TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Damon Dash is taking the L -- at least for now -- in his attempt to auction off Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt" album as an NFT ... but he's not likely to give up just yet.

A source close to the case tells us the court ruled in favor of Roc-A-Fella Tuesday by ruling Damon's prohibited from selling the NFT of Jay's debut studio album, and any planned auctions to do so must be halted.

Of course, the ruling is only temporary, but we're told the federal judge said Jay and Roc-A-Fella's arguments were "deemed credible and correct." That being said, more filings are almost certain to come in the future from Dash's side.

We broke the story ... Roc-A-Fella sued Dash -- one of its cofounders -- claiming he did not have rights to sell "Reasonable Doubt" because the company owns it.

RAF -- repped by powerhouse attorney Alex Spiro -- claimed Damon was trying to cash in on the NFT craze, so they took him to court to stop any potential sale and make him turn over any NFTs he'd already minted.

But, Dash told us the lawsuit wasn't going to stop him and clarified he wasn't just trying to sell Jay's album, but his ENTIRE stake in Roc-A-Fella. Dame claimed Jay-Z lowballed him with an offer to buy out his 1/3 stake in the company ... so he's shopping around.

YG's been helping bring medical and mental health services to the Black community for a year now, but he's not resting on his laurels ... he has bigger plans for TeleHealth Van.

The rapper -- along with NFL star Todd Gurley and owner Dion Rambo -- launched the virtual health consultation service in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to provide resources to those in L.A.'s low-income communities without health insurance or the tech needed to receive proper care.

TeleHealth Van uses a fleet of 5G-enabled vans to do so, and has helped more than 5,000 families connect with healthcare professionals since May 2020 ... but YG tells us that's not enough.

He's on a mission to take the TeleHealth model to people on probation or parole, and like he's done with the healthcare system in Black communities ... bring actual change to the criminal justice system as well.

YG says the City of L.A. is on board with his plan, and he's hopeful TeleHealth Vans will be doing a lot more good for years to come.

Just last week, Mayor Eric Garcetti honored the TeleHealth team at his home with an Official Congratulatory Award from the city for its contributions over the past 12 months.

As we've told you ... YG's also been finding other ways to help people get back on their feet during tough times, literally.

Kendrick Lamar's humble home east of L.A. has hit the market, and unlike the properties of most celebs ... it can be yours for way less than a million bucks!!!

The rapper's owned the modest -- in hip-hop star terms -- 4-bed, 2.5-bath property in the Inland Empire city of Eastvale for several years ... as it's been a family home where his parents and siblings have resided.

As we told you, though -- Kendrick bought a $2.65 million crib in Calabasas a few years ago as an investment property, and his family got to move into that one ... leaving the Eastvale pad empty.

Though it's not as glamorous as might be expected, the home is a spacious 3,500-sq.-ft. that comes with a 3-car garage and a nice yard with a BBQ station.

It was built in 2006 so it's still very modern ... and it also boasts a swimming pool and spa.

Kendrick's listed the house at $800,000, so he's set to make a nice chunk of change when it sells because he paid $523,400 for the place in 2014.

Bobby Shmurda might not have any kids of his own -- but still wanted to make someone's dad feel special on Father's Day ... rolling out the proverbial red carpet for those in his own backyard who needed it most.

The NYC-based rapper -- who's fresh out of prison after a long six years -- gave back to the community Sunday ... namely, by helping out struggling dads from different men's shelters in his home borough of Brooklyn with free grub, haircuts by pro barbers (pro bono) and even toys for their own kiddos.

We're told Bobby made at least a couple stops on his Father's Day tour -- first hitting the Win Shelter ... and then moving on over to the CAMBA Men's Shelter after that, while serving up hot meals from a Caribbean-inspired brunch menu ... which had some sweet dishes to choose from.

Some of the food available included jerk salmon, curried chickpeas, stew chicken, mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, mixed veggies, fried chicken wings and even waffles. Good eatin', no doubt. BTW, Bobby's godchildren were on hand to assist with the hot food handouts.

Speaking of kids ... our sources say Bobby made sure to hook up the kids who were on-site as well, handing out gaming consoles, Hot Wheels sets, board games, action figures, footballs, jump ropes, princess-themed costumes ... and a whole Santa bag of other goodies.

Damon Dash says Jay-Z attempted to buy his share of Roc-A-Fella records for a price that was way too low -- so he's out to find a new buyer -- and not even a lawsuit from the label will stop him.

Damon's firing back after getting sued by RAF for attempting to sell off Jay's "Reasonable Doubt" album as an NFT. Dash tells us the lawsuit is full of inaccuracies, and it's not the album he's trying to sell ... it's his ENTIRE stake in Roc-A-Fella!!!

