6-figure check to sender -- and if he doesn't, Kevo says he'll sue.

The song's titled "Alone" and they even shot a video with YSL rapper Lil Duke -- who was also arrested, and took the same Alford plea as Gunna -- so, Kevo's entire record is kaput as far as he's concerned.

Kevo's reimbursement demand is a total 180° from his thoughts shared in an interview a little over a month ago, when he gave Gunna the benefit of the doubt,  assuming the "Pushin' P" rapper had an elaborate legal scheme that did not involve snitching.

Lola Brooke walked away from GloRilla's Grammys performance feeling inspired, and thinks the look will open doors for her own career in the future!!!

TMZ Hip Hop got the "Don't Play With It'" rapper Monday at LAX, where she was glowing off the strength of Glo's contribution to the Grammys' 50th-anniversary hip hop tribute ... especially seeing the "F.N.F." rub elbows with all-time rap greats such as LL Cool J, Too Short, Missy Elliott and Public Enemy.

That said, Lola was shocked when we raised the fact Lil Kim wasn't part of the medley -- it's clear she's got Kim's back, and promised to link with her back in the Big Apple.

Kim recently knighted Lola by surprising their hometown Brooklyn crowd with a cameo performance of "Don't Play With It" ... and their mentorship bond has continued to blossom.

Lola's got a big year ahead, having just inked a deal with Arista Records.

She's hitting the road with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie for his Me Vs. Myself Tour, and her debut album is also expected to drop this later year.

The Grammys officially have to recognize hip hop's presence going forward ... so says 2 of its pioneers ... Melle Mel and Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five!!!

We linked with Melle, Scorpio and Bar Shon after their participation in the Grammys hip hop blowout to celebrate the culture's 50th birthday ... and in their opinion, the classic contributions to the medley really boosted the tribute.

Melle and Scorpio also tell us it was an honor to rock with the newer artists, who included Lil Baby, GloRilla and Lil Uzi Vert -- but it was their wave of nostalgia that made the performance one for the books.

The Furious Five rappers disagree with the notion new rap music is garbage -- they say each generation has its own sound and even remember when older heads turned their noses up at their music when they referred to it as "fresh."

Diddy isn't above a petty reaction to Burna Boy's defeat in the Best Global Music Album category at the Grammy Awards ... especially because they won the award together their last time collaborating!!!

Following the ceremony, Diddy took to IG amid his messages of love to snipe BB ... taking credit for the Afrobeats star's first and only Grammy win, while scoffing at the notion he thought his latest project, "Love, Damini" would be just as successful.

Diddy served as co-executive producer for Burna's 2020 album "Twice as Tall" ... adding hip hop flavor to help him warm up to the North American audiences.

Together, they not only won the Best Global Music Album the following year but also topped the Billboard US World Albums chart.

Judging from the picture Diddy paints, he worked on the project outta sheer boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic ... and they didn't even meet in person until after the album was released!!!

BB also lost out on his Best Global Music Performance yesterday ... further proving Diddy's point and get this ... even BB's Nigerian fans appear to be riding with Puff and are demanding BB make things right -- or fall off forever!!!

Cardi B got roped into Offset and Quavo's fight backstage at the Grammys -- and part of her attempt to break it up was caught on video.

Entertainment Tonight obtained footage of Cardi shouting at 2 people -- her husband and his cousin/former rap pal, and you can clearly hear her screaming ... "Both of y'all's wrong! This is not right!!!"

She goes on to address someone specific in tense terms ... "No bitch, shut the f*** up 'cause you shouldn't have been talking." It's unclear who CB was referring to there.

Afterward, she came back and talked to an ET reporter ... who straight up asked her if she was back there settling some stuff. Cardi brushed it off, saying the only thing she settled was her outfit. Unfortunately for her and for Offset, the whole brouhaha was on camera.

This simply confirms what TMZ first reported ... a fight broke out backstage between Quavo and Offset, which multiple witnesses tell us was initiated by Quavo. Offset tried downplaying our story, tweeting out what seemed like a denial.

Beyoncé broke the all-time Grammy record this weekend, an honor previously held by a classical musician for years, who'd be very happy for Bey if he was still around today.

Georg Solti -- the Hungarian-British conductor who had the most Grammys before Bey took the mantle Sunday -- would absolutely celebrate her achievement ... so says his daughter, Claudia Solti. Georg died in '97 -- the year before he won his posthumous, record-setting 31st Grammy.

