TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

It finally happened ... after months of trying to link up, Lil Wayne got to meet LSU hoops star Flau'jae Johnson -- and now, TMZ Sports has learned the two are getting to work on a rap collab!!

The "A Milli" spitter and the Tigers guard got to see each other face-to-face for the first time in New Orleans on Sunday ... after Weezy's surprise performance at the ESSENCE Festival.

The two shared a big hug backstage ... and then they posed for a couple pics. They got to exchange some quick words too -- before Wayne had to get to his other obligations.

But, sources close to Weezy tell us following their connection ... they've now put the wheels in motion on a new song -- with plans to get things started on it ASAP.

Of course, Wayne has been trying to get this all going since April ... when he said on ESPN during the women's NCAA tournament that he wanted to connect with Johnson -- an aspiring rapper who's signed to Roc Nation.

At the time, Johnson was stoked about the Wayne shoutout ... tweeting, "Imagine Winning A National Championship Your FRESHMAN Year! Then Getting A Lil Wayne Feature Right After ??! What is life."

Colleen Ballinger's fall from grace is taking her to a new low -- she's getting raked over the coals for an old video of her in blackface, while singing a Beyoncé hit.

The YouTuber/comedian -- famous for her viral character Miranda Sings -- is again in the crosshairs of critics who dug up the problematic clip from her past ... a video showing Colleen with dark makeup on her mug as she sings along to "Single Ladies."

Unclear exactly what year this went down, but based on the Miranda Sings YouTube page, it seems to be sometime in 2017 or 2018 ... and while it's an unlisted post, it is still up. Some of the comments claim the blackface video was offered as an exclusive sneak peek to folks who bought Colleen's book, "My Diarrhe."

The resurfacing of the video comes at a very interesting time, because Colleen was recently accused of racism in another context -- resurfaced texts allegedly sent pertaining to her 2016 Netflix show, "Haters Back Off."

The texts, attributed to someone working with Colleen at the time, were about auditions they were conducting for the show, and the sender claimed Colleen made a crack about a Black actor ... allegedly saying, "WHERE IS HE" -- referring to the guy being very dark in bad lighting.

Of course, this latest backlash is on top of recent grooming allegations ... with people accusing her of reaching out to young fans in inappropriate ways.

Colleen responded to those claims in a bizarre apology video ... which had her singing/explaining away the behavior. It was deemed as tone-deaf, and didn't help.

Things are heating up for Nelly again, 'cause the dude's about to get a helluva lot richer after selling the rights to half of the music he's cranked out ... including his biggest hits.

Sources close to the rapper tell TMZ ... Nelly secured a $50 million deal for 50% ownership over his entire catalog -- which includes 8 albums and a ton of #1 singles that helped define pop culture in the 2000s.

We're told Nelly is teaming up with a company called HarbourView Equity Partners for this, which is forking over the dough to lock up some of his best-known songs ... such as, "Ride Wit Me," "Dilemma" and of course, "Hot in Herre." Obviously they're getting more than just that ... but those tracks are, by and large, the ones Nelly's perhaps best-known for.

In fact, a couple of these songs won him Grammys -- he snagged a statuette in 2003 for "Dilemma" (Best Rap/Sung Performance) and another that same year for "Hot in Herre" (Best Male Rap Solo Performance). He has another Grammy to his name for "Shake Ya Tailfeather."

No word yet on which parts of Nelly's catalog -- besides the above-mentioned singles -- now belong to HarbourView ... but considering the wide range of tunes he has under his belt ... you gotta figure there's more goodies in the vault that they'll now have a claim to.

It's a lot of money, obviously -- so it's great news for Nelly. Interestingly enough, things are going swimmingly for Nelly in other departments of his life ... including his business ventures, like his alcohol brand, MoShine.

Plus, he's not even done making music at this point in his career ... the guy produced a full-on country album, "Heartland," in 2021 -- and we're hearing part 2's on the horizon as well.

Seems like Cardi B and Offset's latest public beef is buried ... after publicly going after each other over cheating rumors, they're gettin' close again, publicly, in Paris.

The married artists were all over each other outside the Balenciaga fashion show Wednesday, posing for the camera as a group of onlookers snapped some pics of the happy couple.

The crowd went nuts as the 2 stepped out, and Cardi was cheesing pretty hard while hand-in-hand with her boo -- a good sign things have died down from last week's public spat.

