TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Rich the Kid promised to promote Fashion Nova and mention the company in one of his tracks, but the clothing line says he took their money and ran ... according to a lawsuit.

Fashion Nova claims it struck a deal with Rich back in October 2018 for the rapper to exclusively promote the brand on social media, post pictures with its hashtags, and give the brand a shout-out in a song.

But, according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Rich went ghost after getting a $100k advance. Fashion Nova says RTK was supposed to perform the contracted duties between October 2018 and December 2018, but to this day he's yet to come through ... much less reimburse the company for that fat advance.

As a result ... Fashion Nova claims it's suffered $2.1 million in damages and is suing the rapper for breaching his contract and making false promises.

Cardi B is turning off Twitter because she says her fans are toxic -- especially after her decision to get back with Offset -- and she's not about to let them treat her like a Disney star.

CB's Twitter account is non-existent as of Monday -- this after she apparently deactivated it this weekend. The move to go dark follows a wild rant she went on Saturday on IG Live, in which she called out her fans for getting all up in her biz about her marriage.

It seems a lot of her followers are expressing concern -- or are just flat out pissed -- about her getting back with her husband. Cardi says some have even reached out to friends of hers, asking them to intervene ... suggesting she's not well for the reconciliation.

Welp, Cardi had more than ENOUGH of it.

She literally cussed out her fans ... telling them to stay in their lane, and said she's grown and will do whatever the hell she wants.

Cardi also invoked JoJo Siwa and Ariana Grande in her tirade -- saying teenage fans were engaging with her and acting as if she's a former child Disney star or something. NOPE!!!! Cardi checked them on that and told 'em to butt out ... 'cause she's got real problems.

BTW, CB also gave a little bit of insight into why she can't just up and go date someone new so easily ... saying she's not your average Jane who can play the field on the low.

Remember, already Cardi touched on this issue of an over-invasive fanbase infiltrating her real life, but in much more joke-y terms. Now, she's not playing ... some fans have crossed the line, for her, and she's taking a timeout because of it.

Young Thug allegedly caused his long-time chauffeur to get the crap beaten out of him at a house party, and now the driver's threatening to sue the boss.

Derrick Thrasher says he worked as a personal driver for Young Thug over the past 7-8 years. He claims YT invited him to a party in L.A. back in May, where he got into an argument with another rapper named Lil Duke.

Now, according to Thrasher's lawyers ... the driver took the high road, and left the party to avoid a brawl. However, Thrasher says duty called -- Young Thug needed a ride home, so the driver had to go back to the party ... and that's when he claims he was viciously assaulted and beaten.

In the letter, sent to Young Thug, Thrasher's attorneys -- Paul M. Aloise Jr. and Ryan P. Molaghan -- say their client was held down, punched, kicked and had a liquor bottle smashed over his head. He claims he ended up needing surgery.

The driver is now threatening a lawsuit against Young Thug and Lil Duke's record label, 300 Entertainment, if they can't agree on a settlement.

Bobby Shmurda has big plans for when he gets out of prison, but he's gotta put 'em on the back burner because the parole board still isn't feeling his whole "I've changed" vibe.

The rapper told the board he wants to resume his career in entertainment, but also wants to do outreach programs with troubled youth who need guidance. According to a transcript of his September parole hearing ... he also told the parole board he thinks of himself now as a "leader" and not a follower.

Shmurda claims he got into a lot of trouble when he was younger because he felt he would look like a punk if he walked away from fights. He added that's all changed now, and said he feels too "grown" to be fighting and arguing.

As we first reported, Bobby was denied parole during the hearing, but the transcript reveals exactly how he made his case to be released. According to the docs, he said he's no longer impulsive, and takes time to think about others and walk away from bad situations when they pop up.

There's a good reason that didn't fly with the board. In denying Shmurda, board members pointed out he's had "multiple" violations while in prison, including allegedly having a shank, fighting and drug possession.

It's officially going down ... Joe Rogan is hosting Kanye West on his uber-popular podcast -- and it sounds like Ye's been given license to get creative with the look.

Kanye tweeted out the news Saturday -- wishing his public request from last week into existence. He writes, "Joe Rogan said it’s cool for me to design the set for our podcast this Friday ⛷." KW also attached a couple screengrabs from a FaceTime convo they had.

