TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Offset is clearly ready to see the Matt Ryan era come to an end in Atlanta ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to see his beloved Falcons move on to a new quarterback.

The "Bad and Boujee" rapper -- who's from the ATL area -- was talking football with us out in NYC earlier this week ... when he explained he's done with Ryan.

"We need a new quarterback," Offset said. "I love Matt Ryan, though. But, we just need somebody young. You know what I'm saying?"

The 29-year-old continued ... "He's had success every year, but we've got to get a championship. It don't matter 'til we get a ring."

Of course, Offset's Migos-mate, Quavo, has felt the same way for a while ... telling us repeatedly over the years he's not a fan of Ryan's game.

In fact, back in 2019, Quavo said the Falcons should bench Ryan for Colin Kaepernick.

Kanye West and Drake's beef has trickled into real life harassment -- some fan(s) of the latter took it upon themselves to hit up Ye's childhood home with some hateful words in tow.

Photos surfaced this weekend of three different signs that appear to have been left on the front steps of the South Shore Chicago house that Kanye grew up in ... and which he bought in recent years and is reportedly in the process of renovating.

It also served as the centerpiece of his latest listening event there in town -- with Ye creating a replica version of the crib to help tell the story of his "Donda" album. Now, it's tainted.

Somebody left signage touching on Drake's lyrical shots that he fired last weekend ... in which he called Kanye "burnt out," among other things. One sign echoes those words exactly, while another warns that Drizzy's album, "Certified Lover Boy," is coming soon.

And, the middle sign randomly takes a swipe at Justin Laboy -- a social media influencer who's been relaying a lot of Kanye "Donda" news lately ... seemingly on his behalf.

Luckily, no real damage to the home was done ... but it still feels like crossing the line into a space that's obviously sacred to Ye. Unfortunately for him, the address is widely public ... and doesn't seem to have any barricades or security around to keep nosy prowlers out.

The fact someone had the gall to go to Kanye's actual house to do this perhaps speaks to the stunt he pulled on Drake this week ... posting the dude's Toronto address publicly.

Kim Kardashian's wedding dress cameo at Kanye West's "Donda" show wasn't a total kumbaya for the pair's marriage, but things behind the scenes are drastically improving for the former couple.

Sources close to K & Y tell us ... there actually is a chance they could get back together. They've been spending time together privately and "working on rebuilding the foundation of their relationship."

While our sources say their divorce is still on, it's possible Kim might withdraw the divorce petition. There's obviously a lot of love and history between the former pair, but many areas of disagreement that have to be worked out.

We're told one of the glimmers of hope is that both Kim and Ye want what's best for their kids, and if they can work things out it's a win for the entire family.

Our sources say Kim and Kanye's main focus is to keep a healthy and sturdy foundation of love and support for their 4 kids ... and Kim bringing them to all 3 of Ye's "Donda" listening events demonstrates that.

Kanye West may have put on a buzz-worthy show in Chicago for his third "Donda" listening event, but the showing for vaccinations wasn't great ... only 13 attendees got the shot.

A spokesperson from the Illinois Department of Public Health tells TMZ ... 13 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered to guests at Soldier Field Thursday Night.

A rep for the venue previously told us 1,500 doses would be available ... so a very low percentage went into arms.

On the bright side -- at least for those who are not anti-vaxxers -- 13 is an increase from the 4 vaccinations at Kanye's last listening party in Atlanta, which had 40,000 people in attendance.

As for the Chicago show ... attendance was 38k, but attendees were not required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter. So, considering the percentage of Illinois' population who have had at least one dose is just above 65 percent ... ya gotta think there were way more unvaccinated people there than 13.

Oh, and look at these lines ... not a lot of social distancing going on.

Kanye's "Donda" event 3.0 had a lot of interesting moments though ... from DaBaby and Marilyn Manson being his controversial guest performers, to Kim Kardashian showing up in a wedding dress.

Kim Kardashian did more than just support her former hubby from the audience, she got involved in the action too, wearing a wedding dress!!!

Kanye's performance at Soldier Field in Chicago Thursday night featured plenty of guest appearances -- including some head-scratchers like DaBaby and Marilyn Manson -- but the audience went most crazy when Kim showed up outside the mockup of Kanye's childhood home in the dress.

Kim stepped out in a stunning Balenciaga Couture wedding dress during the song "No Child Left Behind," the final song of the night.

Now, our sources with direct knowledge have told us for weeks the two are NOT back together ... but they're forever family. Kim and Kanye have always supported the other's endeavors and will continue to do that in the future, whether it be a collaborative effort or not.

Our sources say Kim was happy to do it for Kanye and the event, which was so important to him.

By the way, the wedding gown moment came just minutes after Kanye -- or a likely stunt-double -- lit themselves on fire and walked around the house ... talk about a turn of events!

As we reported ... the event in Chicago marks the third "Donda" event, but the official product hasn't dropped yet.