In fact, Dash claims as recently as March of this year, Jay-Z attempted to buy his 1/3 share of RAF at, "a price I deemed unacceptable" ... so he's looking for a buyer on his own.

If he comes to an agreement with someone, Dash says, "Under the terms of the deal with a potential buyer, the buyer would buy my share of Roc a Fella Records and Jay-Z will have exclusive administration rights."

Dash claims the lawsuit filed against him Friday was only a scare tactic to prevent him from selling something he believes he has the legal right to sell.

Saweetie seems to be responding to Quavo's suggestion that he did, indeed, repo a Bentley he'd gifted her during their relationship ... by one-upping him with a new Rolls-Royce.

The rapper was photographed with RR's Client Experience rep Cassidy von Seggern -- with the two ladies posing in front of a Rolls that Saweetie appears to have just purchased, and which was being delivered to her in the Hollywood Hills, with champagne glasses in tow.

Cassidy captioned the pic ... "She a real bad bish, drive her own RR ✨#icy" -- which is a double-entendre ... referencing both Saweetie's song with Doja Cat, "Best Friend," while also alluding to a pickup line Quavo used to holler at Saweetie way back when. Well played!

Saweetie responded to Cassidy's post, writing ... "My girl ! 🤩❄️." Now, it's unclear if Cassidy posted this at Saweetie's behest, or if she did it of her own volition -- but in any case, Saweetie definitely seems to appreciate the gesture ... and the subliminal clap-back.

Now, for a bit of context ... because this Bentley chapter is long and winding. We're sure you remember the drama in the fallout of Saweetie and Quavo's messy breakup -- when it was reported that, in apparent retaliation for how things went down, Quavo repossessed the whip he gave her on her birthday last year. We were told by people in his camp there was NO truth to it -- but the man himself seems to have contradicted that ... with a new song.

In the Migos track "Having Our Way," Quavo raps a bar that goes, "Load up the bases, now I feel like Cal Ripken (Ayy) // She had it her way, now she out of a Bentley (Skrrt)."

While he didn't name-drop her specifically, he didn't really need to -- he's obviously referencing Saweetie's Bentley ... and appears to be hinting that, yeah, he took it back.

Roc-A-Fella is knocking Damon Dash's hustle ... the record company is suing one of its own founders in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, claiming Dash is trying to auction off one of Jay-Z's debut albums as an NFT.

The record company is going after Damon for allegedly trying to mint "Reasonable Doubt" as a non-fungible token (known as an NFT) and auction it off to the highest bidder ... a piece of hip-hop history RAF says is not Dame's to sell, because the company owns it.

According to the docs -- filed by powerhouse attorney Alex Spiro -- Damon planned to sell the album as an NFT at a since-canceled auction, but the company is worried DD will just try to find another platform to hold the auction.

In the suit, RAF claims Damon is "frantically scouting for another venue to make the sale" and believes DD is still looking to cash in ASAP on the recent NFT craze.

RAF's asking a court to step in and stop Damon from going through with the auction and it wants Dash to turn over any NFTs of "Reasonable Doubt" he may have already minted.

Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers got eliminated from the playoffs, the hottest ticket in town has been to see the Clippers Sierra Canyon Trailblazers play ball.

Drake and Michael B. Jordan showed up Thursday night to watch Bronny James -- LeBron's 16-year-old son -- take on the Etiwanda Eagles in their regional semi-final basketball game.

They might as well have been watching the Lakers in the Finals though, as they were really getting into the action from their courtside seats ... cheering on Bronny and Sierra Canyon's other star -- UCLA commit, Amari Bailey.

At one point in the first half, Drake was seen giving Bailey a pep talk, and it must have worked, because he did his best to keep the Trailblazers in it, leading the team with 37 points.

Bronny didn't score much other than a late three, but it wasn't enough in the end -- Sierra Canyon got beat 82-76 and lost out on a place in the regional final to end their season.

Of course, this wasn't the first Bronny game to draw a star-studded crowd. Just last week ... his famous father attended and brought along some past teammates -- J.R. Smith and Jared Dudley. Drake was there for that one too.

That game was Bronny's first of the season after missing most of it because of a torn meniscus he suffered in February. It was also a loss, so it's worth noting ... Sierra Canyon was 0-2 this season when Drake was in attendance. Hmm ... maybe the curse is back.

Kanye West is burying his head in the sand bag when it comes to dressing for L.A.'s scorching heatwave -- and could probably learn something from his new girl.

Ye was rocking full balaclava headgear while tooling -- and sweating, we imagine -- around town Tuesday while temperatures ranged from 90 to over 100 degrees. Looks like he's got a few of these, because this one was kinda camo-colored, and we saw him in a blue one last week.