The summit of personalities, if you will, comes just a few days after Kanye expressed interest in sitting down and chatting on the 'JRE' -- which has millions of followers ... and which now lives exclusively on Spotify after years on YouTube. Talk about a big get for them, huh?

Now, Joe hasn't confirmed the chat himself just yet, but something tells us it's happening. While JR didn't directly respond to Kanye's plea this past week ... we know he's been wanting to book Ye for a while to pick his brain. He's praised Kanye as a genius of sorts in the past ... likening him to someone who operates on a different plane with higher voltage.

Of course, this also allows Joe to get in on the presidential race ... sorta. Remember, he recently floated the idea of moderating a multi-hour podcast-style debate between Trump and Biden -- something Trump was actually down for ... the implication being, we think, that JB wouldn't be able to hang for that long. Joe's podcasts often run three to four hours-plus.

Quavo appears to wanna be the next Travis Scott or J Balvin ... as far as hamburgers go.

The Migos rapper just posted some pics of himself at a McDonald's -- where he's ordering his go-to favorite meal. By the looks of it, this seems to be a direct plea to the Golden Arches for a potential partnership -- similar to what they've been doing with artists lately.

Quavo's own "meal deal" would include ... a plain double cheeseburger, their new spicy McNuggets, a medium fry and some barbecue sauce. The line McDonald's employees can yell out to prospective Quavo-inspired customers ... "What U Want???" Has a nice ring to it!

He even posted an up-close shot of what the food bundle looks like from his POV -- it ain't exactly as professional and touched-up as J Balvin's sponsorship shoot, or the inaugural Travis meal that kicked this whole trend off for that matter, but hey ... it's a starting concept.

Now, if Quavo is trying to will a McDonald's deal into existence, there's a big problem from what we can see. Dude forgot to tag @McDonalds!!! C'mon, bruh ... that's marketing 101.

Snoop Dogg's hooking up his late auntie one more time ... with an assist from Cemetery Tim.

The guy who created extravagant tombstones for Eazy-E and Nate Dogg tells TMZ ... Snoop and his family reached out at the beginning of September about a tombstone for his late auntie, Annette Daniel. She died in June 2019 and is buried in L.A.'s famed Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Problem was ... we're told the place the family originally purchased a headstone had been giving them the run around for about a year now.

Snoop finally had enough ... he reached out to Cemetery Tim and he immediately started working on the design.

We're told Tim got the final approval for the design and it's now in production. It's slated to be completed in 4 weeks. No word on the cost, but you know Snoop spared no expense.

Drake's legal team is calling BS on injuries a man claims he suffered in a beatdown, because as they put it ... the guy wasn't too depressed or injured to appear on a reality TV show.

As you might recall, Bennett Sipes claimed he suffered a concussion, back injury, physical injury and depression after a March 2018 fight at Delilah nightclub with Drake, Odell Beckham and others. Sipes filed a lawsuit over the fight, but Drake's attorneys filed docs pointing out Sipes not only appeared on "Love Island" recently ... they also claim he attended music festivals and did backflips off rope swings while on vacay in Mexico.

As they say in the docs, obtained by TMZ, Sipes "appeared anything but depressed."

The legal docs include a declaration from Sipes' ex-GF, Sommer Ray Beaty, saying he started working with her after the brawl. She claims he carried her camera equipment without difficulty. She also claims Sipes seemed fine after his visible injuries healed -- and they traveled together to Mexico, Maryland, Colorado, England, France, Italy and Japan. She claims they also attended Coachella, Stagecoach and Rolling Loud Festival.

Drake's team also says Sipes deleted a bunch of text messages with Beaty ... which they say is a big no-no while the lawsuit was pending. They suspect the messages could have shed some light on Sipes' alleged injuries or the incident itself.

TMZ broke the story ... Sipes sued Drake, OBJ and Kourtney Kardashian's ex, Younes Bendjima, back in January 2019 claiming Younes attacked him along with members of Drake and OBJ's entourage. Sipes' ex said in her declaration both Drake and OBJ were standing at the back of the group and "appeared to simply be observing what was happening and following the group out of curiosity. Neither of them seemed to be instructing others or encouraging others to do anything at all."

Sipes had alleged Drake made a "throat slash" gesture and that's what triggered his crew to beat Sipes to a pulp. But, Sipes' ex contradicts that ... claiming she did not see any "throat slash" gesture "nor did I observe Drake encourage anything at all."

