TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are continuing a theme for the Kardashian family ... coming together to support their kids, despite a lot of past drama.

The exes both showed up for son Saint's basketball game Friday at the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks ... though they both rolled up separately, with Kim bringing Saint to the game.

Kanye came with an entourage ... it doesn't look like his wife Bianca Censori was there this time ... but we've seen her support his kids recently, holding hands with North at Kanye's birthday party.

Kim and Kanye coming together to support Saint is an extension of what we've seen recently among the Kardashians.

Remember ... Kylie Jenner, Travis Scott, Khloe Kardashian, Angela White (formerly Blac Chyna) and Tristan Thompson were all under the same roof earlier this month to celebrate their little ones' finishing preschool.

Gucci Mane had a few things to get off his chest on his new Lil Baby collab "Bluffin" ... an ode to cleaning up his act in and out of the rap game.

Midway on the track, Gucci took a shot at Wack 100's Clubhouse legacy, rapping ... "I want my M's up to one, two, three, four, five one-hundred (Go)/I ain't arguin' on no internet, I'm not Wack100 (No)."

Wack eventually got wind of the lyrics and, although he and Gucci share plenty of mutual friends, vowed to return fire on a diss track of his own after the weekend is over.

The longtime manager of both The Game and Blueface doesn't rap per se, but seems to think he can beat Gucci at his own game.

Boosie Badazz went full out of the frying pan and into the fire over his gun case in San Diego, because while local prosecutors dropped charges ... they really just made way for the feds to go after him.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... federal agents nabbed Boosie Wednesday outside the San Diego courthouse where he thought he'd just gotten great news about the gun case. According to new docs we've obtained, ATF hauled him for possession of a weapon by a felon -- essentially, the same charge San Diego dropped.

In the federal docs, they say Boosie was seen on an Instagram live feed, back on May 6, with a gun tucked into the the waistband of his red jeans. The feds say San Diego PD was watching that IG feed and mobilized officers to pull over a vehicle that had Boosie riding in the back seat.

According to the feds, right before the Mercedes SUV pulled over, the SD officer noticed movement in the back seat they believe looked like someone "attempting to conceal firearms or illegal contraband" ... in their experience.

Once the vehicle was pulled over, Boosie told the officer he didn't have any weapons, but his security did. During the search, the cop found a loaded Hellcat 9mm in the guard's bag, and also a loaded Glock 9mm on the rear passenger seat.

All 3 people ... Boosie, his guard and driver were taken into custody, and cops say they heard Boosie yell at the guard, "You told me they were in the bag."

Once cops reviewed the IG footage, they matched up the Glock with the weapon in Boosie's waistband ... and that's why they busted him. Boosie was released from Louisiana State Prison in 2014 after serving more than 4 years for drug charges.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has officially moved on from the grimy street raps that both powered his early career and got him into trouble.

The rainbow-haired rapper surprise-dropped his third studio album Friday titled "Leyenda Viva," which translates to "Living Legend" in English.

The project is predominately in Spanish across its 11 tracks (save for the occasional "suck my d***") and features Latin Grammy-winning superstar Lenier on 7 of them.

6ix9ine abandons the drill sound in favor of tropical-tinged vibes with a twist of reggaeton ... much closer to his Mexican/Puerto Rican roots than ever before.

The new wave of music marks 6ix9ine's first full-length release in nearly 3 years ... and since he suffered a brutal beatdown inside a Miami L.A. Fitness gym in March.

Quando Rondo is starting his Father's Day weekend behind bars ... as NBA YoungBoy's Never Broke Again artist was locked up on drug charges, TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to booking records in Georgia, Quando was arrested Friday and subsequently charged with 2 counts of conspiracy to violate Georgia's controlled substances law, 1 count of participating in criminal activity affiliated with a street gang, and 1 count of illegal use of a cell phone to facilitate a drug deal.

He was indicted along with 18 other individuals ... who are accused of conducting the drug deals between October 2022 and June 2023.

Prosecutors claim the "ABG" rapper instructed another defendant to negotiate weed prices and then traveled to Macon, GA to pay the supplier.

According to online records, Quando is currently locked up in the Chatham County jail. He clearly sensed the immediate doom because he tweeted out to his family members shortly before going in.

Hit-Boy recently nabbed his second Diamond plaque for producing Jay-Z and Kanye West's "N****s is Paris" -- and he's using that momentum to fuel his father's rap career!!!

HB's pops Big Hit was released from prison after a 9-year bid a little over a month ago, and wasted no time recording "Surf Or Drown 2" ... the father-son duo's joint album, released just in time for Father's Day '23.

The 10-track project (20 if you count the bonus instrumentals) also sports features from Big Sean and Dom Kennedy, and they've dropped a video for virtually every song on the project so far.

TMZ Hip Hop recently spoke to HB about his latest Diamond achievement -- his goal is always to make as much music as possible to spread his sound, and his recent work is going the distance to keep his dad gainfully employed!!!

