TMZ Hip Hop - Page 16

Lady Gaga seems to have given Bad Bunny some meaningful words of encouragement moments before he took home Album of the Year at last night's Grammys ... and the sweet moment was caught on camera.

Benito was quietly sitting at his table ahead of the big announcement during a break in the show ... when Gaga approached him from behind, tapped his right shoulder and startled him nearly out of his seat.

While the video doesn't capture any audio ... she was seen leaning in and whispering something in his ear before giving him a gentle hug. He lets out a deep sigh of relief, as she heads back to her seat.

Snoop Dogg is speaking out after suffering an unimaginable family tragedy ... the death of his 10-month-old granddaughter, Codi.

The rap legend showed public support for his daughter, Cori Broadus, after she revealed her baby girl passed away just three weeks after being released from the NICU, following a 10-month stay in intensive care. Snoop shared a family photo on Instagram Saturday that included Cori, keeping his message short but heartfelt with sparkling heart and praying hands emojis.

Fans immediately flooded the comments with condolences, prayers, and messages of love for the grieving Broadus family.

Snoop Dogg's 10-month-old granddaughter Codi has passed away ... this according to his only daughter, Cori Broadus.

Cori announced the news Saturday afternoon ... sharing a black-and-white photo where she's grinning and lovingly holding Codi in her arms.

She writes that Codi -- the "love of her life" -- passed away Monday ... adding an angel wing emoji to the post.

Vic Mensa just got back from Minneapolis ... and, he says ICE is engaging in state-sponsored terrorism in the city.

We caught up with the rapper in Los Angeles earlier this week ... and, he says the federal agency isn't just killing people -- they're attacking citizens with sonic cannons and more which might affect them for life.

While it's a scary situation out in Minneapolis, Mensa's not at all phased ... telling us, as a Black man in America, this isn't the first time he's scene this kind of response by law enfoircement to protesters.

Kanye West's fully embracing the mentor role for his daughter North West's rap career ... bringing her out at his Mexico show to perform her new song.

The music legend performed in Mexico City Friday night -- his first show in the country in nearly 20 years -- and, North joined him onstage to play "Piercing On My Hand" ... a song which references the dermal implants she got in her right hand a few months ago.

Check out the clip ... like father, like daughter when it comes to the outfit -- thick sunglasses and an all-black 'fit which looks a lot like a mini version of something Ye would wear.

Michael "5000" Watts, a powerhouse DJ and producer from Texas, has died.

His family announced the news Friday, revealing he had developed a fatal heart rhythm called Torsades de Pointes, which caused a sudden cardiac death. He died surrounded by loved ones, his family said.

His family alerted fans on Wednesday that he had been hospitalized due to "some tremendous health issues" and asked for prayers.

Klay Thompson's relationship with Megan Thee Stallion got a big stamp of approval on Friday, 'cause his ex-NBA pops says the rapper is a "very nice lady" -- and one hell of a cook!!

The cams caught up with the two-time NBA champion Friday ... and he couldn't help but sing the praises of MTS and her chef skills.

Of course ... we asked what one of her great dishes was -- with Thompson shouting out her barbecue baked beans.

Ray J’s been talking serious life-or-death health woes recently -- but you’d never clock it from the way he rolled into court looking like he had a red carpet to catch!

Despite saying he’s got limited time, it looked like Ray J's prognosis took a day off as he rocked up to an L.A. court Friday -- he was decked out in a slick suit, and had cool-guy energy to the point he refused eye contact for cameras while saying he’s "doing alright."

The rapper elaborated a little ... saying he was "better today," so his health saga might be more day-by-day than doomsday.

Bad Bunny's got a busy couple weeks coming up between the Grammy Awards and his Super Bowl Halftime performance ... and, he'll go through it all knowing he was the biggest pop star of 2025.

Billboard unveiled BB at the top of their yearly Greatest Pop Stars list Friday ... with the Puerto Rican singer beating out the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter -- and even the showgirl herself, Taylor Swift.

