TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Lil Baby used his platform at The Grammys to deliver a powerful message and highlight the problem of police brutality ... even including a message to President Biden.

The rapper's performance of his song "The Bigger Picture" looked more like a Hollywood production ... opening with a scene of a black man getting gunned down by a police officer.

Social justice advocate Tamika Mallory and activist Killer Mike also made appearances during Lil Baby's performance. Mallory delivered a personal message to President Biden, saying, "President Biden, we demand justice, equity, policy and everything else that freedom encompasses. We don't need allies, we need accomplices."

The song's lyrics are based around the death and aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, including, "t's too many mothers that's grieving. They killing us for no reason. Been going on for too long to get even. Throw us in cages like dogs and hyenas."

At one point, Lil Baby stood face-to-face with a police officer before getting on the hood of a car as fireworks lit up the sky behind him.

LeBron James undeniably has moves, but guess what ... so does his daughter!!!

6-year-old Zhuri is amazing, dancing to Cardi B's, "Up." It's flawlessly executed, with the help of her dance instructor ... but it doesn't really seem Zhuri needs much instruction. Talk about projecting greatness ... this kid's gonna be a true performer.

LeBron said the dance lesson had just ended when Zhuri got to pick any song to freestyle to, and she picked Cardi's latest single. The dance is big on TikTok, but God help anyone who tries to best Zhuri, 'cause she's awesome!

LeBron wrote, "yeah it’s officially over for me guys!! I feel bad for whomever my Baby Z decides to bring home first!"

Cardi B appears to be downplaying The Weeknd's fury about being snubbed at the Grammys with a spotlight on other Black artists who are getting recognized ... which is interesting.

The rapper posted a lengthy statement Saturday about her thoughts on all the Grammys drama, and while she acknowledged she did think some albums and songs probably should've gotten nominated, she doesn't seem nearly as miffed as others are.

All she has to say on the matter of snubs is ... "[M]aybe by next year they will get it right."

What she did want to talk about at length, however, was the fact that a number of lesser-known, independent Black artists WERE nominated this year ... and that they should be allowed to revel in that honor, because too often they're overlooked despite being amazing.

Cardi writes, "Don’t forget to congratulate the small black artist that got nominated that got overshadowed again cause of the drama. It’s their moment finally!" She goes on to cite artists who are up for an award, like Freddie Gibbs, Giveon, Brittany Howard, Ant Clemons, Ledisi, Luke James, Thundercat, Chika, Jean and Marcus Baylor and more ... several of whom Cardi notes that don't get the pub, like marquee names in the music biz do on the regular.

She ends by saying, "Soo besides all the bulls*** let's not forget to congratulate these artists," going on to say this is their moment too and that folks shouldn't overshadow it "cause your favorite might not be on the list." Her choice of words here certainly raises an eyebrow.

Of course, The Weeknd just recently vowed to boycott the Grammys going forward -- this after accusing them of being corrupt and running secret committees that supposedly require a lot of ass-kissing behind closed doors. The Grammys has denied that characterization.

Still, it sounds like Abel's other contemporaries mostly agree with him that the Grammys get it wrong time and again. Drake chimed in not too long ago with that exact sentiment ... and even Beyonce's gonna be a no-show on Sunday, despite being the most nominated artist.

If Dana White seriously wants MILLION DOLLAR action on the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren boxing match ... Snoop Dogg says he'll take it!!

The rap legend clearly saw the footage of Dana on Mike Tyson's podcast ... where the UFC boss said he's willing to bet $1 MILLION that Ben will destroy Jake when the clash in the boxing ring in April.

Now, Snoop -- who was the announcer during Jake's last boxing match against Nate Robinson -- wants to RAISE the stakes.

"Hey Dana White, I see you got faith in your boy right?! Going up against my guy Jake."

"You say you got a million?! You’re the CEO of UFC. You got more than a million. Put up TWO. Put up $2 million and we’ll match it."

Remember, Jake Paul made a similar offer to Dana -- but so far, the UFC honcho hasn't responded.

Gotta wonder if Snoop's call-out is more interesting to Dana?!

"C’mon Dana, whatchu waiting on?! Your money is good," Snoop added.

"Yeah, I got Jake. Fight night. That's my guy. That's my dog in the fight. $2 million. Holla at me, Dana White."

Jake is 2-0 as a boxer -- with a violent KO of Nate Robinson on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight back in 2020.

Ben, on the other hand, is a decorated MMA fighter who's gone toe-to-toe with some of the baddest men in combat sports.

Dr. Dre's wife just got shut down by the judge in her divorce case ... after claiming she fears for her safety because he refers to her in his new track as a "greedy bitch."

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Nicole Young requested an emergency domestic violence restraining order ... citing the song released last month, in which Dre calls her a "bitch and a perjurer."

Nicole says this is nothing new, but claims with the new track "he has upped the ante and is now outright threatening me to keep my mouth shut or else."

According to the docs filed by attorney Samantha Spector ... Nicole feels this latest alleged threat -- along with her past allegations of spousal abuse -- justify an emergency restraining order, but the judge begged to differ and denied her request because of "insufficient evidence."

