TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Jets receiver Jerome Kapp transformed into Eminem for New York's rookie talent show this month ... and the guy crushed the role so hard -- even Aaron Rodgers had to give him a standing ovation.

The performance all went down last week inside a Jets team meeting ... when after the veterans made some of the squad's newcomers grab a mic for them, Kapp decided to re-enact Em's famous freestyle from "8 Mile."

And, thanks to "Hard Knocks" cameras -- we got to see the epic concert in its entirety.

Kapp threw on a beanie and a hood, put the movie's famous track on the speakers ... and then he got busy.

"Everybody from the 3-1-3 put your motherf***ing hands up and follow me!" he yelled ... before rapping the legendary Eminem verses word-for-word.

Kapp even hit the a cappella portion of the song ... and when he wrapped up, his teammates -- including Rodgers -- exploded.

Drake paid homage to LeBron James on Monday night, but on Tuesday, he tipped his cap to another Laker legend -- Kobe Bryant -- and the impromptu tribute to the Mamba was pretty cool.

Drizzy was performing yet another show at Crypto.com Arena as part of his "It's All A Blur" tour -- his sixth stop in the City of Angels this month -- and when someone threw a black, Bryant Lakers jersey on stage ... he paused his show to remember the Hall of Famer.

The 36-year-old rapper picked up the No. 24 uni and told the sold-out crowd at the venue where Bryant played almost all of his home games for his entire NBA career, "I'mma hold this up 'cause we got to show love to Kobe one time."

"Ya'll make some noise for Kobe at this time," he added.

The fans in attendance roared for several moments ... before Drake continued on with his performance.

It's the second time in as many days that Drake has urged his crowd to support the Lakers -- at Monday's show in Crypto, he featured James and the L.A. star's son, Bronny, a couple times during the concert.

Tuesday's tribute, though, was perhaps the most fitting ... considering this week is a special one for Bryant and his family.

Jhene Aiko and Big Sean are seeking court-ordered protection from a creepy fan they say keeps showing up to their concerts, events and home.

Jhene beelined it to court Monday and filed for a temporary restraining order against a 29-year-old man named Ian Craig Lees, who she claims recently snuck onto her Pacific Palisades property.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jhene says despite being a total stranger, the guy appears determined to make contact with her ... and now she says she fears for her life.

Jhene claims the guy's been going to her shows and events, and things reached a head earlier this month when he allegedly got into a physical altercation with the residential security in her neighborhood.

The singer claims the guy breached their gated community's security post and got inside the home she shares with Big Sean, their son and her daughter.

The City Girls are at odds over which project should be considered their debut album ... a shocking yet not-all-that-surprising revelation once you hear all the details.

Caresha and JT were both tasked by Complex to pick the greatest hip hop album of all time and naturally picked their own projects ... but when JT referred to "Girl Code" as their debut project, Caresha argued that its predecessor, "Period," was their inaugural album.

Here's where it gets tricky ... both projects were released through their longtime label, Quality Control, 6 months apart in 2018 with "Period" arriving first.

However, Quality Control billed "Period" a mixtape when it dropped, so technically JT is correct. Record labels tend to use the mixtape tag to test the waters for a project, which means there's little consequence if it fails.

A rep for QC tells TMZ Hip Hop the label officially recognizes "Girl Code" -- complete with City Girls' Billboard-debuting singles "Twerk" and "Act Up" -- as their first project, so that's that.

If we're gonna get even more technical, one could argue the City Girls' never had a proper debut, at least as far as rollout goes.

"Girl Code" was released while JT was in prison for credit card fraud, and its follow-up, 2020's "City On Lock," leaked prematurely in summer 2020, forcing the duo to piecemeal the project and promote it as it was.

GloRilla is pushing for all females to enjoy the "F.N.F." lifestyle all through their 20s, because ... YOLO!!!