Kanye West has a lot of people scratching their heads ... his "Donda" listening event has started in Chicago with appearances from DaBaby and Marilyn Manson.

West packed fans into Chicago's Soldier Field Thursday night, the event was supposed to start at 9 PM local, but kicked off closer to 11. He opened the event with one of the album's most popular songs, "Jail" -- which previously featured a verse from Jay-Z -- but the verse was replaced by one from DaBaby ... a puzzling move.

Not only was DaBaby -- who recently made disgustingly homophobic comments at Rolling Loud -- on the song, he also joined Kanye on "stage." Marilyn Manson -- who has been sued by multiple women in the last few months for sexual assault -- was also on stage.

Much like the other listening parties, Kanye has only danced to the album, not performing it live.

As for the stage ... it's a replica of Kanye's childhood home that he grew up in in Chicago.

While controversial, DaBaby's appearance at the event makes sense if he's on the album. As for why Manson -- who looked very out of place -- was included ... that remains to be seen. He's apparently not featured on any of the songs.

Kanye West fans are probably hoping there's a "Beetlejuice" situation with his "Donda" album -- after the third listening party it'll magically appear -- but regardless ... Kim Kardashian and their kids are in attendance once again.

As you probably know, Ye's holding another big event in anticipation of the release of his 10th studio album, but this one's the most special of the 3 ... because it's in his hometown of Chicago at Soldier Field.

Sources close to Kim and Kanye tell TMZ ... she and their 4 kids flew from L.A. to Chi-town Thursday, attending the show for support, just like they did for his Atlanta shows.

We're told he requested their presence because this listening event -- which will showcase a replica of his childhood home -- is very important to him.

As far as Kim and Kanye's relationship's concerned ... our source says it's still very much the same -- amicable and supportive. We got a glimpse of that as the 2 went out for lunch last week, and Kim's also keeping Kanye's last name ... despite what he does with it.

Kim Kardashian West is saying nay to Ye ... she's not following Kanye West's lead in the name change department.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ … Kim will not eliminate West from her name. TMZ broke the story, Kanye's applied for a name change and he'll 86 Kanye West for Ye ... simply Ye.

We're told Kim feels it's important for her to keep the same last name as her 4 children ... and there are no plans to change North, Psalm, Chicago and Saint's last names, either.

While Kim's not following Kanye's lead, we're told she fully supports his desire to go by "Ye" ... he's been known as Ye for years, and we're told Kim thinks people will still recognize him as Kanye West, even though he’s changing his legal moniker.

As we told you ... Kim's been supporting Kanye, despite their divorce, and they're keeping the family unit strong.

We learned 2 things about 2 Chainz as he made his way into a club last night -- he doesn't carry cash ... and he doesn't f*** with candy.

The rapper was heading into The Highlight Room at the Dream Hollywood hotel late Wednesday night when he was approached by some kids selling candy ... and he politely declined.

2 Chainz explained to the youngins he doesn't have a bankroll on him or he'd just give them some cash, but after they offered him the candy anyway ... he still turned it down.

If ya don't know ... 2 Chainz began gardening and growing his own healthy food in recent years, and candy clearly doesn't fit into his diet.

He was cool with the kids selling the sweets though, telling them to keep doing what they're doing ... because it's better than doing anything illegal.

Kanye West isn't requiring folks to be vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19 to enjoy his "Donda" event in Chicago ... but the good news ... fans can get inoculated on site.

A spokesperson for Soldier Field, the football stadium where Kanye is hosting his next listening party for his upcoming album, tells TMZ ... there will be more than 1,500 doses on hand for Kanye fans who want to roll up their sleeves.

We're told the doses are split between the two-shot Pfizer and one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines. For anyone getting their first shot of Pfizer, which just got full FDA approval, we're told officials from the Chicago Department of Health will be on-site to help set up appointments for the second dose.

Kanye's not the one pushing the vax ... we're told the folks who run Soldier Field, ASM Global Management, worked with the City of Chicago to make this happen.

It'll be interesting to see how many folks roll up their sleeves before listening to Kanye's upcoming album ... vaccines were available at Ye's last listening party in Atlanta, but only a measly 4 out of 40,000 got the shot.

There won't be quite as many folks allowed into Soldier Field ... the home of the NFL's Chicago bears is operating under reduced capacity ... with only 38,000 allowed inside instead of the usual 63,000.

Kanye West is no more -- that is, if he gets his way, and a judge grants him an official name change ... to something much more to the point.

KW just filed legal docs in L.A. ... asking a court to give him a new moniker in the books -- going from Kanye Omari West to simply, "Ye." Yes, the nickname he's gone by for years and years now ... dude wants that to be what Uncle Sam knows him by going forward.

Unclear what might go into the review process for this ... but it seems pretty clear. If a judge signs off, then Kanye as you know him is a goner. It'll be all Ye ... all day.  Fact is, in California, unless there's evidence a name change is designed to commit fraud or other shenanigans ... the judge will approve it.  So, this will get a sign off by the judge.