According to Claudia ... her dad's music brought people together, and she feels Beyoncé's work does the exact same thing -- more than enough reason to get excited.

She tells us her father loved all kinds of music, and that she feels like he's probably somewhere out there smiling over the new milestone that's been hit ... even though, Claudia says he probably doesn't understand all the fuss about records.

An organization named in Georg's honor -- Georg Solti Accademia, serving as a music school in Italy -- tells us they agree with Claudia. They say, "We send our wholehearted congratulations to Beyonce! Throughout his career, Maestro Solti always sought to unite people through music. We think he would be thrilled to see audiences from many genres of music coming together to celebrate the achievements of both Beyonce and himself."

As we reported, Beyoncé crossed the benchmark set by Georg by racking up Grammy #32 during the show. She won Best Electronic/Dance Album, this after snagging 3 other Grammys earlier in the night ... making history anew.

Flo Rida just landed a sweet $80 million settlement in his lawsuit against Celsius energy drink, and the "My House" rapper says that means he's about to turn up his charitable efforts in a big way!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught Flo Monday at LAX, fresh off his Grammy weekend where he kept an extra big grin on account of winning his copyright lawsuit against the beverage co. in January.

Flo tells us his musical success allowed for retirement several years ago, but this new influx of cash will enable more philanthropic endeavors ... such as his Big Dreams For Kids charity that powers his own Florida Youth Football league.

Flo says his league is over 10,000 players strong, and he flew several of them out to Cali to train with Snoop Dogg, and his famed football league from the Netflix series.

He's optimistic the players will grow up to be doctors, lawyers or even professional athletes.

In terms of Celsius, Flo says he's still a co-owner, and has no hard feelings in the aftermath of the lawsuit.

Lil Wayne's former dream home in one of Miami's most exclusive neighborhoods is officially off the market, meaning Weezy's officially pulling outta South Florida ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The YMCMB boss listed his lavish half-acre property back in September, asking $29.5 million ... and then discounted it, slightly, at a mere $28 mil. That seemed to do the trick.

Our real estate sources tell us Wayne accepted a buyer's offer on February 3, and although the sale's still pending ... it's close to getting finalized. Cyril Matz of Douglas Elliman is repping for Tunechi.

Wayne had the 7-bedroom, 11-bathroom castle built for $16.8 million in 2017 and laced it with all sorts of amenities -- including an open-air cabana, outdoor kitchen and a reflecting pool. Basically, the perfect Miami party pad ... if you're into that sorta thing.

Blac Chyna's mom is NOT a fan of the way her daughter dressed for the Grammy Awards ... ripping her child's fashion choice as "horrendous."

Tokyo Toni tells TMZ ... Chyna's outfit, an all black one-piece body suit decked out in rhinestones and feathers, was a "horrible" look -- and she's seriously questioning her daughter's decision.

For Tokyo, the Grammys are all about looking elegant ... and she would have rather seen Blac Chyna bust out a blonde wig and a golden dress and call it a day.

Of course, Blac Chyna's dress is getting tons of attention ... but her mom thinks it's for all the wrong reasons.

Tokyo's also taking shots at Chyna's new boyfriend, Twin Hector ... she thinks the rapper seriously influenced her daughter's Grammys look, which she also dragged as "terrible."

Dr. Dre and Interscope Records are marking the 30th anniversary of "The Chronic" by recreating the roller rink hysteria from back in the day when the album first dropped!!!

TMZ Hip Hop got video from the star-studded party at the Hollywood Palladium ... which partnered with Usher to host a pop-up of the world-famous Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace, and the "Confessions" singer proceeded to cut the rink in his custom glow-in-the-dark skates!!!

Not to be outdone, Floyd Mayweather showed how his fancy boxing footwork translates to wheels ... as did Chris Brown, DaniLeigh, Mike Epps, Jermaine Dupri, Teyana Taylor and many more.

We're told Dre didn't skate but chatted it up with execs from Interscope and Power 106 while DJ Battlecat and Bryan-Michael Cox mixed 'Chronic' tracks in their overall sets.

'Chronic' music vids such as "Let Me Ride" and "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" also played on the monitors while Coi Leray, Lil Tjay, Fivio Foreign, Jim Jones, MGK and Megan Fox, Jason Lee and Drumma Boy filled up the celeb-packed crowd.

This year, however, Dre's not only basking in his old glory ... he's dropping an album titled "Casablanco" with longtime collaborator Marsha Ambriousus and has also been in the studio with Snoop Dogg and Eminem for more musical developments.