The Grammy-nominated rapper put out the call Monday morning for women worldwide to display toxic behavior, and up their levels of delusion -- but only while they're in their early 20-somethings. Glo says, biologically speaking, they can't get that time back.

She also warned women not to wait until they're in their 30s to go on rampages -- such as slashing men's tires -- because that would make them old and toxic, instead of just toxic.

We wish she were joking, but Glo seems pretty serious.

Glo wasn't specific in what she considers toxic behavior, but on her last released single "Lick or Sum" ... she does brag about ghosting dudes and sneakily getting oral sex from their cousins. That would check ALL the bad dater boxes!!!

Social media users and fans didn't exactly embrace Glo's words of wisdom and pushed back considerably.

Flo Rida fans apparently come in all ages -- just ask the baby who joined the superstar rapper onstage after crowd-surfing through the audience!!!

The wild scene happened during Flo's performance at the CelebrateErie Fest on August 19 ... the baby was passed through the crowd, eventually making it to Flo's arms. At one point, Flo put the mic up the infant's mouth for them to sing along with the rowdy crowd.

Somehow, the child even found his way onto the main stage, where they were hoisted up in the air -- "Lion King" style -- while Flo jammed his hit "GDFR."

Lizzo looks and sounds unbothered by the lawsuit hanging over her head ... possibly using all the controversy as inspiration to create new art.

The "Truth Hurts" singer was spotted Monday for the first time since being sued by three of her former backup dancers who claim she sexually harassed them. Photogs asked her how she's been holding up in the face of the lawsuit.

Lizzo says she's doing good, and she was all smiles as she strolled into a recording studio in Hollywood. Her only other message ... new music is coming.

It's the first time we've heard Lizzo on camera since being sued ... she previously blasted the lawsuit in a statement, chalking it up to "sensationalized stories."

Lizzo said the days following the suit were "gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing" ... but now she seems at ease, at least publicly.

Remember ... Lizzo is being sued by a trio of former backup dancers, who claim she subjected them to nude entertainment shows in Amsterdam and Paris on tour earlier this year, claiming Lizzo pressured them to interact with the nude dancers despite their discomfort.

Two of Lizzo's accusers, Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams, previously joined us on "TMZ Live" and told us what it was like for them working under Lizzo ... alleging all of her backup dancers work in fear of losing their jobs if they don't go along with her demands.

The Fugees' reunion is officially on, centered around the blockbuster album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" ... which is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Friday.

Beginning in September, Lauryn will embark on a 17-date tour throughout New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and her New Jersey hometown, with Wyclef Jean and Pras reuniting for their first tour in years.

'Miseducation' is Lauryn's first and only solo album, but its impact has survived the test of time ... the project famously earned her 5 Grammys in one night and eventually got certified Diamond by the RIAA.

In a rare public statement, L-Boogie broke down the album's synopsis ... “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator. I wrote love songs and protest songs— (still love songs) about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me. I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.”

She elaborated on her art further writing, “I loved music, I loved people, I truly felt grateful to God for my life, and genuinely blessed to have a platform where I could share wisdom and perspective through music. I felt a charge to challenge the idea that certain kinds of expression and/or certain kinds of people didn’t belong in certain places. I loved showing what could work or happen provided there was imagination, creativity and LOVE leading the way.”

The "Killing Me Softly" trio tested the waters at The Roots' picnic back in June and will also perform classics from their Diamond-selling album "The Score."

Drake is preparing to unleash the "Dogs" ... the theme around his upcoming eighth studio album.

Drake shared the cover art for the album on Monday, hand-drawn by his 5-year-old son Adonis ... a ghoulish-looking white dog with glowing red eyes.

If Adonis' vision is to be realized through the music, then Drake will be a lyrical Cujo on the project ... having recently barked up Childish Gambino's tree for his previous disses.

He's also been posing as dogs known for their bites ... wearing Doberman Pinscher and Bulldog masks to create buzz around the album.