As for Dre's response to her allegations, filed by Laura Wasser, he says he's only seen or spoken to Nicole one time since she filed for divorce in June 2020 .... and that was when she visited him at the hospital in January, following his brain aneurysm.

Dre says he's had no contact with her otherwise, and categorically denies all of her abuse claims.

He adds since she made her allegations in August, he "realized he had no idea who the woman he was married to was and he wanted nothing to do with her."

Tekashi 6ix9ine says he banked $20 million since his release from prison last April, and his massive hit "GOOBA," his first cash cow, was a highly irregular ripoff ... this according to a new lawsuit.

BEATDEMONS, a TX-based producer group, is suing Tekashi, claiming "GOOBA" is a mirror image of its song, "Regular."

According to the suit, the similarities are eerie -- from the melody, to form, to structure and function. In other words, they say "GOOBA" is a "Regular" steal.

BEATDEMONS claims "Regular" was released in 2018 and a video of the song scored 152,000 views. So they're saying Tekashi or his people must have heard the song and got so inspired they crossed the line and ripped BEATDEMONS off.

The stakes are high, because "GOOBA" was a massive hit ... it has 700M views on YouTube and charted #1 on Billboard's Streaming Charts. The song also went platinum.

BEATDEMONS wants the profits from "GOOBA," which amount to a king's ransom.

Justin Bieber's on cloud 9 right now, and letting everyone know he was able to snag a pair of Kanye West's sold-out new shoes.

The Biebs showed off his Yeezy 450 in Cloud Whites while running errands Tuesday in Beverly Hills. The kicks are pretty easy to spot, what with the unique profile and all.

Of course, the shoes were pretty much impossible to get your hands on ... as we reported, Kanye's latest offering sold out Saturday in a matter of seconds during a mad scramble on the Adidas app and YeezySupply.com, with most folks walking away empty-handed.

Justin has the best sneaker hookup -- likely getting 'em straight from the source.

Remember, JB and Kanye are super tight these days. Ye even hosted Justin and Hailey at his Wyoming ranch when the couple was tooling around in an RV.

The Yeezy 450 in Cloud Whites retail for $200 and folks are reselling them for around $500.

Kim Kardashian's divorce from Kanye West might not be the sole focus of the farewell season of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" ... but it's definitely gonna get some airtime.

In a trailer for the show's 20th and final season, Kim cries with a wad of tissues in her hand and exclaims ... "I feel like a f***ing loser."

It's presumed since the show was filming for much of the past year that Kim's breakdown is related to the tumultuous times for her and Kanye, as their marital issues came to a head during his 2020 run for President, several Twitter tirades ... and a bipolar episode.

Kim and Kanye aren't getting all the shine -- Kendall wanting kids, Khloe and Tristan considering surrogacy, Kourtney and Scott Disick possibly reconciling and Kris talking about meeting up with Caitlyn Jenner are all topics to look forward to ... based on the trailer.

Kanye West has still got the Midas touch when it comes to kicks, because his new offering from Adidas sold out in ONE MINUTE!!!

The Yeezy 450 in Cloud Whites flew off the virtual shelves, shutting down critics who thought the weird silhouette was off-putting.

There was a mad scramble on the Adidas app and YeezySupply.com, with lots of fans walking away from their computers empty-handed. They were clearly not quick on the draw, and you know what they say about snoozin' ...

To be specific ... the shoes became available Saturday at 7 AM ... if you were later than 7:01 you'd be SOL.

As for pricing ... the shoes retail for $200, but some of the folks who snagged them are asking north of $500.

Bobby Shmurda's getting back to work for NBA All-Star Weekend in Atlanta ... and he's set to bank big bucks for his first performances since getting sprung from prison.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... after the rapper takes the mic Friday night for his triumphant return at Compound nightclub in the ATL, he'll walk away with $125,000.

Bobby's hosting the event -- dubbed his "Welcome Home Party" -- with 50 Cent, but it's just one of several gigs he has on the books for the hoops and hip-hop weekend.

We're told Shmurda's also signed on for smaller, private events that will ultimately bring his haul to more than $300K for a few days' work.

Of course, Bobby's not the only rapper taking advantage of the All-Star festivities. Our sources say his pal Rowdy Rebel -- who was also released from prison early this year -- will make $59k for his show at Halo Lounge.

Likewise, Lil Durk's set to score $100k for his Saturday night gig at Opera Nightclub.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has been on the rollercoaster of a lifetime, but his latest ups and downs are all about yo-yo'ing big time on his weight ... and we found out why.

6ix9ine got into the nitty-gritty of his recent weight gain/loss Wednesday on 'TMZ Live' -- where he dished on how exactly he ended up a full 70 pounds heavier within a few months of getting out of prison.

Ya might've heard ... Tekashi says he hit a whopping 204 lbs. during home confinement last year -- he was about 130 lbs. when he left the pen -- but miraculously dropped the poundage in record time ... something he alluded to recently on social media.