Eminem's little girl -- who has been the focus of many of his songs over the years -- is all grown up ... and prepping to walk down the aisle.

27-year-old Hailie Jade announced Monday that her boyfriend, Evan McClintock, popped the question ... and she said yes. She threw up a little slide show capturing the sweet moment -- which looked to be coupled with some champagne and snazzy winter wear.

Of course, she also showed off the rock on that finger ... and it's a beaut. Her caption ... "casual weekend recap," adding "i love you" while tagging Evan and tossing in emojis.

Not much is known about the guy or his relationship with Hailie -- she keeps her life private, despite her famous dad. All we know is they've been dating for years -- since at least 2016, it seems, when she first posted photos with him -- and that Em seems to be cool with him.

Slim acknowledged in a podcast appearance earlier this year that his kiddo was on a good path in life -- having graduated college with a steady BF in tow -- so, it sounds like Papa approves.

As we mentioned, Em has name-dropped Hailie many, many times in his raps ... dating back to his heyday in the 2000s. He's made clear time and again that he's very protective and that he'd do anything for his daughter ... even some shady stuff, if that's what it takes.

Jay-Z's making sure to acknowledge the trail blazed by Rakim to enable his own hip hop immortalization ... giving the "Paid In Full" creator his flowers backstage at the Grammys!!!

The 2 NYC rap icons lit up when they crossed paths in a hallway, and Jay thanked Rakim for "paving the roads" -- to which Rakim stated the reciprocation had been felt as well!!!

The moment was captured by SiriusXM's Torae Carr, who also serves as a chapter president for the Recording Academy.

Rakim was long considered to be the hip hop "GOAT" before Jay took the reigns and recruited Rakim for his "Blueprint²" album over 20 years ago.

Their embrace signified a full-circle moment for fans and likely an evening highlight for Jay ... having been shut out on all 5 of his nominations for the night.

Nonetheless, Jay's household still has some new hardware arriving soon.

There's clearly still serious bad blood between Migos' rappers Quavo and Offset following the death of Takeoff ... and those emotions boiled over backstage at the Grammys into a physical fight.

Sources at the show tell us just before Quavo took the stage to perform his song "Without You" as a tribute to Takeoff during the "In Memoriam" segment of the show, he and Offset got into a physical fight and had to be pulled apart.

As for what led to it -- we're told The Grammys had asked Offset to be a part of the tribute, but Quavo refused to let him take part. We're told Quavo blocked Offset from joining him on stage ... leading to the melee.

Our Offset sources say it was Quavo who started the fight.

We should note -- Quavo and Takeoff were extremely close at the time of Takeoff's murder -- Offset was still hanging out with Takeoff separately, but the trio wasn't hanging out as a unit. Quavo's "Without You" was a song he specifically wrote for Takeoff.

Beyonce's history-making Grammy night was enough to sell Symba on paying for her Renaissance Tour, even if the ticket prices may warrant a small bank loan!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Atlantic Records rapper just as the 65th Grammy Awards let out and he says he was pretty floored by the 50th-anniversary hip hop tribute ... as well as DJ Khaled's "God Did" performance that put Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and his pal Fridayy all on the same set.

But Symba says the biggest highlight was seeing Beyoncé get her record-setting 32nd Grammy -- the most of all-time and says the moment was culturally significant as a whole.

He thinks Beyoncé is now the greatest entertainer of all-time ... even surpassing the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson's glory days.

We're less than 24 hours out from the unveiling of Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour ticket sale to the general public and fans have been anticipating exorbitant prices, but Symba says it doesn't matter.

Symba says if there was ever an artist deserving of the support, it's Beyoncé ... and he thinks fans need to figure out a way to pinch their pennies together to make any show they can.

Lil Baby's bond with James Harden can't be broken ... and it's because they both have amazing eagle eyes when it comes to the girls on the scene.

We caught Baby leaving Nightingale in West Hollywood on Sunday night, fresh off of his contribution to the Grammys 50th anniversary hip hop tribute ... and he tells us he and The Beard are both "snipers" -- in other words, they can spot a fine woman a mile away!!!

Baby and James have been baller-blockin' for years together ... never letting silly things like the NBA schedule block their stunting.

Back in December, James totally ignored a 29-point loss to his old Nets team to celebrate Baby's friend's birthday in Houston, with Travis Scott in tow ... and who can forget Baby's 2020 bash where James dropped $300K on the "Yes Indeed" rapper ... in addition to mounds of honey buns, his favorite snack.