Kanye West's wife Bianca Censori is apparently showing too much skin for some residents of Italy ... because they want her to be booted from the country or arrested!!

The couple was galivanting around Italy over the past month ... and Bianca didn't leave much to the imagination during their outings. She was photographed braless, wearing sheer, tightfitting bodysuits that exposed her private parts.

In one instance, The Daily Mail reported, Bianca was forced to cover her nipples with a black bag strapped across her chest.

A number of Italians took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with Bianca showing off her naked body.

One critic wrote, "How about police in every country arrest anyone who is nude? It's called indecency ... Tired of being forced to see nude women and should be illegal for children to see this."

Another said, "I hope Italy kicks them both out of the country. They don't need this pair polluting it."

A third pointed out it was "Completely disrespectful to a conservative catholic culture; the Italians should have kicked them out."

We guess that's what they mean when they say, "When in Rome ..."

LeBron James may not wear No. 6 anymore, but he's still got love for the 6 God -- the Lakers superstar and Bronny were front and center at Drake's concert in L.A. on Monday ... escorting the rapper out to the stage at the start of the show!!

Drizzy has made it a thing throughout his "It's All a Blur" tour ... enlisting famous celebs and friends to walk out with him before his performance.

Fittingly enough, Drake decided to give the James Gang the honor at Crypto.com Arena ... and judging by their faces, the ballers were thrilled with the rockstar treatment.

It's great to see Bronny at yet another public outing ... considering he suffered cardiac arrest at a USC workout less than a month ago.

Drizzy also gave Bron a big shout-out during the show ... thanking the four-time champ for being a day one supporter.

One of the mothers of Ne-Yo's children is speaking out after he slammed parents who let their kids transition genders ... making it clear, his thoughts aren't aligned with hers.

Monyetta Shaw-Carter, mom to Madilyn and Mason, tells TMZ ... she's fully aware of the things the singer said recently about the transgender community, and while she respects his opinion, she adds, "Those views are HIS."

She tells us she stands with the LGBTQ+ community -- but, to be clear, she's not bashing Ne-Yo for what he said, noting they still have a positive co-parenting relationship.

As we reported, Ne-Yo condemned parents who affirm their kids' gender identity, saying he grew up with only 2 genders ... and claimed he's got no problem with people identifying as they wish, but added, "It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game."

He later offered up his "deepest apologies" to anyone he hurt with his comment -- only to clarify his apology hours later, saying he's not sorry for having an opinion, just for the hurt feelings.

BTW, Ne-Yo also claimed the way he keeps a healthy relationship with Monyetta -- as well as his ex-wife, Crystal, and ex-GF, Sadé -- is by keeping the bickering away from the kiddos.

Jermaine Dupri feels the city of Atlanta got a raw deal when it comes to commercialized celebrations of hip hop's 50th anniversary -- but Charlamagne tha God is asking why JD didn't step up and put one together???

Last week, JD stirred up controversy by calling out brands for their lack of hip hop soirees on ATL soil ... forcing the music mogul to clarify himself Monday after fans kept giving him crap about his comments.

The "Money Ain't a Thang" rapper explained he was only attacking companies with big bucks for not getting ATL in the mix, and didn't have any animosity toward any other celebrations of hip hop's culture. Parties, are the priority here, people!!!

Charlamagne also questioned JD's response on Monday ... noting how the So So Def founder easily has the influence to pull off the kind of function he was demanding from corporate powers that be.

Several other fans were perplexed by JD's rationale.

Sprite, one of hip hop's longstanding corporate partners, got several rap legends "together" last week ... T.I., Young Dro, Crime Mob, and even JD himself, who was honored with an award in front of the audience!!!

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also partnered with Amazon, Mercedes-Benz, and even the homegrown concert series, One MusicFest, just to name a few, to help spearhead the city's Hip Hop 50 celebrations.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are now officially parents twice over ... as we've learned she secretly gave birth to another baby boy earlier this month.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the baby arrived August 3rd in Los Angeles. We don't yet know the kiddo's name, but we do know it starts with "R" and it's a boy.