As we reported, she wasn't holding back on Offset after he posted -- then scrubbed -- a claim that she hooked up with another dude, calling him out on Twitter Spaces for the world to hear.

She denied the cheating rumors, and even said Offset would get beat with a bottle if he ever said that stuff to her face.

Safe to say the dust has settled -- especially with no bottle marks on Offset's face.

We covered the drama in a recent episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

India.Arie doesn't like the fact Megan Thee Stallion and Janelle Monáe show off a lot of skin during their performances -- but that criticism has the Internet ripping her as a boomer.

The veteran neo-soul singer issued a scathing rebuke of the 2 artists' live-show choices -- namely, their tendency to bare their bodies onstage ... which was again on display this past weekend during Essence Festival, where both MTS and JM grabbed the mic.

Their respective sets went viral ... in Janelle's case, it was because she ended up flashing the audience -- revealing her right breast (which had a nipple pasty). She's had a habit lately of dropping her top, but has said she feels comfortable in her own skin.

As for Meg, she didn't really do anything too crazy ... just a little twerking of her booty, which she always incorporates into her routines, and for which she's kinda become famous.

In any case, India wasn't feeling the perceived peep show they put on, and she sounded off about it on IG, saying ... "The issue is what is CONTEXT. Humanity does EVERYTHING. But does EVERYTHING BELONG IN A STAGE. No. is everything for KIDS? No."

She continues, "So when we as a culture make something like this mainstream -- it shows a lack of discretion and discernment. To those in the comments who laugh at anyone who wants these things for our culture, you certainly have that right."

India adds this though ... "Just as many folks have the right to want our MAINSTREAM International export -- our Music -- to show us in a respectful light. I'd like to on the record saying: this wont age well and that's my issue." She finishes by saying she loves Janelle and Meg, but just not how they're choosing to express themselves in this regard.

Her critique, although somewhat apologetic, is getting roasted by fans dropping memes and GIFs mocking India.

Essentially, she's getting branded a prude and an old head, who should keep her comments to herself ... and let the younguns live!

Tyga and Avril Lavigne are really enjoying each other's company after their reported split ... at least according to a new video they shot together.

Check out the short clip Tyga posted to TikTok, which shows the pair looking very comfy as they boogie to Tyga's new summer jam, "Bops Goin Brazy."

Under the circumstances, one might think Avril and Tyga are playing a guessing game with everyone ... are they back together or just really good friends?

You may recall ... TMZ broke the story Tyga and Avril called it quits after they became an item back in March. Our sources said the breakup was mutual, with both feeling the relationship had run its course.

Then came their Vegas reunion of sorts a few days ago ... the two were photographed hanging out at the Encore Beach Club after Avril performed onstage. The rapper and pop star were smiling and giggling ... and even left the place with one another surrounded by their posse. Lots of smoke here, right?

Just as sure as they'll be fireworks over the East River on Independence Day, Michael Rubin was true to tradition, throwing an insane July 4th white party bash that was, as per usual, the hottest ticket in town.

JLo and Ben Affleck were all decked out as they sauntered into the Hampton's soiree Jay-Z loaded up his whip with some pals and drove inside Rubin's gates.

Winnie Harlow was all that as she waved to the crowd, Evita style, and Emily Ratajkowski ... well, the photo says it all -- incredible!!!

EmRata showed off the goods, as Travis Scott -- who was just cleared of criminal charges in the Astroworld tragedy -- chilled with some buddies.

Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey mingled among the crowd, as Kendall Jenner and friends mugged for the cam.

Kelly Rowland looked fantastic, and Tom Brady was multi-tasking as he sipped his drink and texted away.

We're not even close to done ... Jack Harlow, Corey Gamble, Druski, Dixie D'Amelio, Fabolous, and a bunch of other members of the Rich-and-Famous Club all had a blast.

Seems like Avril Lavigne and Tyga are still gettin' along pretty well after their split ... because the 2 were spotted kicking it at a club in Sin City only weeks after calling it quits.

Avril and Tyga appeared to be in good spirits in pics and video, obtained by TMZ -- we're told Avril performed Saturday with Marshmello at the Encore Beach Club inside Wynn Las Vegas, and Tyga hopped onstage later that night.

We're told the rapper watched Avril's set from his VIP section of the DJ booth ... and she went over to him after her performance, where the two were spotted laughing and smiling together.

The pair eventually left the club together with their posse ... but not before Avril snapped pics with fans while Tyga waited next to them.