We know he's a designer extraordinaire, but there's gotta be a cooler way to ride out the summer!!

For instance, Kanye's supermodel GF, Irina Shayk, seems to know exactly how to beat the heat and still look great.

Irina's in New York City, where it's about 10 degrees cooler than L.A. but still hot, and she dressed for the weather Wednesday wearing a corset and blue jeans. She's definitely not the bag-over-the-head type, so please don't give her any ideas, Kanye.

As we first told you ... Irina and Ye have been dating in the wake of his divorce from Kim Kardashian. They jetted off to France last week for his 44th birthday, and we're told they've been seeing each other since at least April.

At least Kanye's not wearing his new $200 YEEZY Gap Round jacket in this heat -- but maybe the blue long sleeve tee he was wearing might be the next Gap piece to drop.

The "Space Jam: A New Legacy" soundtrack has just been announced ... and it's filled with features from today's biggest stars -- from Lil Wayne to the Jonas Brothers to Kirk Franklin and more!!!

Of course, the first "Space Jam" soundtrack is a classic -- with iconic songs like Seal's "Fly Like An Eagle" getting radio spins to this day.

Now, the LeBron James-led flick has brought on some of the hottest names in the industry to go big for the new soundtrack ... including Lil Uzi Vert, Big Freedia, Lil Tecca & Aminé, Saweetie, Chance the Rapper, Brockhampton and 24kGoldn.

What's even cooler?? Portland Trail Blazers superstar/rapper Damian Lillard (AKA Dame D.O.L.L.A.) is also featured on the project ... and we're guessing his song might be a sort of Goon Squad anthem, considering his villainous role in the movie.

There are seriously so many more features we haven't even gotten to mentioning yet ... but luckily, the reveal came with a handy hype vid of all the folks involved.

The songs and artists weren't just picked randomly, however -- each song on the project will also be featured in the movie, director Malcolm D. Lee told Rolling Stone.

"The music that we get for the movie has to be in the body of the movie," Lee said. "So, that’s always the thing that we strived for."

The movie hits theaters in exactly one month ... and the soundtrack will be available July 9.

Lil Pump's not just throwing his support behind naming Migos to rap's Mt. Rushmore ... he's anointing them the G.O.A.T.!!!

The "Gucci Gang" rapper and his entourage were in the middle of a serious L.A. shopping spree at A Bathing Ape, and we asked him about the whole "Mt. Rushmore" debate that went down last week.

ICYMI ... the prominent hip-hop outlet, My Mixtapez, tweeted its Mt. Rushmore of Atlanta's best. Shockingly, Migos was NOT on the list. Jeezy, Future, Rich Homie Quan and Lil Baby took the honors.

Since then ... the omission has gotten attention from a lot of culture writers, including The New Yorker ... which recently penned an article headlined, "Migos Would Like to Be on Rap's Mt. Rushmore."

So, why the diss from My Mixtapez? Takeoff reportedly said he thinks they're being counted out because they're a group, with Offset suggesting a quick fix -- "It should be a little circle with all three heads like boom, boom, boom on that Mt. Rushmore, 'cause we done birthed a lot of this."

FWIW ... Migos thinks T.I., Gucci Mane, OutKast and Lil Jon also belong on the Mt. Rushmore of Atlanta's greatest. But, Lil Pump is certain Migos should be right up there with them ... regardless of being a group.

Travis Scott is publicly confirming what we knew -- he and Kylie Jenner are back together, and they're so tight he's calling her "wifey," and turning date nights into family outings.

Kylie and their daughter Stormi flew to NYC Tuesday and got all cozy with Travis while he was being honored at the 72nd annual Parsons Benefit for his contributions to fashion, design, entrepreneurship, the arts and social justice.

Stormi damn near upstaged her parents, smiling for cameras as the whole fam -- dressed to the nines, mind you -- headed into the event.

During his acceptance speech ... the rapper reportedly gushed and said, "Stormi, I love you and wifey, I love you." They also walked the red carpet together as a family ... and Kylie later posted a pic on IG with Travis fully embracing her with his arms wrapped around her.

By all reports, Travis and Kylie were all over each other during the evening ... holding hands and acting all lovey-dovey.

As we reported ... they recently rekindled things and went from simply co-parenting to full-on dating, but not exclusively. However, Travis calling her "wifey" again feels like they might be taking things to the next level.

Meg Thee Stallion's new music video ridicules, harasses and runs over a politician -- and it also has GOP politician DeAnna Lorraine feeling like there's a target on her back.

Lorraine, a former California candidate for the U.S. House, tells TMZ ... she thinks MTS is potentially referring to her in the new "Thot S**t" music video, which Meg dropped last week.

Lorraine says she feels that way given their past beef -- and because the video is all about Meg getting revenge on a conservative politician who trashes her and her music.