The last time we saw Rihanna was back in June, when she and Rocky were globetrotting, she looked far along in her pregnancy at that time.

Remember ... Rihanna announced her second pregnancy back in February, during her Super Bowl halftime show. RiRi was rocking an obvious baby bump for the huge surprise, shocking viewers all around the globe.

Rihanna and Rocky welcomed their first child together back on May 13, 2022 ... naming their little boy RZA Athelston Mayers in a nod to the famous leader of the Wu-Tang Clan.

So the latest development officially makes RZA a big brother.

As we reported ... RiRi went topless during a maternity photo shoot for her first pregnancy, though she didn't share the photos until a few days after RZA's first birthday.

When she posted the pics, Rihanna hinted at a second topless maternity shoot because she included a #tobecontinued hashtag on her post ... so it will be interesting to see if she follows through.

Congrats to the whole family!!!

Eminem's dissed a ton of people throughout his career but Benzino is taking his past snipes from Slim Shady in stride ... while also coming clean he used his Source magazine publication to get a bit of revenge!!!

While speaking on Math Hoffa's "My Expert Opinion," Benzino recalled being impressed with Eminem's 2002 diss track "Nail In the Coffin" ... despite the song labeling Benzino an "83-year-old fake [Al] Pacino."

Benzino and Eminem infamously waged a rap war in the mid-00s that eventually roped in 50 Cent and G-Unit, Ja Rule, Murda Inc., and infamously, The Source mag.

As time went on, Benzino says the beef began to get disrespectful, and he put his foot down and prevented Em from getting a perfect "5-mic" rating for any of his albums.

The rating was a pretty big deal in hip hop at the time, and the snubs clearly affected Em ... hence the lyrics on his 2nd Benzino diss track titled "The Sauce," where he rapped, "'The Source' was like our only source of light, when the mics used to mean somethin', a four was like, 'You were the shit,' now it's like the least you get, 3 1/2 now just means you're a piece of shit, 4 1/2 or 5 means you're Biggie, Jigga, Nas, or Benzino -- shit, I don't even think you realize you're playin' with motherfuckers' lives ... I done watched Dre get f****d on 'The Chronic' ... Probably ‘cause I was on it/Now you f****d me out of my mics twice..."

MMG rapper Gunplay landed in jail after his wife told cops he pressed a rifle against her chest and threatened her.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, cops in Miami arrested the longtime Rick Ross associate on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and child abuse. His wife, Vonshae Taylor-Morales, claims he pointed an AK-47 at her while she was carrying their 6-month-old daughter.

Vonshae told officers she and Gunplay went out to dinner and when they came home, he was "highly intoxicated and playing a game on his Xbox" extremely loudly.

She told officers when she asked him to keep the noise down, Gunplay became violent and began throwing glass liquor bottles and cups in her direction ... forcing her to cover the baby with a blanket to prevent glass from injuring her.

Afterward, she claims Gunplay then picked up an AK-47 rifle and pressed it against her chest while she held the baby, allegedly threatening ... "I will blow your shit back." Vonshae says she tried to escape, but Gunplay blocked her exit and attempted to grab the baby by her head and neck.

Vonshae stated she began screaming for help, which she says prompted Gunplay to exit the apartment and also yell for help. She says she picked up the rifle, and stashed it in her luggage for everyone's safety and then fled.

She call out Gunplay Sunday on IG, and announced she was filing for divorce after one year of marriage.

When officers arrived on the scene, they say Gunplay denied all the allegations, but was still arrested and booked on the charges.

The Florida rapper recently celebrated his 44th birthday last month ... where he displayed extreme fits of rage after the club DJ spun a couple of 50 Cent songs, causing him to flip out and throw trash cans.