He explains he was able to get himself back down to around 140 lbs., adding this in celebration ... "In the chaos of everything that is going on in your life, tell yourself 'I control what happens in my life' do NOT let anyone tell you that things you want it’s not possible, that’s FALSE!"

So many questions here, which Harvey and Charles dug into with Tekashi -- such as, what the hell was he eating to gain so much weight -- and perhaps just as important, how'd he lose it all so quickly???

Tekashi's got the answers ... and his solution might be a bit more primitive than any fad diet out right now. Turns out, the answer to tons of Chinese food is ... sweat and misery.

Tekashi 6ix9ine does NOT believe what he did in court to save his own skin was snitching ... and he laid out his argument Thursday on "TMZ Live."

As you know, Tekashi became the star witness in his 2018 RICO case by testifying against his fellow gang member buddies ... which resulted in their conviction.

Tekashi argues it all boils down to loyalty -- or a lack thereof. He makes a decent point about beefing with just about everyone from coast-to-coast and ultimately being targeted by his own crew in what amounted to a scary stick-up job.

You'll recall ... Tekashi was kidnapped by his own security team in the summer of 2018 -- part of which was captured on dashcam video and surveillance footage. He was taken for a ride around the block, where he was threatened at gunpoint, and ordered to fork over cash and jewels he had at his NYC pad ... an exchange ultimately carried out by his then-GF.

In light of that, 6ix9ine explains he doesn't owe anything to those guys ... and even suggests what he did was wise. The Nine Trey Bloods almost certainly feel differently.

Of course, we also had to ask how he's holding up these days, and whether he fears for his life now that he's labeled a traitor with a violent gang. Fact is ... Tekashi was looking over his shoulder when the subject was raised ... but it ain't for the reason you'd think.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are giving their children some much-needed stability during their divorce ... Kim may be keeping their 4 kids in the only home they've ever known.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ...  Kim has been staying with their kids in the family home in Hidden Hills ... and that may be permanent as well.

It's an interesting decision for several reasons. Kanye designed the home ... it's pretty spectacular though very austere -- almost museum-like. You might think Kanye would want to keep the home since it's a multi-year passion project of his, but the fact is Kanye doesn't have any real ties to that area. On the other hand, most of Kim's family live within a block of her in the same community, and family is important to the kids in the middle of the divorce.

We're also told Kim really likes the house, so it's not like she wants to pick up stakes and move.

It's unclear where Kanye will take up his permanent residence, but it's no secret Wyoming has pretty much become his home over the last few years ... it's where he's got a massive ranch, and where he moved his Yeezy brand.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim filed to divorce Kanye last month after nearly 7 years of marriage, and we're told the split is amicable.

Kodak Black is on the move -- or he's about to be anyway, because a judge just signed off on him being able to pack up and hit the road ... with limitations, of course.

A federal judge just approved Kodak's motion to travel for work purposes only -- giving him the green light to go out of state ... so long as he lets 'em know exactly where he's going.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge says KB has to provide a full itinerary to his probation officer, including where he'll be staying during the travel. Naturally, he'll also have to keep his nose clean while out and about.

In his original filing seeking the OK for this, Kodak's attorneys said his plans were to continue the charitable work he's been engaged in lately -- specifically citing the scholarship he set up in the name of one of the Parkland victims, Meadow Pollack, which he recently commemorated with a public service.

Tekashi 6ix9ine had a forcefield of protection around him in late 2018 -- shortly before he was locked up -- but forgot to pay the people guarding him ... so claims a security company in a new lawsuit.

69 is being sued by Metropolitan Patrol, which claims it provided protection for the guy ... including 11 days in November 2018. Part of that time Tekashi was in L.A. rolling deep with bodyguards, as seen in pics.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Metropolitan Patrol says Tekashi signed a contract with them in which they agreed to provide round-the-clock armed security. The lawsuit even includes a detailed schedule of shifts they claim to have worked work.

It looks like the rate was $85/hour during the day, while the late-night shifts cost $127.50/hour.

MP also claims it provided him armored vehicles ... namely, a fully-loaded Yukon with ballistic panels and 2 police-style Ford Explorers complete with lights, sirens, everything.

All in all, Metropolitan says Tekashi's tab came to a little over $75k for the job -- but when it came time to pay up, they claim he simply refused to fork over the money. Now, they want a judge to step in.

Metropolitan wants what they say they’re owed on the contract plus late fees and legal fees that have added up ... in total, they're asking for north of $88k.

Snoop Dogg is introducing his grandson to the culture -- the classic car culture -- while also staking his claim as the coolest grandpa on earth!!!

The Doggfather and his grandkid, Zion, hit up Mel's Drive-in on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood for some serious family bonding ... checking out the whips and jamming to Snoop's classic, "My Heat Goes Boom."

Little Zion here is the spawn of Snoop's oldest son, Corde Broadus, and he's already getting schooled in all things West Coast ... complete with low riders and g-funk music. Zion's Uncle Cordell, aka Snoop's 2nd born, was also there for the Sunday meet-up.