The popular music publication cites the success of his album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," his "No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí" residency and even his part in "Happy Gilmore 2" for why he topped the list.

Nicki Minaj isn't backing down after controversially calling Don Lemon a homophobic slur ... she's doubling down on that remark in a new podcast promo that dropped amid his arrest.

Days before Don's Thursday night arrest, the rapper sat down for an interview on "The Katie Miller Podcast" ... and she was asked to respond to him calling her "racist, unhinged, homophobic and our of [her] depth" -- all comments he made on "TMZ Live."

Minaj replied simply, "C***sucker, stop" ... prompting laughs from Miller before the clip ends.

American rapper and songwriter Kool Moe Dee (real name Mohandas Dewese) shot to fame in the '80s with hip-hop hits like "I Go To Work," "Wild Wild West," and "How Ya Like Me Now" -- even scoring a Grammy win in 1991.

Guess what he looks like now!

It's Grammys weekend indeed -- test your Grammys trivia:

Nicki Minaj fans are taking sides after watching her cozy up to President Trump ... some are sticking by her, and others are dropping her like a bad habit.

The battle of the Barbz played out Thursday on "TMZ Live" when we had a couple supporters join our show and explain why Nicki's embrace of Trump is either a deal-breaker ... or no big deal.

Blair Thompson says he's cutting the cord when it comes to Nicki ... and he tells us why her politics feel like a slap in the face to lots of her longtime supporters who come from diverse backgrounds.

Bow Wow and B2K crashed our live stream this morning ... laying out the details of their upcoming tour and offering to take Harvey Levin to a famous strip club in Atlanta, Georgia!

You have to see this ... while discussing who may or may not make a surprise appearance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show next month, BW switched the topic to the 2028 Super Bowl in Atlanta. Having grown up in the city, BW wants Harvey to come down ... but not for the game. The rapper said he's dying to take Harvey to the famed gentleman's club, Magic City!

Bow Wow kidded, "Every time me and Harvey talk, I always ask him!" joking that Harvey's been ducking him for years.

But the thing is ... the only strip club Harvey's been to in the last decade was a place called Plan B in Los Angeles ... and it was for the food!

All good things must come to an end ... even for Bad Bunny. The megastar implied he doesn't plan on doing music forever during a questionnaire with Stephen Colbert.

When the 'Late Show' host asked Benito to describe the rest of his life in five words, BB used "retired" as one of the five!

The other four were "happy," "eating," "tripletas," and "living in Puerto Rico." Tripletas are a street food sandwich staple in Puerto Rico, and obviously, "living in Puerto Rico" is more than one word, but when you're on top of the world, you don't need to be restrained by measly word counts.

Nicki Minaj is apparently one step closer to becoming an American citizen ... and is flaunting her new Trump Gold Card to prove it -- which she hinted she got at no charge!

Check out her tweets from Wednesday -- the Trinidad-born rapper posted a photo of a Trump Gold Card in her hand, and in another tweet said it was "free of charge" ... and that she was finalizing her paperwork for citizenship. She also raved about President Donald Trump, calling him her "wonderful, gracious, charming" president.

If you remember, Trump introduced the Gold Card program in September 2025. All folks need to do is pay a $15,000 "DHS processing fee" and a "$1 million gift" ... and they'll be fast-tracked to receive U.S. residency "in record time," according to the government page for the card.

Aloe Blacc is "The Man" when it comes to love and understanding ... at least according to a chat we just had with him about Ye -- formerly known as Kanye West -- and his controversial apology letter.

Blacc was all bundled up when we caught him out in NYC Wednesday ... but despite braving the freezing weather, the singer-songwriter had a warm response to Ye's latest apology.

Blacc said, "I think anytime anybody can show unconditional love and growth is a good time."

Of course, some have noted Ye has an album coming out, which could make the apology seem suspicious. The thinking is that the Wall Street Journal ad he took out Monday addressed to "Those I've Hurt," could just be a strategic ploy to get attention for the upcoming project.