It's interesting -- Kanye also wants to drop the "West" from his persona altogether too ... which is kinda odd, considering he's shown pride in his family heritage -- and has often even called himself (both in person and in song) Mr. West. That too will be nixed if he gets the green light.

Funny enough ... Kim still has "West" in her own surname -- this after the couple filed for divorce.

Megan Thee Stallion claims her own record label is trying like hell to block the release of her newest song ... and she's running to a court for help.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Meg claims her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and its honcho, former MLB star Carl Crawford, are doing everything they can to stop her from putting out a new song with BTS.

In the docs, MTS says she's the featured artist on a remix to the K-pop group's popular "Butter" track ... saying it's supposed to drop Friday, unless her label is able to block it.

Meg believes if released, "Butter" will help to expand her international fanbase, thanks to BTS' massive brand. She claims 1501 told her they don't believe the song would be good for her recording career -- but she says that excuse is just a cover -- and deep down the label is trying to shake her down for 6-figures and force her to pay them to sign off on the song's release.

Megan's been down this road before ... she's pissed about the contract she signed with the label back when she was only 20, and just last year she accused the label of blocking her from releasing new music because she wanted to renegotiate the deal.

She ended up getting an order from the court to prohibit 1501 and Crawford from blocking the release of her new music ... and she says they're violating that order.

In the docs, Megan claims her label is putting up roadblocks to stifle her artistry and hurt her career ... and she wants a judge to step in so she can release the track on time.

Kid Cudi is mourning the loss of his beloved dog ... and it'll make you cry to hear about it.

The rapper wrote a heartbreaking tribute to Freshie ... a dog he got in 2010 after the producers of "How to Make it in America" told him he'd be a weed-selling, dog-walking character on season 2. He got the dog to prepare for the role.

Cudi and Freshie formed a tight bond ... "I had no previous interactions [with] dogs prior, other than giving one a pet if my friends had one at their place. I was truly nervous around dogs and I wanted to be comfortable onset [with] them so it felt legit."

He added, "I had no idea I would have such a best friend in my life. He's been here for 11 years, and my life has been one hell of a rollercoaster this whole time."

The rapper said Freshie would come up to him and lick his face if he was crying. Kid Cudi called Freshie his guardian angel because there were nights where he held a knife to his stomach but, "I'd see Freshie and I couldn't do it. He would stare at me when I would have a knife to my stomach, eyes glaring at me tellin' me to put the knife down."

Kid Cudi checked into rehab in 2016 for depression and suicidal urges.

Tory Lanez has to fork over more bail money after prosecutors say he violated a court order to stay away from Megan Thee Stallion with his surprise appearance at Rolling Loud ... but at least he won't be behind bars.

Lanez was in an L.A. court Monday to learn his fate and he's gonna have to post a higher bail amount to stay out of jail while his criminal case is pending. The reason -- he violated a protective order requiring him to stay clear of Megan.

The judge also modified his bail conditions to specifically prohibit Tory from attending events where his alleged victim, Megan, will be present. The judge also said if this issue comes up again ... he will be remanded into custody. So, this was clearly his last warning.

Tory's bail was increased from $190k to $250k -- so he'll have to throw down a bit more dough to stay free.

TMZ broke the story ... prosecutors filed a motion earlier this month to hold TL in contempt for violating the restraining order. He made a guest appearance during DaBaby's Rolling Loud set, and he got within 100 yards of Megan, who also performed at the event

Kanye West is doing some home cooking for his next "Donda" event ... because it looks like he's recreating his Chicago childhood home on a big stage.

Check out this image from inside Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, where Kanye is getting set to host his 3rd listening party for his upcoming album.

As you can see, construction is in full swing on a structure that looks a lot like the home where Ye grew up on the South Side of Chicago ... and it seems the house is smack in the middle of the football field.

Remember ... the album name is "Donda," an homage to his late mother, so it seems fitting Kanye would represent their old home for his listening party in the city where he was born and raised.

Kanye's also been all about this era of life ... he recently scrubbed his entire Instagram page except for a lone image of the old Chicago crib, which he bought last year for a cool $225,000.

Kanye West appeared to dox Drake as their long-standing feud reignites, but Drake doesn't seem to give an f.

Ye took to Instagram to share the location of Drake's Toronto, Ontario property, but later deleted it. This came shortly after Kanye wiped his IG clean, leaving a lone photo of his childhood home ... but he's now posted a few more pics.

Drake's response was telling ... he laughed it off on his own IG Story ... with a video of him on a joyride.

Of course, all of this weekend drama is the result of Drake's diss at Kanye on a song he just dropped with Trippie Redd ... in which he acknowledges their beef and calls Ye "burned out."

Kanye fired back by posting a group chat -- in which he added another old nemesis, Pusha T, to the mix -- which included an ominous 'Joker' text, along with the message ... "I live for this. I've been f***ed with by nerd ass jock n***** like you my whole life. You will never recover. I promise you."