Sukihana says she forgives YK Osiris for forcibly kissing her -- creating a frenzy of pissed off fans on social media -- and hopes the whole thing will serve as a lesson moving forward.

Suki's remained mostly silent since the incident at The Crew League in Atlanta over the weekend when the singer rubbed her bare shoulders, grabbed her face and forced a kiss as she was very clearly trying to fight him off.

YK apologized for the whole thing Wednesday on Instagram, and in a statement Friday, Suki says she's chosen to accept his apology, adding, "God always forgives me and I can always forgive others. My accepting his apology is not my excusing or lessening the severity of his actions. This is Destiny choosing to give grace to Osiris."

She also hopes the incident teaches YK a valuable lesson moving forward -- "to be more mindful and respect the personal boundaries of others."

Shortly after the incident, some people seemingly put the blame on Sukihana for YK's actions, as she makes music with sexual and sometimes suggestive lyrics.

Clearly, she saw that criticism as well, because she includes, "I am human, a woman, a mother and daughter before I am an entertainer. No matter what my lyrics express, I still have boundaries and a right to have them."

Finally, Sukihana says she's working toward getting "back to my life." The attention from the incident has been understandably tough ... she concludes, "I am giving YK the grace and forgiveness that I wanted to be given to me as I was discovering and defining myself on this very public and sometimes unforgiving entertainment platform."

French Montana is geeked about the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of his new documentary, "For Khadija," and he's crediting his dream team for the assist.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with French out in NYC ahead of the premiere and he says his film -- which documents his life as an immigrant from Morocco to the first Diamond-selling rapper from rap's mecca of the Bronx -- got a huge boost from Drake and Diddy, its co-executive producers.

According to French, TFF handpicked his doc out of 11,000 entries ... a remarkable feat, even if it did pack on the star power.

He also thanks Robert De Niro, who's personally presenting the film to the festival he co-founded.

French says he's been so focused on his film's rollout that he totally missed his betting buddy YK Osiris breaking the internet after he broke Sukihana's personal space, to say the least, by forcing kisses on her mouth.

As we reported, Sukihana's now accepted YK's apology in an effort to nip all the controversy in the bud.

UK rap star Central Cee recently screened French's doc, and claimed it nearly moved him to tears.

Michael Jordan's run as owner of the Charlotte Hornets is coming to an end -- the basketball legend has agreed to sell the team to a group that includes several A-list stars.

The Hall of Famer will hand the reins over to businessmen Gabe Plotkin (who already owns part of the Hornets) and Rick Schnall.

The buyer group also includes rapper J. Cole and country singer Eric Church, the team announced Friday.

MJ initially bought a minority stake of the franchise back in 2006 ... and took the position of Managing Member of Basketball Operations.

He became a majority owner in 2010 ... buying the rest of the team from BET founder Robert L. Johnson for $275 million.

The two sides will put pen to paper in the next few days, according to reports.

Plotkin bought part of the Hornets back in 2019 ... a move that, in hindsight, is now considered the first step in phasing Jordan out of ownership.

Plotkin is the founder of Tallwoods Capital ... and Schnall is co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private equity firm.

Jamie Foxx's "They Cloned Tyrone" costar John Boyega says he's desperately attempting to contact the ailing megastar -- and has been since Jamie fell ill 2 months ago -- all to no avail, but John's not a quitter!!!

John and several other cast members were feeling Jamie's absence at the 'TCT' premiere event Thursday in Miami.

John says he was hoping Jamie would be well enough to attend the Netflix film's premiere, but says he still expects a least one pick up of the phone one of these days.

'TCT' is the first of several Jaime-led films slated to drop this year, and the Academy Award-winner was actually in the middle of filming another in April when he suffered a medical emergency in Atlanta.

His family has been in his corner while he got treatment at a renowned Chicago physical rehab facility.

Gunna says he's still riding for Young Thug, and he's done being hip hop's punching bag -- 2 ideas he repeatedly drives home on "A Gift & a Curse," his comeback effort after springing himself from prison.

The 15-track album dropped Friday ... containing themes of "smashing broads" and being back on his feet, but Gunna gets defensive against the snitch label that's haunted him -- on socials and in the industry -- since taking a plea deal in December in the YSL RICO case.

On the track "Cash S***," Gunna spews at his haters and shouts out Thug by his gov't name ... "You n***** broke, energy low I don't really care though/Out the barrel, man, free my bro Jeffro/Back to business, it's way more dinero."

Gunna was arrested in May 2022 along with several members of the YSL label and he reminds internet trolls it was no laughing matter and even cried in his cell.

On "I Was Thinking," he raps, or pleads to Young Thug ... "Only I done criеd, ’cause this feeling for my bro King Slime/And you know my mind, you done watched that n**** grow/I know you hear the lies."