Cardi B getting back with Offset has some of her fans accusing her of staying in a mentally abusive relationship, but Cardi's firing back ... as only she can.

The rapper posted a video late Thursday to remind fans, and haters alike, she's gonna live life on her terms no matter what anyone thinks about her reconciling with her husband.

Cardi mocked the comments she's seen online, saying ... "Twitter users be like, 'Cardi, you're in a mentally abusive relationship. Oh my gosh. We gotta save you."

Then she made it clear they've got it all wrong ...  "I be, All right, but can I f**k him today? Because I need to have sex."

Cardi also made a totally sarcastic apology to her fans saying, "Imma just give ya an apology because ya want me to apologize for living MY LIFE the way that ya live YOURS. Im sorry. Im not perfect I don’t want to be neither."

You get the point ... she's sick of getting flak for getting back with Offset. She's already denied doing it for attention, and said the real reason she's been flip-flopping is because she's a "crazy bitch."

BTW, she also gave a hilarious shout-out to all the guys sliding into her DMs.

Kodak Black is digging his new digs ... he's been moved out of the Kentucky prison where he claimed he was being tortured.

The rapper's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... Kodak was recently transferred to USP Thomson, a high-security prison in Illinois, where KB says the guards are treating him better than in Kentucky.

Kodak's change of scenery comes after we first reported on his lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons for alleged torture ... he claimed his life was a living hell at Big Sandy maximum security prison.

The BOP tells us Kodak was transferred from Big Sandy to FTC Oklahoma City on Oct. 5 --- just 2 weeks after Kodak filed his lawsuit -- and a few days later, Kodak was transferred to Thomson.

BTW ... the BOP tells us FTC Oklahoma City acts as a transfer center, which is why the feds moved Kodak again shortly after his arrival.

Kodak's attorney says he spoke with KB on the phone Wednesday, and KB told him he was glad to be out of Big Sandy. One reason -- Cohen says Kodak told him the guards at Thomson are more professional.

We contacted prison officials to find out the reason for the transfer, but they would not comment.

While Kodak's attorney says the rapper is in a better situation than before, it's still not ideal ... he's now 1,500 miles away from his family in Florida, which will make it harder for them to visit, should they ever get the chance.

We're told Kodak's still not happy about his visitation and commissary situation, claiming he's only been able to speak to his legal team after last year's fight with guards in a Miami prison.

Kodak's attorney tells us he hopes to get the rapper's privileges fully reinstated within the next several months.

Cardi B is confirming what our own eyes have been telling us -- she and Offset are back together, and to hell with that pending divorce.

During the rapper's birthday celebration last weekend and another outing in Atlanta together this week, they seemed way more like a happily married couple than exes moving on ... and Cardi says the reason is pretty simple.

Cardi denies she's gone back to Offset for attention, instead it's just that she's a "crazy bitch" who can't make up her mind. She says one day she's happy, the next day she wants to beat him up ... and then she starts to miss him all over again.

She adds ... "It’s hard not to talk to your best friend. It's really hard not to talk to your best friend."

Of course, there's also a sexual reason too. Cardi put it bluntly -- "It's really hard to have no d**k."

Cardi also responded to haters accusing her of only taking her husband back because he bought her a brand new Rolls for her 28th bday. It's not an outright denial, but again it sounds more like Offset just has what Cardi wants ... in his pants.

Cardi also casually claimed she's not bipolar and even took a test to prove it.

As you'll recall, they've been through rocky patches before, and even though Cardi filed for divorce last month claiming their marriage was beyond repair ... she's seeing it differently now. Or at least today.

Lil Uzi Vert took a paintball match to the streets of his hometown, but the fun didn't last long -- cops ended up busting his friends.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Philly-based rapper's pals were detained and cited Tuesday night after reports came in about them firing what appeared to be real guns out the window of a vehicle near N. Philadelphia.

We're told officers eventually found the car in question and searched it ... recovering 7 different paintball guns.

They kinda brought this on themselves via social media. Uzi himself documented the paintball war with his buddies on his own IG Live. Somebody captured the footage and posted it on YouTube afterward, and you actually see the dude firing.

The equipment he's using seems to be pretty advanced -- almost like, well, an Uzi-style paintball gun that can shoot several rounds at once. In Uzi's clip, you can even see some of the damage he or one of his friends did on the side of a nearby SUV ... lit it up pretty good.