TMZ broke the story, sources told us the split was a mutual decision, with both believing the relationship simply ran its course. You'll recall, they went public in March -- a month after she called off her engagement to Mod Sun.

Jay-Z's mom has tied the knot, and if her son and his wife, Beyoncé aren't big enough names for ya ... the whole celebration was a who's who of A-listers -- partyin' it up late into the night together.

Tyler Perry and Kelly Rowland were just a couple of the big names that came through for the big day in NY Sunday night ... also packing the house were the likes of Robin Roberts, Corey Gamble, and Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles.

And yes, Bey and Jay were both front and center for Gloria, who said "I Do" to marry her partner, Roxanne Wilshire.

We're told the whole thing wrapped around 1 AM -- so there was plenty of fun to be had by all.

As we reported, Jay-Z's been extremely supportive of Gloria, who came out as a lesbian in his 2017 track, "Smile" ... where she jumped on the song to talk about "living in the shadows" as a gay woman.

He ended up shouting her out at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards, thanking her for letting him tell her story.

Cardi B couldn't pass up the opportunity to hop on the mic in the streets of France ... singin' a few bars of a Whitney Houston classic while leaving the Thom Browne Fashion Show.

Cardi was on her way out of the designer's show Monday in Paris, telling the photog the event was great ... but as she approached her ride, she got offered the impromptu performance from a nearby busker.

Cardi initially shot it down, using nerves as an excuse -- but if ya know Cardi, it shouldn't come as a shock she ended up making her way to the artist, singing the beginning of "I Will Always Love You."

Folks gettin' to hear Cardi sing the hit only got a taste, though ... because she laughed her performance off before finally jumping in the car.

Safe to say, Cardi's in a better place compared to last week -- as we reported, she dragged her husband Offset online after he publicly accused her of cheating on him in the past.

She clearly wasn't having any of it ... cursing him out and claiming she'd hit him with a bottle if he ever made those claims face-to-face.

Drake is about to hit the road on his highly-anticipated tour -- and he's doing his best to make sure he looks damn good in doing so -- stopping to get his hair and nails done.

Drizzy and 21 Savage are scheduled to kick off the "It's All a Blur" tour on July 5 in Chicago, and Drake's been teasing the whole thing with some pics from rehearsal on his social media accounts.

Well Sunday night, he also teased fans by showing off his new look -- some freshly styled hair and pink fingernails.

Unclear if Drake will keep the look for the road, but fans are certainly eating it up ... praising him for the nails and hyping up the upcoming tour.

The Weeknd's show "The Idol" on HBO has come to an end ... but not before taking a shot at Kanye West and his adoration of Adolf Hitler.

In Sunday night's finale, Lily-Rose Depp's character, Jocelyn, puts on a talent showcase for her management at her home in order to convince them she's ready to go back on tour after a tumultuous few months.

Jocelyn's management is skeptical at first, wondering if she'll be able to sell seats ... and that's when the jab comes at Ye. Jocelyn's agent says, "You know f****** Kanye was filling arenas until he decided to start following Adolf Hitler."

Of course, the joke comes months after Kanye not only pronounced his love for Hitler but doubled and tripled down on his sentiments.

A shindig Mozzy attended this weekend nearly turned deadly after a shooting went down -- which the authorities seem to think one of his crew members had something to do with.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the West Coast rapper was stopped by police in Wichita, KS Saturday night after gunfire erupted at a venue called City Nightz -- which we're told Mozzy hit up for an after-party following a performance he did at a neighboring club.

TMZ has obtained footage of Mozzy being placed in handcuffs and led away -- stemming from a traffic stop police initiated in the immediate aftermath of the incident, as our sources tell us cops were trying to vet as many people as possible in the area. While it looks like he's being hauled off to jail, we've been assured Mozzy was only briefly detained here.

We're told Mozzy was cut loose and isn't facing any charges in relation to the shooting.

The same can't be said for a buddy of his, however, who was rolling in the same vehicle. It's unclear which crew member of Mozzy's ended up getting taken to jail -- but we're told one of them was, in fact, arrested in connection to the shooting. Unclear what charge he was booked on ... but our sources say Wichita PD has reason to believe he may be a suspect.

Worth noting ... the investigation is in the preliminary stages. Other members in Mozzy's entourage were also detained, but nobody else was arrested besides this one guy.

Now, footage is circulating online showing not only the moment Mozzy and co. were stopped and ordered out of the car -- which our sources tell us happened after bullets started flying -- but of the actual shooting itself ... and it's quite a chaotic scene.