Like he said on the earlier track, he's out to bring the team more money with the album released on Thug's YSL Records and 300 Entertainment.

Interestingly enough, Thug appears to prepping a response titled, "Business is Business."

His IG page dropped a link to a QR code that leads to a website with a countdown for 5 days from now ... just enough time for Gunna's numbers to make an impact on Billboard and keep the momentum going.

Ne-Yo is NOT back with his ex-wife Crystal Renay despite their recent public outing together ... we're told things are strictly professional, and the two are cordial.

Here's the deal ... Ne-Yo and Crystal raised eyebrows this week when they were both on hand for a public appearance at the opening of their restaurant chain's newest location, prompting speculation they had reconciled after an affair that wrecked their marriage.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Ne-Yo and Crystal are definitely not back together and they were both at the restaurant opening because they are co-owners and it's in their contracts.

We're told Ne-Yo and Crystal are both dating and seeing other people ... as well as co-parenting their three children.

TMZ broke the story ... Crystal divorced Ne-Yo last year after he had a child with another woman.

Our sources say Ne-Yo has a certain amount of appearances he has to make for the restaurant chain they share, Johnny's Chicken and Waffles, and Crystal is heavily involved in the business' day-to-day operations ... which is why they were both at the grand opening in midtown Atlanta.

Flavor Flav isn't shy about his Taylor Swift fandom. After going super viral for attending her concert in Detroit, the Public Enemy legend says he can't wait to see Taylor live again.

TMZ Hip Hop checked in with Flav Thursday on the heels of his grand appearance at Taylor's 'Eras' show. The 64-year-old couldn't understand why people were so surprised to see him enjoying the sounds of TS in person.

As far as Flav is concerned, Taylor's a mega-popstar who's sold over 100 million records ... so of course he's gonna appreciate her greatness!

Flav and Taylor first linked up at the iHeartRadio Awards in March, and he tells us he was bumping her music wayyy before that ... as he's a fan of all genres.

Flav says iHeart's invited him and Chuck D to perform as Public Enemy at their upcoming iHeartRadio Music Festival in September ... and Flav says the group's got a new album on the way.

The project will mark album #16 from the legendary act, and Flav says they've enlisted the services of their OG production team The Bomb Squad for the beats.

Outside the studio, Flavor says his recent trip to Harvard inspired his life for the better and he owes his newfound energy to 3 years (and counting) of sobriety.

Flav and Chuck will also be at the Rock Hall on June 29 to kick off the HipHop50 Exhibit.

Travis Scott is giving a not-so-subtle nod to The Beatles as he moves closer to releasing his first album in four years ... recreating an iconic album cover from the band.

Travis was spotted outside the famous Abbey Road studios -- where we're told he also recorded -- in London Thursday, using the same crosswalk The Beatles included in their "Abbey Road" album back in the day ... as he prepares to release his "Utopia" album.

As you can see, Travis crossed the street with his security ... one of which was carrying the patented "Utopia" briefcase ... with the four members of Travis' crew resembling the famous album cover shot of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison.

Travis' version puts him in the same spot as Paul ... only he's not barefoot like the Beatles star who came before him.

A trip to Abbey Road is a signal Travis is getting close to releasing "Utopia" ... he teased the album this week with a new Nike ad with tennis legend John McEnroe ... where the briefcase with the master recording also made an appearance.

The mania around "Utopia" is definitely similar to Beatlemania ... so Travis is getting super creative here.

There's still no official release date for "Utopia" ... though the Houston Astros already got a preview and Travis is going to be headlining the upcoming Rolling Loud Miami.

Kodak Black thinks he can be a good President for the people of Haiti and seems to be using his Donald Trump friendship as inspiration!!!

Big Black was recently a guest on DJ Whoo Kid's "Whoolywood Shuffle" while rocking his $10K Donald Trump gold chain ... where his political expertise was challenged on the spot.

The "Super Gremlin" rapper has Haitian in his blood and explained he would end the country's history of political corruption, on account he'd already come into office with a stacked bank account!!!

Kodak also reminded fans his heart and intent are pure with every move he makes ... something his frequent acts of charity can vouch for.

As for the chain, Kodak's been rocking it since last June as a token of his appreciation for DT giving him a presidential pardon worth a get outta jail card.

Busta Rhymes' 30-year career in the rap biz will be honored in full at an upcoming event, presented by Netflix.

The veteran rapper will be receiving the Icon Award at the 7th annual Culture Creators Innovators and Leaders Awards Brunch ... which won't have a shortage of star power in the spotlight this year.

Chloe x Halle will be granted the Innovators of the Year Award ... while LSU b-ball champ Flau'jae Johnson, Stephen Hill, Troy Carter, Karl Kani, Laurieann Gibson, Chris Robinson and Candace Rodney will all be recognized for their areas of expertise.

The event goes down on Saturday, June 24 inside the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom and is also sponsored by Lexus.