At one point, Uzi discusses someone getting "the law" involved -- but he laughs it off, claiming he's the law around those parts.

Not last night! Uzi and co. were all released after getting tickets.

Cardi B and Offset are looking more like a married couple who aren't about to get divorced than the other way around -- further proof they might be patching things up.

CB and her not-so-estranged hubby are back home in ATL, and hit the town together Tuesday night with a couple pals in tow. While they were at the venue, Cardi flashed her camera over to Offset, who was seated right beside her.

No PDA that we can see ... but Offset had some footage up on his own IG that was more explicit as far as his feelings for Cardi in the moment. He posted vid of them dancing at the club, and tagged it with "I wanna f**k."  Can't get any clearer than that!!!

The doting husband also recorded Cardi brushing her hair in the car and both of them goofing around. Seems like they're pretty chummy for folks who are headed toward divorce.

This is a continuation of the affection we saw Cardi giving Offset during her birthday celebration this past weekend, where she was giving the dude full-blown lap dances.

We know Offset has saved their relationship in the past ... is it possible your boy has done it again??? Sure feels like it 👀.

Dr. Dre's estranged wife, Nicole Young, is being investigated by the LAPD for alleged embezzlement ... sources close to the case tell TMZ.

We're told Dre's business partner, Larry Chatman, recently went to the police and filed a report, claiming Nicole withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from their business account without authorization ... something Larry had previously alleged in legal letters fired off to Nicole's side in the past few weeks.

In the report to LAPD, Dre's team claims Nicole embezzled $385,029. We're told LAPD detectives are aware Larry believes Nicole is the culprit, and they're looking into it now. For the record, Dre did not file the report.

As we previously reported ... Dre's called out Nicole for 2 withdrawals -- which total the $385k -- in their divorce case. Nicole has said she had a right to the money in that corporate account because her name is on it.

If charges are brought forth from this, it's possible Nicole could do time.

Nicole's legal team has previously told us Chatman's claims against her are nothing but a smear attempt and a PR stunt as she navigates her pending divorce from Dre. Her attorneys maintain she's done nothing wrong thus far.

We've reached out to Nicole's lawyer again about the police investigation ... so far, no word back.

Tory Lanez has just been ordered to stay the hell away from Megan Thee Stallion after a hearing for his felony assault charge.

Tory appeared by phone for Tuesday's hearing in L.A. County court for what was supposed to be his arraignment ... but his attorney, Shawn Holley, requested a continuance. It was granted so he did not enter a plea. The judge, however, issued a protective order against Tory ... and now he's gotta stay at least 100 yards away from MTS, and not contact her.

His bail was set at $190k ... which he'll be posting via a bondsman present at the hearing. The hearing comes on the same day MTS wrote an op-ed for The New York Times on why she speaks up for Black women, saying she's not afraid of criticism and being adamant that saying "protect Black women" should NOT be a controversial topic.

She also addressed the Tory Lanez case, saying, "I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place."

Meg added, "My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted."

As we reported ... The L.A. County D.A.'s Office slapped him with 1 count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and 1 count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. The D.A. also alleges Tory inflicted great bodily injury on Megan.

If convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

Tory defended himself publicly last week and said he deserves his day in court. As we told you ... the rapper broke his silence Friday morning and reminded fans the "charge is not a conviction."

Kanye West appears to have one final trick up his sleeve in the last-minute blitz of his presidential campaign ... let go, and let God.

Ye just filed legal docs to lock up the rights to "God Save America" -- which he wants to slap on shirts, sweaters and hoodies in what seems to be a final-ditch effort to push his message that was front-and-center in his 1st campaign ad ... bringing faith back to politics.

Unclear if this is a campaign slogan -- like Barack Obama's famous HOPE or Trump's Make America Great Again -- but it sure reads like one. The phrase also feels like a play on "God Bless America" ... both patriotic, but kinda sanctimonious too with "Save" swapped in.

Kanye filed for the trademark last week, which lines up closely with the release of his debut campaign ad ... something that just hit the ether Monday, 3 weeks before voters hit the polls on Nov. 3. Some people feel this ad -- and maybe now this new catchphrase he wants to lock up -- is too little, too late. That, or maybe just in time ... depends on who you ask.