You can see a few people involved in some kind of scuffle, which starts to spill out even further and rope in more folks. Eventually, all hell breaks loose and loud bangs sound off.

There's even more video we've gotten our hands on ... and it shows the extent of the bloodshed, literally. You can see blood spilled on the floor as people rush for the exits.

In terms of injuries ... our law enforcement sources say a handful of people were hurt. We're told seven were shot -- ranging in age from 22 to 34 -- and their conditions are varied ... from minor bullet grazes to full-on gunshot wounds, and some are in critical condition.

Lil Nas X is the latest celeb to have crap thrown at them in the middle of a performance -- but, fortunately, this one amounted to more laughs than bruises.

The rapper was performing at the European Lollapalooza in Stockholm Saturday, and right in the middle of one of his songs -- a loose item sailed in the air and landed at his feet. Nas X stopped the show and bent down to see what it was ... as it turns, it was a sex toy.

Then came his obvious question ... "Who threw they p**** onstage?" The reason he's asking that is because is something that's meant to mimic a vagina -- yep, we're going there!

Anyway ... it was no harm, no foul in the end. Nas X wasn't hit, and it doesn't seem like the interruption sidelined the show at all ... like we said, it amounted to more comedy than anything else -- but this is still very much part of a larger trend that's becoming concerning.

Bebe Rexha's phone-to-face incident certainly stands out as one of the more gruesome acts of stage chucking that have gone down recently -- but she's far from the only one who's had to deal with intrusive fans in the crowd. It's a thing lately ... and it's not great long-term.

It pays to be a Travis Scott fan in the front row, especially if you can match his energy and recite his lyrics -- 'cause the dude might just throw you a bone ... like he did for this bloke.

The rapper was overseas this weekend, performing at Rolling Loud in the Netherlands ... where he was at a 10 in terms of the hype and throttle. At one point during his set, he came down to the front row to mingle with the crowd, and one dude caught his eye.

The reason ... this fella was rapping TS's own lyrics right back to him, seemingly perfectly and just as animated as Travis too -- almost like they were mirroring each other, really.

Watch what happens next ... Trav appears to be impressed by the fact that the fan was able to keep up, so he rewards him on the spot. He literally yanks his shirt off -- an unreleased "Utopia" tee, it seems -- and hands it to the kid ... and ditto for the shoes off his feet.

You can see a bunch of others in the immediate area trying to get their grubby paws on the stuff, but Travis makes sure it gets into the hands of the person it was all intended for.

BTW, the shoes also appear to be fairly unique -- not only are they Jordans that Travis had personally worn, but they seem to be similar (if not identical) to the custom "Utopia" Nike sneakers that he was recently rocking ... when he had his album handcuffed to a bodyguard.

This Dutch dude posted photos of the merch afterward and said it was the greatest night of his life. He got a 1-on-1 with his idol -- but more importantly, he's got valuable collectibles.

Afroman and Young Buck were recently at odds -- and it got so ugly, hands were thrown ... leading to a full-blown brouhaha breaking out between their respective crews.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... the G-Unit rapper got into it last weekend with one of Afroman's up-and-coming artists, Lil Sodi, at this place called The Zarati Shop in Abingdon, VA -- where Afroman and co. were scheduled to perform, and where YB was also performing.

We're told after Buck exited the stage and Afroman was getting ready to go out there ... some kind of altercation occurred in the VIP room that escalated into a brawl between Sodi and Buck -- and it required lots of people to help break it up.

Afroman took to social media to explain things from his POV. The guy claims Young Buck rolled into the VIP room -- where he and Sodi were -- and appeared to be intoxicated. Not just that, but Afroman says Buck was hurling profanities and being disrespectful ... especially to Sodi.

Afroman says they tried to get Buck to leave them alone, but alleges he kept at it ... and Afroman claims Buck actually smacked Sodi in the stomach ... which apparently set Sodi off.

As you see in our video, it took a while to separate the parties -- Afroman wasn't directly involved in the mix -- and tensions were high in the room. Afroman came down on the venue staffers, whom he said had a responsibility to manage Buck and the talent better.

Now, Young Buck himself had words for Afroman and co. after the fact ... continuing to taunt them and suggesting they could finish their business at another time, while also claiming he was just trying to come show them love and they jumped him.

It's clear Afroman doesn't wanna drag this out -- he posted a peace treaty and well-wishes.