That sounds really familiar to Lorraine, who you'll recall slammed MTS and Cardi B by tweeting they had "set the entire female gender back by 100 years with their disgusting & vile ‘WAP’ song."

Lorraine says MTS fans came after her, flooding her phone with thousands of texts, calls, emails and IG messages ... some even threatening to kill her.

She provided some of the messages, which include alleged threats to roll up to her house, and reference the "Thot S**t" video taking aim at a politician. Other messages call out Lorraine's hypocrisy for saying zilch when white artists -- like Miley Cyrus -- sexualize their songs ... without any conservative backlash.

Lorraine -- who praised the Kenosha shooter last September and was indefinitely suspended from Twitter for continually spreading misinformation -- says it's a shame MTS fans are blowing her up because she's just "trying to help these people see that they can be more than just their 'WAP.'"

Turns out Jay-Z CAN knock the hustle ... or at least he's trying to 'cause he claims in a new lawsuit the photographer who shot his debut album cover is making tons of dough off the rapper's back.

The music mogul is suing Jonathan Mannion and his company, Jonathan Mannion Photography LLC, claiming Mannion's exploiting Jay-Z's name and image without the rapper's consent. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Jay says Mannion has Hova's name and likeness plastered all over his website and sells photos of Jay-Z for thousands of dollars.

Problem is ... Jay-Z says he never gave Mannion permission to do so -- and he claims when he asked Mannion to quit using his image, the photog demanded tens of millions of dollars. Jay claims Mannion is making an "arrogant assumption that because he took those photographs, he can do with them as he pleases.”

Jay hired Mannion in 1996 to shoot the cover for "Reasonable Doubt." Jay says Mannion took hundreds of pics and Roc-A-Fella Records used some of the photographs for his album covers and paid Mannion handsomely for those uses.

Jay-Z claims Mannion continues to prominently display Jay's image on the landing page of his website, where he sells Jay-Z pics and merch.

Jay says he has strict control over whether and how his name, likeness, identity and persona are used ... and Mannion never got the green light to continue hawking the pictures.

Jay claims it's "ironic that a photographer would treat the image of a formerly-unknown Black teenager, now wildly successful, as a piece of property to be squeezed for every dollar it can produce. It stops today.”

The rapper's suing to put a stop to Mannion selling the pics, stat, and wants him to fork over any of the profits he's made off his likeness. We've reached out to Mannion, so far no word back.

Gunna's gonna need a neck brace and darker shades after his star-studded birthday bash ... 'cause that's a lot of shiny bling around his neck and wrists.

The Georgia rapper turned 28 on Monday and went all out for his birthday event, which kicked off with dinner at an Aston Martin dealership -- his guests dined inside a freakin' vault!

That makes sense ... since there were stacks on stacks on stacks of cash sitting right on the dinner table. Gotta eat your greens.

The crew later hit up the Highlight Room in Hollywood where some heavy hitmakers rolled through ... including Drake, Future and Young Thug. Doja Cat, Tristan Thompson, Wale and Nav also showed face at the bash.

The party was presented by Noir Blanc Champaign, owned by Cash of XO Records, so the bottles were flowing. You can see Gunna's friends showered him with even more cash ... including music producer Wheezy, who shelled out a cool $20k "for the years we didn't know each other."

Then there's the bling. So. Much. Bling. Gunna's pretty stoked about his massive diamond-encrusted pinky ring. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

One thing is crystal clear ... it pays to be Gunna 'cause he's an incredibly well-liked dude. As we reported ... Lil Baby gifted Gunna $100k for his bday. Hell, even strangers love Gunna.

Pooh Shiesty might not have shot the club security guard in Miami after all -- at least that's what the alleged victim's saying now ... claiming he doesn’t remember giving his original statement to cops.

PS's attorneys, Bradford Cohen and Saam Zangeneh, filed a new motion this week with what they say is sworn testimony from the guard in question ... who now claims he was on a powerful painkiller and unaware of what he was saying to the police when they first spoke.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Frivin Dor's transcribed interview with Pooh's legal team is documented ... and he's on record saying he was given Dilaudid -- a powerful opioid painkiller -- when he first arrived at the hospital that night, which he now claims knocked him on his ass as he spoke to a detective about the matter, 'cause he doesn't remember a thing.

In this new account, Dor suggests the commotion in the club might have been caused by a fan (the spinning type, not a person) that fell in a parking garage nearby. He also says he doesn't recall Pooh aiming at him or even shooting at him.

According to the docs, he also said he doesn't want to press charges, and doesn't want officials in FL to contact him about this matter either ... which Pooh's lawyers say is enough for prosecutors to at least reconsider the decision not to release Pooh on bond.